Acting stars among line-up for Ukraine fundraiser

Ben Whishaw, Jonathan Pryce and Juliet Stevenson have been announced as part of the line-up for a night of music and poetry to raise money for Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini will be held at the Southbank Centre in London on March 22, with the funds raised being donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to provide aid to people fleeing Ukraine.

The specially curated night will include Ukrainian and British artists, including Kyiv-born baritone and principal artist for the Royal Opera House Yuriy Yurchuk and pianist Dinara Klinton.

Bafta award-winning actor Whishaw, Tony award-winning actor Pryce and Olivier award-winning actress Stevenson will all read from Ukrainian poets including Ilya Kaminsky, best known for his Dancing In Odessa collection.

A host of other Ukrainian artists and writers are set to perform on the night including author of Death And The Penguin Andrey Kurkov and a special performance from the London Contemporary Orchestra.

The event has been organised in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute in London and supported by the British Council.

Mark Ball, the Southbank Centre’s artistic director, said: “We hope this event can make a difference to help people in Ukraine and those seeking sanctuary across its borders, and that it reminds us too of our responsibilities to refugees and displaced peoples from across the world.”

The DEC brings together 15 of the UK’s leading aid charities, including British Red Cross, Oxfam UK and Save the Children UK, who are working on the ground in Ukraine and at the country’s borders to help those fleeing the conflict.

Tickets for the Southbank Centre event are on sale at www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/classical-music/slava-ukraini.