On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest military assault instigated by Europe since World War II. Since the attack began, more than 10 million Ukrainians are estimated to have fled their homes, and according to a statement from the United Nations, as many as 1,793 civilians are confirmed to have died.
From the first note to the last, the music that floats through the air during a concert has the ability to transform an audience of individual people into a collective group. This transformation occurred on Friday, March 4, 2022, in Abbey Chapel, during the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra’s annual Mary Lyon Concert, which was reconstructed this year into a fundraiser for Ukraine.
