Kyiv Symphony Musicians Build News Lives—for Now—in Germany

In Tuesday’s (2/4) New York Times, Javier C. Hernández writes, “Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, Tetiana Martyniuk-Bahrii, a violinist in the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, has lived the life of a refugee, moving from apartment to apartment with her husband and 14-year-old daughter, Olesia. She has watched the war unfold from a distance, fearing for the safety of her family back home and believing she has a role to play as a champion of Ukrainian culture. The orchestra’s musicians were welcomed in the German city of Gera for two years, and when that came to an end she felt lucky that Monheim am Rhein, a town of about 40,000 along the Rhine River, invited them to a two-year cultural residency. It provided a much-needed haven for the 73 musicians and their families at a moment when the support of Western governments for Ukraine seemed to be softening, and many places appeared less welcoming toward refugees…. Denys Karachevtsev, a cellist in the orchestra who drew attention during the war for playing Bach amid the rubble and destruction in Kharkiv, his Ukrainian hometown, said he understood why some Germans might initially be skeptical of migrants… But he said music could help dispel stereotypes. ‘By playing just a few notes,’ he said, ‘we can open people’s eyes.’ ”