More than 200 people filled First Church in Cambridge on September 18 for an evening that mixed a Nobel Peace Prize laureate's warning about wartime fatigue with the sound of a 68-string bandura and the stomp of a student folk dance troupe. The event, called Voices for Ukraine, arrived as the Russia-Ukraine war stretched into its fifth year and as Russia and Ukraine continued trading attacks, including an overnight strike that Ukrainian officials said killed seven people, including a child, and targeted civilian energy infrastructure.
The gathering was organized by First Aid of the Soul, a mental health nonprofit founded in Cambridge, and structured as a multi-part evening combining a 90-minute symposium, a reception with a silent art auction, and a concert, according to the ArtsBoston Bostix Calendar. Tickets ran from $30 for students and veterans to $60 for general admission. As reported by The Boston Globe, the event drew more than 200 audience members and closed with a moment of silence for the Ukrainian people.
A Nobel Laureate's Call to Action
Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Ukrainian human rights lawyer who heads the Kyiv-based Center for Civil Liberties, spoke at the event. Her organization was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Belarusian advocate Ales Bialiatski and the Russian human rights organization Memorial, recognized for documenting war crimes and defending human rights in Ukraine, according to Human Rights Foundation. The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in 2007 and gained national prominence during the 2013 Euromaidan protests.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power also spoke, per the Globe's account. She encouraged Americans to support congressional candidates who back Ukraine and told the crowd that all of us in the United States have work to do. Her remarks landed against a backdrop of shifting American attitudes: a Pew Research Center survey fielded in April 2025 found that 44 percent of Americans believed the U.S. has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself, down from 50 percent in late 2024, according to the Pew Research Center. That shift was driven largely by a drop among Republicans, only 23 percent of whom felt the U.S. had a responsibility, compared with 67 percent of Democrats.
Music Built From War and Memory
The evening's centerpiece was composer Vadim Neselovskyi's performance of his 72-minute suite “Perseverantia,” which the Globe reports is inspired by real experiences of the war in Ukraine. Neselovskyi, who teaches jazz piano at Berklee College of Music, told the crowd that this war is a matter of survival. He released the 11-movement suite on Tzadik Records in February 2026, timed to the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion and executive produced by John Zorn, blending piano improvisations with string trio arrangements inspired by families fleeing the conflict, according to Roulette.
Born in Odesa, Neselovskyi was admitted to the Odesa Conservatory of Music as its youngest-ever student at age 15 before emigrating to Germany and later joining the Berklee faculty, per PBS NewsHour. He previously performed as a composer and arranger for jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton's quintet, and his 2022 solo album “Odesa,” a tribute to his birthplace, was named among the Boston Globe's best albums of 2022.
Also on stage was bandurist Taisa Kulyk, who played the traditional Ukrainian instrument with up to 68 strings, according to the Globe. Kyiv-born soprano Olga Lisovska also performed at the showcase.
The MIT Zirka Ukrainian folk dance ensemble rounded out the program. The student-run group, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is dedicated to preserving Ukrainian cultural traditions, according to the MIT Association of Student Activities.
A Cambridge Nonprofit Born in Crisis
First Aid of the Soul was founded by Nathalie Robelot Timtchenko.
First Aid of the Soul is a mental health nonprofit. Robelot Timtchenko has said the arts connect people across cultures and barriers.
The organization has since launched an Arts & Health Initiative with a broad, intersectional mission and partnerships.
A Pew report found that 28 percent of Americans were not too or not at all concerned about Ukraine being defeated and taken over by Russia in 2025, while 55 percent said they were extremely or very concerned about that possibility in April 2022. Against that trend, organizers at First Church in Cambridge, located at 11 Garden Street near Harvard Square, used music, dance and testimony to keep the war present for a New England audience even as national attention drifts elsewhere.
