February 24. Iryna Usova 鈥�16MA clearly enunciates each syllable when she mentions the date because she鈥檒l never forget it. Neither will millions of Ukrainians whose lives were abruptly turned upside down just before dawn broke on that day.
鈥淲e did not want to believe it would happen,鈥� Usova says of the weeks and hours leading up to the Russian military attack, 鈥渦ntil the moment it actually happened.鈥�
Usova had no choice but to leave her home in Odessa, where she鈥檇 grown an appreciation for the beach and the beautiful performing arts center there. She rushed into a small car with her mother, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. They had to flee the explosions but weren鈥檛 sure where to go. They started west before realizing the road would be too dangerous. So, they turned toward Moldova, hoping to find safety (Moldova would be recommended for acceptance into the European Union four months later).
The car had room only for the five of them, their personal documents, and one item Usova grabbed as a lifeline on her way out the door: her violin.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a part of me, like my soul, since I was 5 years old,鈥� she says.
After staying one night in a lonely far-away motel, Usova and her family stood in a line of people as long as they could see, all of them trying to cross the border into Europe. A woman happened to notice Usova and the violin and offered shelter in her home. The next morning, after two sleepless nights, Usova pulled out the violin and filled the woman鈥檚 home with the same sounds that she鈥檇 previously filled venues in Spain, Italy, France, Ukraine and the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando.
鈥淚n Ukraine,鈥� Usova says. 鈥淢usic is part of our education at a very early age. All people, regardless of wealth or status, can enjoy orchestras, operas, and ballets. It is like fresh air for us. At a time of such danger, people needed the fresh air.鈥�
Usova played her violin every day while the rumbling continued. She鈥檇 see faces break into uncommon smiles as soon as she鈥檇 draw the bow across the strings.
鈥淢usic and the arts are markers of national identity in Ukraine,鈥� says 麻豆原创 professor of history Vladimir Solonari. Identity is not a simple concept in that region. Solonari鈥檚 parents are Ukrainian. He was born and raised in Moldova when it was still part of the Soviet Union, so he was educated in a Russian culture. 鈥淯krainians did not create a highbrow culture, so the arts can be used as a rallying cry. The music touches your feelings. It can serve as a mobilizing tool in public squares and less obvious spaces.鈥�
Tucked deep under the news alerts about Russian raids and rubble in the streets, you could find a social video post of a Ukrainian soldier playing a violin for fellow troops in a small bunker. A luthier sent out a newsletter saying he was still hand-crafting violins even as alarms resonated across his neighborhood, not to keep up with demand but for 鈥渢he sake of art and for stress relief.鈥� With the ground rumbling, music rehearsals and performances played on in places where you鈥檇 least expect them.
鈥淔or us, the arts can provide moments of peace and harmony,鈥� Usova says. 鈥淭hey remind us of our love for our culture and country. The people performing are seen as messengers of goodwill.鈥�
She says this as she prepares for her next performance in another unexpected venue: the St. Luke鈥檚 Lutheran Church in Oviedo, Florida. On Thursday, Aug. 25, at 2:30 p.m., Usova and other acclaimed musicians will perform in the sanctuary, chosen for its near-perfect acoustics, to raise awareness and financial support.
Who better to raise awareness of the conditions in Ukraine than the young woman who fled her home in the darkness, clutching a violin?
History and Music Repeat
Just talking about the war tires Usova and makes her understandably sad. Most of her family is either in Europe or Ukraine. It鈥檚 easy to suggest that they leave, but Usova reminds everyone that it wasn鈥檛 easy for her to part from the people and country she loves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 home, and our freedom is at stake,鈥� she says.
She talks about her circumstances more comfortably when they intersect with the subject of music. She describes first hearing a violin note at the age of 5, when she says, 鈥渆verything inside me turned at once, like magic.鈥� During her earliest lessons, she imagined herself playing on stage. She earned international awards and several music degrees in Ukraine before learning of a sunny campus in America with highly regarded music instructors, a place called 麻豆原创.
One of those instructors, Ayako Yonetani, saw hints of herself in Usova.
鈥淚 could see she was very passionate, very driven,鈥� Yonetani says. 鈥淪he even shared her love for violin by teaching younger people.鈥�
While working toward her master鈥檚 degree in music, Usova gave lessons to Natalie Morris, a daughter in her host family. When Usova鈥檚 visa expired in 2016 and she returned to Ukraine, she continued giving lessons via Skype. As the threat of war grew, she used the connection as her outlet from reality. Then, three months after Russia鈥檚 initial attack, while still in shelter, Usova learned that the Morris family had been able to sponsor her return to Central Florida.
Yonetani was among the first people to reach out to Usova. The two of them met for tea near the 麻豆原创 campus.
鈥淔ive days earlier she鈥檇 been in Ukraine. I could tell she was very sad to be without her family, so we talked about music to keep her mind busy.鈥�
Yonetani knows very well the heavy toll of war on civilians and how music can provide hope during recovery. Her own parents introduced her to the violin when she was a 5-year-old in Kobe, Japan. They鈥檇 come out of WWII with absolutely nothing. Music and the arts became integral in rebuilding the country.
鈥淧arents in Japan knew that music could expand the minds of their children, allow a better education, and lead them out of poverty,鈥� Yonetani says. 鈥淢y violin became my identity. I would never want to lose it.鈥�
When Usova and Yonetani met in May, the 麻豆原创 campus was the opposite of Ukraine: quiet and safe. Usova shared how she鈥檇 escaped home with her violin. Yonetani mentioned a trove of music that had been donated to her. They talked about doing a concert together. This time it would be for a cause.
鈥淢y mother is in her 90s now,鈥� Yonetani says. 鈥淪he still has nightmares about being a young girl during war, hungry and alone. People who have never had that kind of experience need to be aware. We also need to understand the peace that music can bring to such a situation.鈥�
On Aug. 25, barely six months after the first bombs forced Iryna and her family from a home they might never see again, she鈥檒l perform with the same violin she carried to safety. There will be performers from Honduras and Iowa. 麻豆原创鈥檚 Pegasus String Quartet will play. Yonetani will play. Natalie Morris will play. And so will masters student Ekaterina Iskhakova, who arrived at 麻豆原创 earlier in August from Russia.
鈥淭he country you are from doesn鈥檛 matter,鈥� Usova says. 鈥淲hat is in your heart is what matters. When music is in your heart, it builds bridges and brings people together like few things in life can do.鈥�
A Ballet to Remember
On Saturday, Aug. 27, two days after the concert at St. Luke鈥檚, the Ukrainian National Ballet will perform a sold-out event at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Marc McMurrin of the Ginsburg Family Foundation raised the funds for the company to travel and share their artistry with the world during this tumultuous time for Ukraine. McMurrin鈥檚 interest in Ukrainian arts is personal; his father Roger McMurrin was the founding conductor of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra in 1991. Then, on Monday, Aug. 29, the ballet will perform a free exhibition in the 麻豆原创 Pegasus Ballroom, followed by a conversation with the dancers about their artistry and experiences. This event is open to the public.
An Important Discussion
On Wednesday, Sept. 7, 麻豆原创 Global and the 麻豆原创 Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery is hosting a discussion on the current humanitarian and human rights situation in Ukraine. Shawn Sullivan, president of Mission 823, an organization actively involved in the reduction and elimination of human trafficking that has provided humanitarian assistance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The event is held in room 101 of the Barbara Ying Center at 10 a.m.
