A special thanks to our corporate sponsors:
Guests will enjoy a special menu designed by East Village's own Veselka, featuring Ukrainian and American style hors d'oeuvres.
All proceeds from the Gala will go to the UNWLA. With nearly 100 years of service and non for-profit work, the UNWLA is the longest running and largest Ukrainian women’s organization in the U.S. When war first broke out in 2014, the UNWLA stepped up to fund children’s winter and summer camps for orphans and to support an orphanage near the front lines. Since the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, with the hard work of UNWLA members and generous support from donors all around the world, UNWLA has been able to send the equivalent of over $27 million in aid to Ukraine.
With the Sunflower Gala, the aim is to raise funds to support orphanages and safe spaces that provide a variety of rehabilitative, psycho-support programs and care for the basic care needs of orphans, single moms and those who have been devastated by the war.
Pianist Pavlo Gintov will lead an evening program of music including works banned by Russia in Ukraine.
Following his debut at the Kyiv Philharmonic Hall at the age of 12, when he performed Mozart Concerto in D minor K 466 with Kyiv Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Roman Kofman, Mr. Gintov has been touring throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States, appearing at such stages as Carnegie Hall in New York, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Teatro Verdi Nationale in Milan, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory and Kioi Hall in Tokyo. He has been a soloist with Tokyo Royal Chamber Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Shizuoka Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic and Manhattan Chamber Orchestra under such conductors as Michiyoshi Inoue, Victor Yampolsky, Thomas Sanderling, Volodymyr Sirenko and Tomomi Nishimoto. Mr. Gintov has appeared on WFMT radio station of Chicago, WCLV of Cleveland, France Musique as well as numerous radio and TV stations in Europe, Japan, and the USA.
New York based contralto Vira Slywotzky has performed principal roles with American companies such as Seattle Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Chelsea Opera, Center for Contemporary Opera, Light Opera of New York, Sarasota Opera and Boston Midsummer Opera and has performed internationally in Canada, France, Hungary, Sweden and Wales. In addition to performing traditional repertoire, Slywotzky is a champion of new music, and has premiered more than 25 works ranging in scope from song to opera.
Ukrainian-American Cellist VALERIYA SHOLOKHOVA is an in-demand soloist and chamber musician based in New York City. Valeriya has made recent appearances on notable stages such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, David Geffen Hall, The Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Museum, and Saturday Night Live. She has toured internationally across Europe, performing in Denmark, Austria, Croatia, Poland, the Baltic States, Sweden, Germany, and Ukraine.
Valeriya is a laureate of several international competitions, including the Liezen International Cello Competition and the Antonio Janigro Competition, and was the principal cellist at a number of music festivals, including Spoleto Festival USA, Orchestra of the Americas, Perlman Music Program, Music Academy of the West, and Thy Music Festival in Denmark. She is currently the principal cellist of a number of chamber orchestras, including The New Orchestra of Washington, The Refugee Orchestra Project, and is on the Lincoln Center Stage roster.
Odarka Polanskyj Stockert, a classically trained yet experimentally inclined harpist & poet; plays eclectic repertoire w/ Celtic & Ukrainian/Eastern European overtones. Odarka performs on the Celtic and Electric Celtic Harp and was a long time student of celebrated harpist, the late Leone Paulson, with whom she performed as a member of the Paulson Harp Ensemble.
The Sunflower Gala will take place at the Ukrainian Institute of America, a national landmark in the heart of Manhattan.
Any gift you make is deeply appreciated as Ukraine continues to face Russian aggression and any contribution can help save lives.
We thank you for standing with Ukraine and for not forgetting about the ongoing war.
Special thanks to:
