The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center and the School of Music hosted "For Ukraine: An Artistic Tribute" on Tuesday, April 26th, 2022. This event showcased several performances and exhibits across campus related to the arts, culture, and music of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian melodies that came from the Altgeld Chime Tower were a vital contribution to this event. The concert was organized and performed by musicology graduate students Michael Broussard, acting Chimesmaster of the bells, and Sarah Kwilecki, the acting Assistant Chimesmaster. Here’s what Michael Broussard shared with us about the project and its development:
“During the first week or so of the invasion, I started noticing a good number of videos circulating on social media showing Ukrainian civilians singing or performing their country’s anthem. I started thinking about what the Altgeld Bells could do to musically support their efforts and that’s when Sarah approached me with the idea to play the nation’s anthem on the bells. Throughout the semester, Sarah and I worked with multiple faculty members, staff, and students within UIUC to select and transcribe a set of music that could cover a wide array of Ukrainian melodies. Therefore, I would like to extend a great appreciation to Dr. Donna Buchanan for her support of this project, and Melissa Bialecki Miller for her translation of various song titles and other music text.”
You may watch a video of the Ukrainian melodies from Altgeld Chime Tower below.