Australian soul band The Bluesberries have joined the Mariupol Chamber Orchestra ‘Renaissance’ to launch Morning Sun, a song that pays tribute to the many sacrifices made by Ukrainians and one that aims to bolster spirits and raise much-needed funds for those injured by Russia’s invasion.
The Mariupol Chamber Orchestra ‘Renaissance’ is led by the esteemed founding conductor Vasyl Kryachok, who sheltered hundreds of Ukrainians in the Mariupol Philharmonic Theatre while the Russians laid siege to the city. Vasyl and some of his musicians managed to escape Russian occupying forces, reforming the orchestra in Kyiv.
Morning Sun is composed by Australian musician and BBC producer Daniel Fallon (Ciaran Gribbin, The Cockroaches, The John Field Band) and English producer and music director Paul Beard (Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Art Garfunkel), and it features outstanding Ukrainian soprano Maryana Golovko and an arrangement by her countryman, Eugene Braha.
The music video, which has been recorded in Kyiv and Sydney, will be shown at a series of fundraiser performances at The Vanguard in Sydney on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 12 February, with the global launch event to be held on Wednesday 19 February 2025 (get tickets here).
The 19 February launch event– to mark the third year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine (24 February 2022) – will feature live performances, the specially-created Morning Sun music video and messages from the musicians in Ukraine. The event will be hosted by the award-winning writer, comedian and TV presenter Andrew Denton, with special guests including the Ukrainian Ambassador, Vasyl Myrochnychenko and co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO), Kateryna Argyrou.
Morning Sun is the follow up to The Bluesberries’ Blue Skies EP launch in December 2022, which featured the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, led by emerging classical star Illia Bondarenko, Maryana Golovko, and the renowned Shchedryk Children’s Choir of Kyiv. The music videos have reached almost 1 million streams. The project raised money for Ukrainian refugees via UNHCR.
Money raised during these shows will go towards the Superhumans Center, a state of the art rehabilitation centre in Lviv, Ukraine, which provides prosthesis, psychological and rehabilitation support to some of the estimated 100,000 amputees in Ukraine; and I’Mariupol, a charity that supports internally displaced people from Mariupol.
Watch a sample of the Mariupol Chamber Orchestra ‘Renaissance’ playing Morning Sun here
Media interviews are available with: The Bluesberries, Maryana Golovko (English speaking, via Zoom), Vasyl Kryachok (with a translator, via Zoom) and Kateryna Argyrou.
Vasyl Kryachok:
I am a witness to the terrible occupation that took tens of thousands of lives. Although these events happened three years ago, they are still before my eyes.
At least a thousand people, from two-day old babies to 97-year-olds, passed through the premises of the Philharmonic under my responsibility. We all saw how their past lives and ideas about the future were destroyed. But we were together, and I am sure unity and creativity bring hope.
Dan Fallon:
Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine as they continue to fight for their freedom. It is hard to imagine their losses following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February, 2022.
The siege of Mariupol is an infamous chapter of this senseless aggression. To have conductor Vasyl Kryachok lead the Mariupol Chamber Orchestra ‘Renaissance’, along with outstanding soprano Maryana Golovko, to record Morning Sun is another powerful example of the resilience of Ukrainians. Vasyl and the orchestra members escaped from occupied territory and mortal danger.
Music brings us together – we stand with them.
Maryana Golovko:
It’s windy and cold in Kyiv today, but I would like to thank you for all the support, incredible support for our project and for Ukraine. It’s an honour to be a part of this ambitious and great initiative. For me personally, this song is a deep connection with everyone who supports Ukraine in these hard times for our country.
And I believe that music speaks sometimes better than words and music unites people. And this is a great opportunity to tell a story, to talk about Ukraine again and again, to talk about this awful war.
Kateryna Argyrou:
It’s truly heartening that even many thousands of kilometres from Ukraine, Australian musicians such as Dan, Paul and John can use their skills and talent to unite with Ukrainian musicians and help Ukraine. It’s a great reminder of the power of music, and that we can all do something to resist evil and support those impacted by Russia’s aggression.
Background information:
Ukraine: Orchestra from russian-held city of Mariupol gets new home in Kyiv – France 24
Mariupol: A conductor’s story – DW
The Bluesberries – Morning Sun
Paul Beard showreel
The Ukrainian-Australian team making music from a war zone – The Sydney Morning Herald
The remarkable music project raising funds for Ukraine – ABC
