Collaboration with artists: Tina Karol

The collaboration with Tina Karol was one of Mariia Yaremak’s first and most significant projects at the start of the full-scale invasion. Mariia composed the orchestral arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem (‘Shche ne vmerla Ukraina’), which became the symbolic centrepiece of a major charity concert.

The event took place on 30 March 2022 at the ROMA Music Theatre in Warsaw. Tina Karol performed the anthem accompanied by the INSO-Lviv symphony orchestra. Mariia created a majestic orchestral arrangement of the Ukrainian national anthem especially for this evening, and Tina Karol’s performance of it served as the symbolic opening of the event.

The performance had a profound and poignant subtext, conveyed through the format of the performance itself. The audience saw 60 chairs on stage – the number of musicians that usually make up the orchestra – yet only 22 of them were occupied by women. The empty seats symbolised the male musicians who, at that moment, remained in Ukraine, whilst the performance itself emphasised the strength of the Ukrainian spirit, which women continue to safeguard.

This event had not only artistic but also significant humanitarian significance, as all proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the UNICEF fund to help Ukrainian children affected by the war. The collaboration between Mariia and Tina Karol, accompanied by conductor Yaroslav Shemet, used music to convey to the international community the pain and resilience of Ukraine, uniting thousands of people around a common cause.