When President Emmanuel Macron of France refused in February to rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine, he shattered a taboo and spooked his NATO allies. But five months later, his statement looks more like a provocation than a promise, and the idea of French boots on the ground seems a distant prospect. There are other ways, however, that France’s military can aid the Ukrainian cause.
Concert to Honor Ukraine’s Fighting Spirit
In a Paris church on Friday, 30 members of the Choir of the French Army will lend their voices to a free concert to honor Ukraine’s fighting spirit. The conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, a Canadian with Ukrainian roots, leads the singers in supporting Ukraine on the artistic and cultural front.
During a recent rehearsal for the concert, Wilson conducted the all-male military choir, joined by 30 female members of a Ukrainian vocal ensemble, through a rendition of the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the famous “Ode to Joy.” The massed voices soared in the echoing space.
Upcoming Concert Details
At Friday’s concert, the Choir of the French Army and the 74-musician Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will perform together at Saint-Eustache church. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the orchestra, some of whose members still live in the country at war, have been coming together each summer to perform across Europe. Wilson will conduct the ensemble in Paris, London, Poland, and the United States, including a performance in Washington and at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York on Aug. 1.
Concert Schedule
| Date | Location |
|---|---|
| Paris | Saint-Eustache church |
| London | Not specified |
| Poland | Not specified |
| United States | Washington, D.C. and New York |
