Whttington musicians step in for Ukraine appeal

Fresh from the annual festival in North Shropshire in which musicians played seven concerts in four days, they stepped in to perform a benefit concert for Ukraine at St Peter's Church Belsize Park.

The concert was organised after the festival patron, noted cellist Steven Isserlis CBE, was unable to perform at a planned concert in Odessa, Ukraine where his father was born.

Arrangements were then made with Whittington Festival's artistic director Sophia Rahman for a benefit concert on the day of what would have been the Odessa event, featuring Isserlis and violinist Irène Duval performing with the festival players under the baton of Whittington regular Andres Kaljuste.

They raised around £3,000 for the Ukrain appeals by UNICEF and the UK Disasters Emergency Committee. There was also a retiring collection for Ukranian musicians through the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation.

A spokesman for Whittington Music Festival said: “We were delighted to be involved with this concert for Ukraine given by musicians who had just left North Shropshire and to provide online support for concert bookings and donations.

“Last week we brought an audience from across Shropshire and further afield, with some who live as far as Cornwall and Cumbria. Others had come across the festival while on holiday. One couple had walked into Whittington from the nearby canal and now plan to come back next year.

"The London concert of course introduced that audience to the quality of music that Whittington Music Festival has to offer and several remarked that they would like to come to Shropshire for next year’s festival.

“With the success of this London concert, we want to see if it is possible to arrange another one in the capital, perhaps again at the end of next year’s festival.”

It is still possible to give donations through the Whittington Music Festival website: whittingtonmusicfestival.org.uk/concert-for-ukraine/.