War is happening in Europe. More than a million people are fleeing, mostly women, children, old people. We are all deeply shocked and looking for ways to help. The Opernhaus has been illuminated in the colors of Ukraine every evening for more than a week now. However, it is our wish to go beyond the symbolic - together with you.
On Friday, March 11, we therefore invite you to a fundraising concert. Donations can be made in the amount of 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1'000 Swiss francs, depending on individual financial means. Please make your contribution and help us to raise as much money as possible for the victims of this senseless war! As a thank you for your donation we will treat you to a concert. As a sign of solidarity with Ukraine, the Ukrainian and Russian artists from the Opernhaus will perform arias and songs together with international soloists including Thomas Hampson, Benjamin Bernheim, Rebeca Olvera, Lawrence Brownlee, George Petean, and many others, together with members of the International Opernstudio. All of the artists spontaneously agreed to perform and have waived their fees. The Orchestra La Scintilla will perform Yuri Shevchenko’s Wir sind, a version of the Ukrainian national anthem. The work was conceived in 2014, on a cold winter’s night spent on the Maidan in Kyiv. Yuri Shevchenko says about the piece, «It should ring out as a calm and luminous prayer for Ukraine and the whole of the world». The Chorus will contribute performances of the Chorus of the Refugees Patria oppressa from Verdi’s opera Macbeth as well as Ukrainian
folksongs. The Ballett Zürich will also appear in the program.
All donations will go to the «Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz» («Swiss Red Cross»). This financial contribution is intended to provide direct help in this humanitarian emergency. We are grateful that we can also count on you and your generous donation!
Many thanks for the numerous and generous donations! All tickets have been given away.
To date, donations of around CHF 180,000 have been received and after only six hours all concert tickets were given away. This great gesture of solidarity moves us and our artists from the war region very much. If you would still like to give a donation (without a ticket for the fundraising concert), you can do so here. Here you can also donate to the Swiss Red Cross or read about what the aid organization does in detail.