As the war between Ukraine and Russia continues destroying and uprooting millions of lives, a charity concert was held aimed at raising money for Ukrainian refugees.
This concert included the world’s most popular artists, including Ed Sheeran, Snow Patrol, and Camila Cabello. About 94 violinists from 29 countries performed in it.
Yet the center of attraction was violinist Illia Bondarenko, who played his instrument while hiding in a bomb shelter in Kyiv. She was the one to lead the event where the focus was on the artists playing in the shelter. It was only after her that the focus panned out to reveal more artists who were chiming in with their strings in unison. Bondarenko performed ‘Verbovaya Doschechka,’ a traditional Ukrainian folk song.
Next, there was a melodious and passionate solo segment played by violin virtuoso, Nicola Benedetti, who was accompanied by actors Eddie Marsan and Tamsin Greig. The actors narrated the topsy-turvy lives, containing harrowing details that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while Benedetti played her violin.
Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello performed some of the chartbusters, including ‘Bam Bam’, which the duo performed for the first time in front of a live audience.
The concert, organized by ITV, Livewire Pictures, and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), managed to raise a whopping £13.4 million for the cause.
Watch it down here:
The classic Nicola Benedetti segment was like a cherry on top of the entire concert.