United for Ukraine Brings Acclaimed Artists to Toronto’s Meridian Hall for a Cause
Toronto audiences will soon have the opportunity to provide support for Ukrainian families displaced from their homes through the performing arts.
Presented by Attila Glatz Concert Productions and TO Live, United for Ukraine is an exciting night of music and dance in support of Ukraine. Conceived and curated by Sonia Rodriguez, Heather Ogden, Evelyn Hart, and Attila Glatz, all of the net proceeds from this event will be donated to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to help them in their mission of providing aid to those affected by the war in Ukraine.
“The performing arts represent a real global community,” says Sonia Rodriguez, co-curator of this benefit. “I’ve spent a career performing alongside people from all over the world, and felt a genuine need to do whatever possible to support the people of Ukraine in this time of crisis.”
Emceed by Carolyn MacKenzie and Jeff McArthur, hosts of Global’s The Morning Show, United for Ukraine will feature a dynamic and varied program of music and dance by acclaimed artists across genres and disciplines.
Co-presenter Attila Glatz’s personal experiences are what motivated him to participate in this benefit. “I was a young boy living in Hungary at the time of the 1956 uprising among incredible political unrest under Russian occupation,” says the founder and executive producer of Attila Glatz Concert Productions. “I escaped to the west in 1968, and fast-forward to the present…the fact that we present concerts in a country where we don’t have to worry for our safety shows how fortunate we are. We have a real opportunity now — 3,200 of us do — to come together at Meridian Hall on April 28 to show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”
Performers for the evening include:
- Superstar Ukrainian violin virtuoso Vasyl Popadiuk and the Papa Duke Band;
- International ballerina and Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee Sonia Rodriguez with principal dancers of the National Ballet of Canada: Guillaume Côté, Heather Ogden, Svetlana Lunkina, Brendan Saye, Jurgita Dronina, Harrison James, and First Soloist Spencer Hack;
- Ukrainian dance company Kalyna Performing Arts Company;
- Indigenous dance company Red Sky Performance;
- Canada’s preeminent Ukrainian Women’s Choir, Vesnivka;
- Opera singers Lara Ciekiewicz, Natalya Gennadi, and James McLennan;
- Dancers from Barvinok Ukrainian Dance School
“We’re honoured to co-present this benefit in support of the people of Ukraine, and to showcase the work of incredible performing artists lending their talents to this noteworthy cause,” says Clyde Wagner, President and CEO of TO Live. “Seeing the arts community come together like this is inspiring and TO Live is proud to help share this event with audiences in Toronto,” adds Josephine Ridge, Vice President of Programming at TO Live.
United for Ukraine will take place at Meridian Hall on Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. To attend the benefit, purchase tickets here.
For individuals or organizations looking to sponsor this event and/or make a donation, please contact Sandra Bellisario at sandra.bellisario@tolive.com or 416-414-0341.
Jessica Watson
Jessica is a former associate editor at Intermission, as well as a writer, classically-trained actor, and plant enthusiast. Since graduating from LAMDA in the UK with her MA in acting, you can often find her writing screenplays and short plays in the park, writing extensive lists of plant care tips, or working on stage and screen (though she uses a stage name). Jessica freelances with various companies across Canada, but her passion lies in working with theatre artists and enthusiasts.
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