All of us at Opera North are distressed and appalled by the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Along with performing arts organisations across the UK and Europe, we stand together in solidarity with all those affected by this crisis and those ongoing elsewhere in the world. We want to express our admiration for the extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of adversity being shown by the people of Ukraine.
We are proud that a number of our artists and staff are of Ukrainian and Russian heritage and we all come together to offer our unequivocal support to fellow artists as they face despair and destitution.
We wish to align ourselves with these words published by the Ukrainian cultural community: ‘Art has always remained at the forefront of humanitarian values. We strongly believe that art cannot be subservient to political propaganda; instead it should be utilised for developing critical thinking and promoting dialogue.’
To acknowledge our support for artists and all the people of Ukraine we will play the Ukrainian national anthem in a moment of contemplation and reflection at the beginning of our performances.
We also encourage donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal dec.org.uk
Richard Mantle
General Director, Opera North
Opera North is a Theatre of Sanctuary, committed to welcoming and supporting refugees and those seeking asylum.
