Ukrainian orchestra plays notes of peace

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—On a recent, warm September afternoon, conductor Wes Janzen called out directions to 42 musicians and singers with the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (KSOC) as they rehearsed for the evening’s performance at Trinity Episcopal Church. It was their 17th show on a 39-city tour of the eastern United States.

The KSOC, which uses the older spelling for the Ukrainian capital, is the musical arm of Music Mission Kiev, a ministry that provides assistance to widows, orphans, and victims of war in Ukraine. For 23 years, the group has been performing Slavic a cappella, sacred classics, sung prayers, hymns, and instrumental chamber music.

When communism fell, the group took advantage of new religious freedoms and revived formerly forbidden sacred masterpieces as a way to share God’s love and convey a message of hope.

“We didn’t know this kind of music was available, nothing about the Lord,” cellist Evgenii Vysotsky said.

Vysotsky, who grew up in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, doesn’t remember exactly when he became a Christian. It was just something his parents taught him from birth. But his family didn’t go to church because it was too dangerous in the Soviet Union. Many churches were destroyed or locked, so families taught their children Christianity at home.

Vysotsky started cello lessons at age 7. His parents chose the instrument for him, and although as a child he didn’t enjoy practicing, he’s glad he stuck with it. When he’s not volunteering his time on tour with KSOC, he plays for the National Opera of Ukraine.

His professional experience includes eight years as the principal cellist for the Cairo Opera House in Egypt. He played in breathtaking locales—four times in Luxor and twice at the Pyramids. But nothing compares to what he sees from his vantage point on stage when KSOC performs sacred hymns.

“Sometimes they watch with open mouths,” he said of the audience. “It is an incredible view.”

Since 2006, the orchestra and chorus have shared the gospel through music to new audiences in largely Muslim nations like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, countries where missionaries are not welcome. Janzen is thankful Ukrainians are free to share their faith.

“But that freedom right now is fragile,” he added, referring to the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine that began in February 2014. “In the center of Kiev, where we live, work, walk, the sidewalks were drenched in blood. There were snipers on rooftops literally outside our window.”

Because of the continued violence, the musicians worry while they are away from home. As soon as they arrive at a new destination, they locate a Wi-Fi connection to check the news and see if their families are safe. Vysotsky, who will miss his daughter’s 30th birthday while on tour, said if he doesn’t hear from his wife within 48 hours, he gets nervous.

Besides bringing entertainment to American audiences, Vysotsky has a larger goal. He wants to let people know what is happening in Ukraine. Every evening, he spends time telling the host families with whom he stays about news from his homeland. He believes those conversations are just as important as the show.

Ukrainians want to be respected by all their neighbors, Vysotsky said. Most countries do respect them, but not Russia or its leader, President Vladimir Putin.

“We are punished by Putin. … He wants to take just one finger, then two, and then hands, then half of body,” he said. When the revolution began last year, Ukrainians paid a high price for their freedom and they have to protect it, he insisted.

The orchestra’s mission is to show God’s grace, even while war rages at home, Janzen said.

“The good news is, in the midst of all this, we have the chance to bring the good news of the gospel,” he said. “We don’t have peace in Ukraine, but we have peace in our hearts.”

In Asheville, James German arrived early and sat on the second row, waiting for the concert to begin. He traveled more than 150 miles to hear the orchestra and chorus perform twice in five days.

“This is the best thing you’re going to hear this side of heaven,” he said.

During a rendition of “We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace,” birds that had flown through open doors and perched high in the rafters, began harmonizing with the musicians below. Janzen, amused at the sound of the birds, turned to the audience and pointed up, smiling.

As God’s creatures sang praises in unison, it felt like a dress-rehearsal for heaven.