With no end in sight to the brutal war in Ukraine, St. Paul’s Centre is hosting a benefit concert to help resettle Ukrainian refugees in Canada.
Songs for Home and Hope is slated for Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m., and the concert will feature numerous local musicians, both professional and amateur, with performances centred around the concept of home.
A bass baritone solo, a brass sextet featuring Curtis Metcalf, and a performance by the Couchiching Community Children’s Choir are among numerous performances scheduled for the concert for which Mayor Steve Clarke will serve as master of ceremonies.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Canada Ukraine Foundation’s fund for resettling Ukrainian refugees.
“The music is centred on home and the concepts of home,” said event producer John Jefferies. “I'll be giving (an introductory) talk about the fact that in Ukraine, we have a monstrous home invasion, and what would it mean to have to deal with with the loss of your home in this monstrous way”
Songs for Home and Hope will be the second such concert St. Paul’s has hosted this year.
The first event, Songs for Freedom, was put on in April and raised $15,000 through ticket sales and donations for the Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis Appeal, a fund set up by the Canadian Red Cross.
As the war drags on and the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine continues to mount, Jefferies believes it is imperative that people continue to pay attention and lend support to Ukrainians.
“I think we shouldn't take our our eyes off this conflict,” he said. “It’s gone into sort of a maintenance phase, you might call it, of war, but (there is) the same punishing toll on those citizens and … people who have to lose their homes.
“It's something that maybe we get used to. Some people may even ask, ‘Oh, is there still a war going on over there?’”
The fundraising goal for the event has been set at $10,000.
Tickets may be purchased for $25 for adults and $15 for children. They will be available for purchase via cash or cheque only, and may be purchased in advance or at the door.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at the St. Paul’s box office from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 19 and 20 and during those same hours from Oct. 24-28.
