On June 19, 2022, a charity Ukrainian concert was held in Carmel Valley, organized by the Hromada community at the invitation of Mr. Paul Lauba and with the consent of the Jewish community of the city's synagogue. The hall, equipment, and technical support were all provided free of charge, with the only request being to hold the concert. It is this concert that we want to tell you about.

The concert began with a speech by Natalia Anon, co-founder of Hromada:

"We came here today to celebrate and support Ukraine, our beautiful and invincible homeland Ukraine... By coming here today, you will make your contribution to Ukraine's victory over evil, as all funds will go directly to Ukraine — to people in the combat zone and people affected by the war. We dedicate the wonderful performances you will hear today to the Ukrainian military, who are currently in the line of fire in Donbas, demonstrating acts of heroism every day in a very difficult struggle. We want our energy today to help them win these battles. We pray for them and dedicate this concert to them... We begin with the Ukrainian anthem, which has now become an anthem of defiance and global recognition." The ringing sounds of the bandura filled the hall and gently faded away when she sang the song “There Are Many of Us in the World,” as if addressing those who had left their homeland: “Come home, come back from battle, my dear sons.” Olya ended her performance with the Zaporizhzhia March, which sounded particularly triumphant.

Natalia announced the second act, a performance by the folk duo Oksana and Sviatoslav Stus, and briefly described the meaning of their songs in English. They first performed the Ukrainian folk song “Late on Saturday, Early on Sunday.” The words sounded especially plaintive: “My dear mother sent her son to the army, and you are going to the front to fight.” The second song was a lullaby: “Luli-luli, my son” with the words: “Dad will make you a maple saber.”

After Oksana and Sviatoslav's performance, dancer Oleksandra Bobrychenko, who herself comes from Kryvyi Rih, delighted the audience with a fiery Hutsul dance called “Na Polonyni” (On the Mountain Pasture).

Daniela Dovganich, accompanied by guitarist Jason Chu, performed the Ukrainian song “What a Moonlit, Starry, Clear Night” with lyrics by M. Starytsky and music by kobza players A. Voloschenko and V. Ovchinnikov, which was warmly received by the audience. The second song was the currently popular “Obiymy” by Svyatoslav Vakarchuk and the band Okean Elzy.

The real highlight of the concert was the performance of singer Ivanna Taratula Filipenko, who charmed all listeners with her mezzo-soprano voice. She performed the Ukrainian folk song “Oy, de ty idesh?” (“Oh, where are you going?”), followed by the popular song “Dva kolory” (“Two colors”) with lyrics by Dmytro Pavlychko and music by Oleksandr Bilash.

Ivanna's daughter, soprano Juliana Filipenko, joined her mother on stage. They sang a duet of the Ukrainian romance “In the Autumn Garden, White Asters.” The audience gave them a long, loud ovation, unwilling to let the duet leave the stage.

Oleksandra Bobichenko's dance “Marichka” seemed to transport everyone to the Carpathian Mountains, where young girls like Oleksandra gracefully run along mountain paths, drawing water from a spring.

Oksana and Sviatoslav Stusiv's return to the stage brought the audience's attention back to folk songwriting. This folk duet performed two folk songs: “Oy, tykho-tykho Dunay vodu nesie” (Oh, the Danube flows quietly, quietly) and “Stoit kozak na chornoy kruchi” (A Cossack stands on a black cliff). The words of the last song sounded patriotic and touching: “The Cossack is going to a foreign land, leaving his girl alone, preparing his saber and horse for our native Ukraine.”

Once again, Ivanna Taratula Filipenko captivated the audience with her sincerity and openness, singing the song “Fly, Sad Song” with lyrics and music by B. Veselovsky. The well-known and popular song “Kyiv, My Kyiv” immersed us in nostalgia for the capital, for the quiet, peaceful, pre-war times.

Once again, Oleksandra Bobichenko spun around in a whirlwind of dance, performing her dance fantasy, which overflowed with youth, determination, and tirelessness. And along with her, the audience began to rejuvenate before our eyes.

Olia Gerasymenko Oliinyk played the bandura, conveying variations on the theme of the Ukrainian folk song “Plyve Choven” with its melodies. Ms. Olia also sang the song “Oi, Misyatsiu, Misyatsenku” with lyrics by Maria Pidhiryanka and folk music, or “Na Ivana, Na Kupala.”

The concert ended with all the artists coming on stage and singing together the riflemen's song “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna pokhylilsya” (Oh, the red viburnum bent down in the meadow), which can rightly be considered Ukraine's second anthem.

The concert ended, the audience thanked the artists with warm applause, and the artists bowed and in turn thanked the audience for their attention.

As a result of ticket sales and donations from a silent auction held during the intermission, $6,600 was raised for Ukraine. At the previous concert, held in Carmel-by-the-Sea, $8,800 was raised. So, the total amount raised was $15,400.

Everyone left a little tired, but happy that they had managed to do another good deed. Many a little makes a mickle.