Jeff Yang says the purpose is to “show our solidarity as musicians and artists” with the people of Ukraine.
Yang, a violinist who owns the Chicago Strings repair and sales shop on Orrington Avenue, is also artistic director of “In the Realm of the Senses,” a non-profit group whose concerts not only incude music, but also dance, visual art, animation, and even perfume.
In this case, the April 22 event will include a Russian visual artist, a Belarusian pianist, as well as several other visual, musical, and film artists from around the world to create a statement “among people of all backgrounds who are against Russian invasion of a peaceful nation.”
The highlight of the concert will be Mussorgsky’s 19th-century “Pictures at an Exhibition,” a work which includes a movement called “The Great Gate of Kiev.”
Mussorgsky was Russian. The concert will also include four works by Ukrainian-born composers for violin and piano.
The event is produced with the Ukrainian Instute of Modern Art and the Epiphany Center for the Arts, and will be held at the Epiphany Center on Ashland Avenue in Chicago.
Proceeds will be divided among several charities benefitting refugees from the Russian invasion.
Yang, who has been a musician for 27 years, opened Chicago Strings in South Evanston in 2009. In 2020, during the COVID outbreak, he took a chance and moved to Evanston’s downtown, and has been there ever since.
Yang received his masters degree from Northwestern University and has performed with a variety of organizations, from the Chicago Philharmonic to the classic/new age/rock group Mannheim Steamroller.
For more information about the fundraiser for Ukraine, go to intherealmofsenses.com