Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus bring 'Hope for Ukraine' to Montreat
Free concert hosted by Christ Community Church-Montreat will benefit Music Mission Kiev
The Valley Echo
September 18, 2023
The Kiev Symphony Orchestra & Chorus will perform, Sept. 30, in Anderson Auditorium in Montreat. The free concert, sponsored by Christ Community Church-Montreat, will support Music Mission Kiev. Photo courtesy of Christ Community Church - Montreat
The Kiev Symphony Orchestra & Chorus (KSOC) is returning to Western North Carolina, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, when they take the stage in Anderson Auditorium in Montreat. “Hope for Ukraine” is the theme for this year’s 30th Anniversary tour of the southeast U.S.
Music has the power to move people. When paired with truth, hearts and souls have no choice but to rejoice and react.
Coming from Kiev, Ukraine’s capitol city, with 28 musicians under the direction of Viktoriia Konchakovska, the KSOC traditionally performs with 152 musicians, 52 chorus members and a 100-piece orchestra. The men remain in Ukraine, defending their country in a war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022.
The KSOC was founded by Roger and Diane McMurrin in 1993, when they began performing sacred masterpieces of classical music. These pieces – including Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Elijah – were banned under communist rule for 70 years.
As the Iron Curtain lifted and this music became known to Ukrainian performers, they described it as “an explosion of light.” These time-honored compositions powerfully communicate texts that come directly from scripture, declaring God’s glory to the nations.
The collection of professional musicians includes many graduates of the world-renowned Tchaikovsky National Music Academy.
“KSOC is a unique group,” Inna, a soprano in the chorus said. “It is based on sacred, spiritual, eternal truth. Texts are taken from the Bible. It’s very valuable to me because it compels us as musical artists to ascend to a different spiritual level, as we consider the texts and sing them. The words ‘live’ within us, so that the music does not only affect the listener, but also us, the artists.”
Roger McMurrin from First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Florida, went to Kiev in 1993 to introduce Handel’s Messiah to professional musicians. The singers’ minds, hearts and souls were so profoundly impacted that Roger resigned his position, and with his wife, Diane, sold their home, and moved to Kiev, where they established the KSOC, which Roger directed for the next 25 years.
“We are ambassadors of peace in the world,” said Dima, another member of the KSOC. “Thanks to the people of North America, we can fulfill our role and mission as Christ’s representatives of a message of peace.”
Donations to Music Mission Kiev (or MMK), a 501c3 charitable nonprofit organization in Altamonte Springs, Florida, support the KSOC ministry.
This is a free concert, sponsored by Christ Community Church-Montreat, with a Love Offering being received that will address a great need in Ukraine. Donations support KSOC’s care of widows, orphans, wounded and displaced. Widows need care and hope, as the KSOC brings weekly food, help and prayer to 530 widows.
MMK provides special medicine and clothing for the war wounded and tortured men and women at three different hospitals.
Eighty orphaned children, longing for care and connection at Starr Bason Orphanage, receive choral and instrument instruction, an occasional outing and usher at their concerts.
MMK also provides aid to 100 Internally Displaced People in Kiev, 50 in Dnipro and 50 in Drushkiva.
As with other tours to the U.S. and Canada, dating back to 1995, the two-hour concert is divided between sacred and folk music. Included in this concert will be stories of how these musicians have been affected by the war.
For more information, call or text Christ Community Church-Montreat Concert Committee Chair Carol Schneider: 828-301-0151.