Ukrainian music duo on fundraising tour for children of Chernobyl
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Two Ukranian musicians will be performing in Thurso this weekend in aid of children and young adults affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Oleksii Kolomoiets and Igor Sayenko, who together make up the Kiev Classic Accordion Duo, are scheduled to play in St Peter and the Holy Rood on Sunday, July 28, starting at 6.30pm.
They will also be at St Finnbarr's Church in Dornoch this Thursday.
The pair graduated from the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev in 2006. Oleksii plays in the Orchestra of the National Radio of Ukraine while Igor is with the National Philharmonic of Ukraine.
Their concern for the plight of the children of the Chernihiv region, which was most affected by the Chernobyl radiation fallout, led them to undertake summer fundraising tours of the UK.
The pair perform free of charge but accept donations on behalf of the HIPPOKRAT Society of Mothers of Disabled Children.
Oleksii said: "There are at least 1000 invalid children out of a population of 320,000 and unfortunately they get no real support from the state. The mother of a disabled child usually needs to be with the child all the time, so she cannot earn money.
"That is why the Society of Mothers of Disabled Children, HIPPOKRAT, was founded. It provides families with food, medicine and money and also organises events and parties with presents for the children.
"It is run by 10 women led by Valentina Frol who take no money for themselves for their work and all of them have disabled children."
The duo's concert is entitled Round the World in 80 Minutes and they will be playing music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach, Grieg, Saint-Saëns, Borodin, Piazzolla and Anderson.
