Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 also marked a turning point for the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra: since then, the roughly 50-year-old orchestra has been on a tour abroad, where musical and political missions go hand in hand. Just at the beginning of June, the orchestra performed with Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv at the Vienna Festival.
The ensemble can now catch its breath and gather new strength thanks to a generous initiative from the city of Monheim. Mayor Daniel Zimmermann and Martin Witkowski, director of the Monheim Cultural Works, invited the nearly 70 musicians along with accompanying staff and family members to set up their tents on the Rhine. The municipal housing company Monheimer Wohnen GmbH is providing housing for the approximately 130 Ukrainians who will arrive at the end of July and are expected to stay for three years.
Daniel Zimmermann, the art-loving mayor of Monheim, is committed to "ensuring that the orchestra remains visible and audible. From next year, the Kulturraffinerie K714 will provide a perfectly suitable concert hall for this purpose." The integration of an entire symphony orchestra into the life of a city is a spectacular coup that places a musical crown on the numerous measures of Ukraine aid in Monheim.
