Fundraising Concert in Memory of the Mariupol Drama Theatre Victims

This memorial concert is a declaration that the lives of the lost children and other victims of russia’s genocidal invasion will not be forgotten

The National Academic Men’s Choir DUDARYK under the direction of Dmytro Katsal. The Lviv Virtuosos Academic Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Yuriy Bervetsky.

Soloists: Sofia Soloviy, Anna Shumarina, Oleg Yarema, Violina Petrychenko, Adrian Bodnar.

Since its founding in 1971, the Lviv Municipal Male Choir Dudaryk has become one of Ukraine’s most celebrated choral ensembles, performing over 2,500 concerts around the world in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Canada Place in Vancouver — and most recently performing for Pope Leo. In 1985, the choir established the first Choral School in Ukraine since the Hetmanate era, nurturing a new generation of talented singers.

Date and location:

Lviv, Ukraine

Lviv National Philharmonic named after Myroslav Skoryk

March 25, 2026

18:30 (6:30 p.m.)

Participants:

– National Academic Male Choir DUDARIK

– Famous Ukrainian musicians and artists

Event purpose:

– To honor the memory of the victims of the tragedy of the Mariupol Drama Theater

– To strengthen the voices of Ukrainian children affected by the war

– To support organizations working in the field of child protection, rehabilitation, and return of abducted children

– To use art as a moral and humanitarian call for justice, dignity, and peace

Airstrike on Mariupol Drama Theater – March 16, 2022

• On March 16, 2022, during the russian invasion of Ukraine, the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol was hit by a russian airstrike while hundreds of civilians were hiding inside the building.
• Before the strike, satellite imagery captured a large sign reading ДЕТИ (CHILDREN) in russian, painted in white in front of the theater to alert pilots to the presence of civilians, including children.
• Estimates of the death toll vary: some sources say up to 600 civilians were killed, including women and children; other investigations have confirmed at least a few dozen deaths, with a high probability of significantly higher casualties.
• Independent human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have concluded that the strike constituted a clear war crime, as russian forces targeted civilian shelters, knowing that civilians were present.
• The destruction of the theater became one of the main symbols of the suffering of Mariupol’s civilian population during the siege of the city.