Along with the vast majority of the rest of the world, members of the Michigan State University College of Music community watch in horror as Russian tanks cross the Ukrainian borders, watch with sadness as the images and stories of destruction flood our screens, and watch with amazement as the Ukrainian people continue to stand proud and determined. Using the power of music, they decided to show their support for the people of Ukraine in the most powerful way they know how. 

“Music is our way to connect with others,” said MSU Director of Orchestras Octavio Más-Arocas, “and we want to use this powerful and beautiful language to show our commitment and respect to life.”

Which is why he and students in the MSU Symphony Orchestra filmed an emotionally charged performance of the State Anthem of Ukraine in the Fairchild Theatre on campus. Other students and Music community members appearing in the video eagerly stepped forward to add their voices in support of Ukraine and for ending the war.

“We stand with Ukraine, and we stand with humanity,” Más-Arocas said. “Standing with Ukraine is not a political statement. Right now, it means standing against the horrors and evil of war and standing for peace. It means standing against an unmistakably brutal assault on humanity, an assault on the most basic birthright of any human being, an assault against life.”