Successful benefit concert in Sewickley raises money for Ukraine

A special benefit concert set up to raise money to buy medicine for residents of war-torn Ukraine and help Ukrainian refugees get to safety has raised more than $22,000, according to organizer Cheryl Redmond.

The concert was held Dec. 11 at Sewickley United Methodist Church and featured musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, including soloist Marta Krechkovsky, a native of Ukraine, on violin. Krechkovsky and clarinet soloist Victoria Luperi learned specific Ukrainian music pieces for the concert. The PSO musicians volunteered to perform.

Also performing were Ukrainian refugees Katerina Boiko, who fled to the United States with her 13-year-old daughter Alexa and settled in Sewickley in mid-July. They were eventually reunited with husband and father Denis.

All three are musicians. Katerina, a singer, and Denis, a drummer, are natives of Zhytomyr in Ukraine (about 86 miles north of Kyiv). They were joined by their daughter, who is an accomplished flutist, on a jazzy version of “Jingle Bells” and a Ukrainian language version of “Silent Night.”

“It came off perfectly,” Redmond said. “The Boikos were a breath of fresh air. It was very moving, very beautiful. It was a joyful way to end a beautiful evening.”

About 250 attended the concert, according to Redmond.

“They came to hear a beautiful concert and had already made a donation. Then, as I was walking up after the concert was over, people were handing me checks that they had just written to add to their donation,” Redmond said. “We had donation jars that were full and then we emptied them and by the time we left, they were full again.”

The concert was a joint presentation of the Sewickley Music Club and Nova Ukraine, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Redmond said Nova Ukraine would be forwarding the proceeds from the event to Ukraine.

The event was emceed by Sewickley Mayor George Shannon.

“Our mayor and Marta (Krechkovsky) speaking did a wonderful job of opening up the hearts of the people and talking about the love in the room and that we were sending the love to Ukraine and that they would feel it,” Redmond said.

There were many Ukrainians in the audience, according to Redmond.

“And there were a lot of eastern Europeans — Serbians, Slovaks — who sympathize with Ukrainians who were there as well,” she said.

Redmond wants the public to know that donations are still being taken. Checks should be made payable to Sewickley Music Club Benefit and mailed to Cheryl Redmond, 316 Beaver St. #304, Sewickley, PA 15143.