Royal Opera House Ukraine fundraisers

As the war in Ukraine rages on, with its devastating impact on civilians, the Royal Opera House has announced a series of fundraisers for the Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee.

The House had already shown its solidarity with Ukrainians in their humanitarian crisis by lighting the building in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag (pictured top), and playing the Ukrainian national anthem before every performance. The anthem is no longer played, but the building remains lit up in blue and yellow; and now the ROH will donate the proceeds of two performances and one stream to the DEC appeal.

• Good Friday, 15 April at 4:30pm: The Royal Opera Concert for Ukraine

The view from the main stage orchestra pit at the Royal Opera House © ROH. Photo:Sim Canetty-Clarke 2014
An international roster of artists including the Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov, the Ukrainian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, the South African soprano Pretty Yende, and the British-Italian tenor Freddie De Tommaso will perform under the batons of The Royal Opera Music Director Antonio Pappano and the Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv. Current Jette Parker Young Artists (JPYA) also perform alongside members of the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Tickets: £4 - £100

• Friday 22 April and available on demand for 30 days on Vimeo

Crystal Pite's multi award-winning dance piece Flight Pattern becomes available on Vimeo

Artists of The Royal Ballet in Flight Pattern © ROH 2019. Photo: Tristram Kenton
Particularly relevant to the current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, where upwards of three million civilians and counting have been forced to leave their homes, Crystal Pite's Flight Pattern was created for the Royal Ballet in 2017 and is her reaction to a previous refugee crisis. This is how Culture Whisper saw it:

'A gut-wrenching comment on the current refugee crisis, Flight Pattern relies on Pite’s extraordinary ability to move groups of people on stage to deep emotional effect. The huddled masses of her work, drably dressed and sombrely lit, sway in their fatigue and helplessness to Górecki's haunting score; and when individuals emerge, their own tales are harrowingly portrayed, none more so than that of Kristen McNally and Marcelino Sambé, as the couple maddened by grief at the loss of a baby who didn’t survive the flight.

Tickets £7, but additional donations are encouraged

• Thursday 5 May at 7:30pm: Swan Lake

Artists of The Royal Ballet in Swan Lake. The Royal Ballet © ROH 2022. Photo: Tristram Kenton

In a unique performance of Swan Lake, four Royal Ballet principal ballerinas – Lauren Cuthbertson, Sarah Lamb, Marianela Nuñez and Natalia Osipova – share the dual role of Odette/Odile across the ballet's four acts.

Tickets: £10 - £200

To donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian appeal, click here.