VIDEO: Watch the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Give a Surprise Performance of 'Prayer for Ukraine'

In support of the citizens of Ukraine, currently under siege by Russian forces, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra gave a surprise performance of Mykola Lysenko's Prayer for Ukraine with lyrics by Oleksandr Konysky, arranged by LACO Music Librarian Serge Liberovsky, at its Westside Chamber Series concert last Thursday (February 24, 2022), at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

The addition to the program of Prayer for Ukraine, which was performed between Mozart's Divertimento for String Trio and Dvořák's Serenade for Winds, Op. 44, came together only hours before downbeat at the suggestion of LACO Principal Horn Michael Thornton. The two-minute piece, considered to be the spiritual anthem of Ukraine, was introduced on stage by Liberovsky, who noted that the work, written in 1885 at a time when the usage of Ukrainian language had been forbidden by Russian government forces, was composed during the same time that Dvořák wrote Serenade for Winds.

"There were audible gasps from the audience when the LACO musicians began playing Prayer for Ukraine," says LACO Executive Director Ben Cadwallader. "The air was heavy with emotion; I saw people wiping their eyes. It was a solemn moment marked poignantly by our musicians. The work and its introduction from Serge also gave greater gravitas to Dvořák's Serenade for Winds, which followed Prayer for Ukraine. It was like we were hearing Dvořák's work for the first time."

Featured artists include Tereza Stanislav, violin; Robert Brophy, viola; Armen Ksajikian and Trevor Handy, cellos; and Geoffrey Osika, bass; Rong-Huey Liu and Adrienne Malley, oboes; Joshua Ranz and Chris Stoutenborough, clarinets; Damian Montano and Judith Farmer, bassoons; and Michael Thornton, Kristy McArthur Morrell and Julia Pilant, horns.

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (LACO) ranks among the world's top musical ensembles. Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, the Orchestra is a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks and, with eight ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, a champion of contemporary composers. Headquartered in the heart of the country's cultural capital, LACO has been proclaimed "America's finest chamber orchestra" (Public Radio International), "LA's most unintimidating chamber music experience" (Los Angeles magazine), "resplendent" (Los Angeles Times), and "one of the world's great chamber orchestras"(KUSC Classical FM). Performing throughout greater Los Angeles, the Orchestra has made 32 recordings, including, most recently, a 2019 BIS Records release of works for violin and chamber orchestra that features Concertmaster Margaret Batjer and the world premiere recording of Pierre Jalbert's Violin Concerto (a LACO co-commission).

In 2020, due to the global pandemic, LACO pivoted from presenting live performances to producing the groundbreaking CLOSE QUARTERS interdisciplinary digital series melding musical and visual arts, which has garnered more than 1.9 million views across social media platforms since its debut in November 2020. The "digitally native" programs, created specifically for streaming and applauded as "musically and artistically compelling" (Los Angeles Times) have "redefined how classical music can be presented in the 21st century (Cultural Attaché). LACO, with offices located in downtown Los Angeles, has toured Europe, South America and Japan, and performed across North America. www.laco.org.

Watch the orchestra rehearsing the piece below!