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Friday, February 7, 2025
Arts: Music Niagara concert celebrates Ukrainian heritage amid war
Victoria Biliak Katz and her mother-in-law Olga Noskiv outside St. Mark's Anglican Church. They view music as a way to bridge cultures and bring people together, making a powerful tool for supporting their home nation. PAIGE SEBURN
The four members of Two Families Band performing inside the church: from left, Julia Kim, on the domra, Oleg Apostolov, playing double bass, Irina Samarina, who sang and played the flute, and Valentyn Zadoianov on guitar. PAIGE SEBURN
Violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv performs at the festival, accompanied by pianist Steven Beck. PAIGE SEBURN
James Hall helped make the concert possible by securing a donation from the Rotary Club of St. Catharines South to sponsor the celebration. PAIGE SEBURN
Four members of the production team, who also helped make Sunday's event possible: from left, Evelyn Head, Colin Maier, Nathan Beaulieu and Loris Isabettini. PAIGE SEBURN
Atis Bankas, Music Niagara's artistic director, played a key role in shaping this event. He appreciates how music can overcome language barriers. PAIGE SEBURN

Paige Seburn
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

Ukrainian refugees Victoria Biliak Katz and Olga Noskiv celebrated their heritage and the power of music as part of the Music Niagara Festival’s “Glory to Ukraine” concert on Sunday, July 20.

They wore traditional attire for the presentation at St. Mark’s Anglican Church to highlight their cultural pride and complement the festival’s goal of celebrating Ukrainian culture through music.

Katz and Noskiv, who have family in Ukraine, believe it’s essential to support their country now.

It has been more than two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2022.

“It’s very important to us because the war is still going on,” said Katz, who has been in Canada for nine years. Her mother-in-law has been here for 10.

The ongoing conflict keeps their focus on the need for global support and awareness.

And Katz sees music as a powerful way to connect with others and support their cause. 

“Music unites people. And, because my mother-in-law, she’s a musician, it’s very important to her, too,” she said. 

They view music as a way to bridge cultures and bring people together, making it a powerful tool for supporting their home nation and connecting with others.

“We are glad that people are still talking about Ukraine and there is this good cause to support this,” said Katz. 

Others also credit music for effectively celebrating Ukrainian culture. 

Atis Bankas, the festival’s founder and artistic director, appreciates music for its ability to overcome language barriers and express what words can’t. 

He played a key role in shaping the event and making sure the music resonated with the audience.

Music expresses emotions in ways he believes no other art form can match.

While visual art and spoken word are more concrete, he reserves music for uniquely expressing complex feelings and experiences.

“Through music, we’re really appealing to all kinds of people from different cultures in the world and it speaks by itself,” Bankas said. “You don’t have to speak the language to understand music.”

The celebration of culture through music is also reflected in the vision of the festival’s production manager, Colin Maier. 

He views the concert as more than a performance, saying it also shows Music Niagara’s strong commitment to uniting people through music. 

“It connects people,” he said.

He values how arts and culture can reflect the world’s evolution and express political, social and economic views.

“That’s kind of why I think music and the arts in general are important,” said Maier. 

Commitment to the arts is evident in the community through its support for the event.

Helping make the concert possible, James Hall secured a Rotary Club of St. Catharines South donation to sponsor the celebration of Ukraine, a cause close to his heart.

“We really rely on our community sponsors. They make this all possible for Music Niagara,” said Hall, a member of the festival’s board.

“It’s just a significant evening, like all the way around: to celebrate Ukraine, but then also how united our community is in getting behind those efforts.” 

Music is important in Ukrainian culture and Hall said it was special to use music to show support for Ukraine.

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