Free entrance. Donations (cash only) are welcome on the night of the event.

The Hague Humanity Hub, together with the Heritage of the Future Foundation, presents a symbolic JUST PEACE concert with the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, marking the third anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Under the baton of the world star conductor, Oksana Lyniv, the program features works that reflect the horrors of war while offering hope for the victory of justice and humanity.

Free entrance, please register using the link

Donations (cash only) are welcome on the night of the event.

“The tragedy of war is that it does not single out individual heroes but, like a natural disaster, devastates everything—every family. It affects soldiers, men, brothers, women, infants, artists, and poets who will never create new works again, as well as the youth whose future has been stolen. Through this concert program, we seek to share these harrowing stories and honor the countless victims who lost their lives due to the Russian invasion. War is the antithesis of humanity. That is why we must unite our efforts with all international partners to achieve a just peace for a democratic and sovereign Ukraine.” – Oksana Lyniv

Ukrainian composer Evgeni Orkin’s Five Interrupted Lullabies tells the tragic story of five infants who perished in a missile strike on Odesa in March 2024.

Victoria Poleva’s Bucha. Lacrimosa for violin and orchestra captures the unspeakable horrors and war crimes committed in Bucha, near Kyiv, in 2022. Yuri Laniuk’s Grieving Thorn for soprano and orchestra presents the inner monologue of a thornbush that foresees its branches becoming the crown of thorns for Jesus. All Ukrainian compositions will receive their Dutch premieres during this concert.

Complementing these contemporary pieces are classical works that inspire hope for the triumph of light: Mozart’s Ave verum corpus, a serene meditation on grace and redemption, and Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, a powerful testament to the struggle against political oppression and the ultimate victory of freedom and self-determination.

Kyiv Symphony Orchestra

Andrii Murza, violin

Olha Diadiv, soprano

Oksana Lyniv, conductor

Programme:

E. Orkin (*1977) – “Five Interrupted Lullabies” 15′

A symphonic tone poem commissioned by Oksana Lyniv, depicting the harrowing night in March 2024 in Odesa, when a missile strike claimed the lives of four toddlers and one infant. The piece reflects the unimaginable sorrow brought by the brutal war.

“TheFive Interrupted Lullabiesare, to me, something profoundly fragile. It’s about children who were only visitors to this world for a short time and left it far too soon. Tenderness and grief, along with approaching this theme with the utmost care, were the greatest challenges for me.”
— E. Orkin

V. Poleva (*1962)“Bucha Lacrimosa”for Violin and Orchestra 15′

The piece refers to the massacre in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, between February and April 2022. The work premiered with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine at the Beethovenfest Bonn in August 2022, leaving the audience in complete silence and deep emotion. One livestream viewer wrote:“The piece was absolutely heartbreaking. Intense, lyrical, infinitely sad, and spiritual—like an unspoken question that keeps returning again and again…”

Y. Laniuk(*1957)“Grieving Thorn” for Soprano and Chamber Orchestra 20′ (1997)

The lament of the thornbush destined to become Christ’s crown of thorns. Set to texts by Ukrainian poet Bohdan-Ihor Antonych, written in 1991, its timeless message resonates strongly in times of war.

W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)“Ave Verum” 5′
L. van Beethoven (1770–1827) – Overture to“Egmont”Op. 84 9′

Soloists:

Andrii Murza, violin: Renowned Ukrainian violinist, soloist, educator, and member of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra.

Olha Dyadiv, soprano: Acclaimed Ukrainian soprano, with performances at the theatres of Bologna, Trieste, and Klagenfurt, and a debut appearance at the Rossini Opera Festival.

Conductor: Oksana Lyniv began her career as assistant to the chief conductor at the Lviv National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Later in 2008 to 2013 she served as deputy chief conductor at the Odessa Opera Theater and, starting in 2013, as assistant to Kirill Petrenko at the Bavarian State Opera.Her engagements have taken her to renowned stages worldwide, including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Theater an der Wien, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Opéra National de Paris, as well as to the podiums of the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Vienna Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Korean National Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She was also the first woman to conduct at the Bayreuth Festival.
From 2017 to 2020, she was chief conductor of Oper Graz and, since 2022, has served as music director in Bologna – becoming the first woman to lead an Italian opera house. In 2024, she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Kyiv Symphony Orchestra:
Founded in 1979, the KSO is one of Ukraine’s leading cultural institutions, dedicated to preserving Ukrainian musical heritage and representing it globally. The orchestra has performed at prestigious venues like the Berliner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, and NATO’s Madrid Summit. In 2022, KSO won the Musical Contest Prize of the Fondation Prince Pierre of Monaco for its contemporary music interpretations. Since August 2024, the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra has been in residence in Stadt Monheim am Rhein, Germany, as part of the Monheimer Kulturwerke GmbH.

Video and Photography Disclaimer:

Please note that during Just Peace events a photographer and/or videographer will be present in order to take picture, for use by The Hague Humanity Hub and its partners in future marketing efforts. These can include social media usage, blog posts, as general marketing material, and to market future events and initiatives.

By attending the Just Peace events you give permission for your image to be used to promote The Hague Talks and the The Hague Humanity Hub in the future. You can withdraw your consent by emailing justpeace@humanityhub.net and specifying the event in question (as well as by providing details to help us identify you). Once consent has been withdrawn, The Hague Humanity Hub will delete any photo of you as soon as possible.