Royal Opera House dance and opera initiatives for Ukraine

Today, the Royal Opera House unveiled fundraising initiatives in support of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The Royal Opera – Concert for Ukraine

On Good Friday, 15 April 2022, at 4.30 pm, Ukrainian Oksana Lyniv joins Music Director of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano on the podium to conduct The Royal Opera – Concert for Ukraine with artists including Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov, Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, South African soprano Pretty Yende, and British-Italian tenor Freddie De Tommaso. Current Jette Parker Young Artists (JPYA) will also perform alongside members of the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Tickets are from £4 to £100.

Flight Pattern

From Friday 22 April 2022, audiences can watch Crystal Pite's critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning Flight Pattern online – streaming platform Vimeo is waiving its fees. Created in 2017 in response to the refugee crisis, Flight Pattern is powerfully resonant – a poignant reminder of the frailty of the human condition and the tension between despair and hope. The stream costs £7 but additional donations are encouraged. It will be available on-demand for 30 days.

Swan Lake 

On Thursday 5 May 2022, at 7.30 pm, The Royal Ballet presents a fundraising performance of Swan Lake. Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet Lauren Cuthbertson, Sarah Lamb, Marianela Nuñez and Natalia Osipova will share the role of Odette/Odile across the four acts. Tickets range from £10 to £200. 

Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, Alex Beard, said:

Everyone at ROH is deeply shocked and appalled by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, following Russia's invasion. I hope these special performances and streams by the ROH community of artists from across the world can help raise much-needed funds to support the humanitarian work of the Disasters Emergency Committee.

The three special performances follow actions the ROH has taken alongside others in the UK and international arts sector in response to the invasion of Ukraine. In addition to cancelling the Bolshoi's planned visit this summer, these include symbolic acts of solidarity such as lighting the Covent Garden building in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, playing the Ukrainian national anthem before performances, and sharing a special recording of the Ukrainian hymn Prayer for Ukraine (with music by Mykola Lysenko and text by Oleksandr Konysky arranged by Anna Lapwood), performed by members of The Royal Opera Chorus.  A number of Royal Ballet dancers also took part in the Dance for Ukraine gala on Saturday 19 March 2022 at the London Coliseum.

For booking details, visit The Royal Opera House website.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.