She's from Ukraine. He's from Russia. Escambia musicians to hold Ukrainian-aid concert.
Victoria Adamenko was born in Donetsk, Ukraine, in the 1960s when it was the territory of the Soviet Union.
Her parents and grandmother were also born there, but her nostalgic childhood memories from the country are with her grandmother, who was an opera singer.
So when the Escambia County music teacher learned that Russia bombed the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine, a theater her grandmother had most likely performed in, Adamenko was devastated.
"I was feeling helpless. I didn't know what to do to help Ukraine," Adamenko said on seeing the devastation.
Not having the finances to immediately help, she decided to throw a benefit performance instead, intentionally including children to create an uplifting experience.
"I wanted to oppose that sadness and offer something more like light," Adamenko said.
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Now with the help of the Pensacola Jewish Federation, Adamenko and her husband, Moscow, Russia, native Leonid Yanovskiy, director of strings and orchestra at the University of West Florida, are holding a free Ukraine benefit performance at 7 p.m. May 21 at Temple Beth El. They will be accepting donations for the Ukrainian people.
Yanovskiy's mother is a native of Ukraine.
The performance will start with drinks and refreshments at 6:30 pm. and will feature Adamenko on piano and Yanovskiy on violin, playing a variety of classical music from J.S. Bach, Dvorak and Massenet, among others.
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Yanovskiy's talented young students, 14-year-old Garrett Groff playing violin and 17-year-old Aaron Adams playing the viola, will also perform. There will also be a special performance by 5-year-old twin brothers Samuel and William Chardis, who study violin with Yanovskiy's former UWF student Leanne Whalen.
The Pensacola Jewish Federation falls under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation of North America and works to support a vibrant and strong community here in Pensacola.
The group has already raised more than $40,000 to provide aid to people in Ukraine and, members hope the concert will add more to the pot. Cindy Gross, president of Pensacola Jewish Federation, wants to make sure she and the federation are helping out as much as needed.
"It's hard to even imagine what these people are going through. You know, we see it every day on the news and it's heart wrenching,” Gross said. "We all hope that this ends quickly, but presently it doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon and we need to take care of those people."
For Yanovskiy, who was horrified to watch the devastation caused by Russia's invasion into Ukraine, the concert offers an opportunity to use one of his strongest gifts to bring inspiration to the families and children in attendance.
"We're just trying to be as useful as we can because music is our only weapon that I know how to use and that's what we're going to use," Yanovskiy said.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Ukraine concert: Temple of Beth El raising funds for Ukrainian people
