Please join us at St Andrews Church in Mells for a Fund Raising Concert for Ukraine featuring the award winning musicians:

Maryana Bodnar, Soprano from Ukraine

Gabriela Opacka, Violin

Oliver Wass, Harp

The evening program will be introduced by Ashutosh Khandekar, editor of Opera Now, and will include pieces by de Falla and Ravel including his Sonata 2 'Blues', Kaddish and Tzigane.  Maryana will be singing a range of pieces including pieces by Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten, Massenet, Dvorak and some Ukrainian Folk Songs.  

Interval Drinks ( Pay Bar) at Mells Manor hosted by Lord and Lady Oxford. The Oxfords, who lived in Kiev from 1992-1997, will be joined by their old neighbours the Prudnikov family, who have taken refuge in Mells

After the interval there will be a small auction to include the amazing Vivienne Westwood Couture Gown that Maryana will be wearing  at the concert and has been kindly given by Vivienne Westwood for this event.

Tickets
Adults £30.00 

Children £15.00

VIP Tickets with Champagne Reception £100.00 


The event will be raising money for two charities:  Patients of Ukraine and Somerset Supports Ukraine

Patients of Ukraine

Providing much needed medical support to the people of Ukraine. This key charity is making a huge difference in Ukraine providing medicines and medical products to the health facilities in Ukraine - focussed on hospitals in the flash points and areas of evacuation of victims from the flashpoint.  The charity is also deeply involved in providing medicines to seriously ill patients who are especially vulnerable during the war.

https://patients.org.ua/en/

 Somerset Supports Ukraine  (Charity no: 1198967)

Somerset Supports Ukraine was set up to respond rapidly to the Ukraine refugee crisis. We intend to raise £1M to support Ukrainian refugees by boosting the funding available across Somerset. Working with local councils, community groups, voluntary organisations and statutory bodies, Somerset Supports Ukraine will provide grants to provide the resources and build the capacity needed to support every refugee arriving in search of safety and stability.

SSU intends to make grants in a way that builds a sustainable response, not just addressing immediate needs but growing the capacity, networks and skills across Somerset to support refugees for the long term.  The Patron is the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Annie Maw. 

The Musicians

Maryana Bodnar is a professional Soprano who has sung around the world.  She left Ukraine after the war started and is currently a refugee living in London.  She studied singing in Rome in Conservatory St.Cecilia, where her first teachers were Sara Mingardo of baroque singing, Valentina Maraffa of vocal technique; and Vienna, where she studied with Silvia Saavedra-Edelman. She participated in master-classes (Edda Moser, Mariella Devia, and Daniella Dessì, Ines Salazar and Ewa Iżykowska, Renzo Giacchieri), as well as concerts, solo recitals and lyric opera productions in Austria, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Latvia and Malta and gained number of musical awards and scholarships.

Read more about Maryana and Ukraine before her escape: https://thetheatretimes.com/mariana-bodnar-from-ukrainian-musical-theatre-we-woke-up-in-the-new-reality/

Gabriela Opacka is a violinist living in London.  She is currently completing her Diploma at the Guildhall School in London under the guidance of the cellist Louise Hopkins. As a soloist, she has performed regularly with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the award winning Bukolicka Trio. 

Oliver Wass is the only harpist ever to win the Guildhall Gold Medal, the Guildhall’s most prestigious prize. Previous winners include Jacqueline du Pré and Bryn Terfel. He has performed all the major harp concertos, including Lyra Angelicawith the Philharmonia Orchestra, Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto at Wigmore Hall, and has directed Handel's Harp Concerto in B flat in the Barbican Hall. He has won International Competitions in Italy, Hungary and the UK.

Parking: Parking for the Concert and church is available through the Manor House gates, in the field on the left at the end of the drive.