All proceeds from the event were directed towards supporting Ukrainian Medical Charity (UMC) — a UK-based organisation dedicated to strengthening Ukraine’s healthcare system in response to the Russian invasion and acting as a long-term bridge between the UK and Ukrainian medical sectors in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Led by its CEO Oksana Lovochkina, Ukrainian Medical Charity brings together a community of over 1,200 qualified Ukrainian medical professionals integrated into the UK healthcare system, while simultaneously delivering critical medical equipment to hospitals and frontline medical teams across Ukraine. Funds raised through the concert contribute to the establishment of a fully equipped Intensive Care Unit at the Kharkiv Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, enabling life-saving care for children in a city located close to the front line.

Lihtar (Ліхтар) Orchestra is one of the most exciting Ukrainian-led musical initiatives that have emerged in London over the past couple of years, and young conductor Max Levytskyi stands behind its idea and creative direction. Born in the Kirovohrad Region village of Shamraiivka, he has made a long journey of music studies that brought him to one of the UK's top conservatoires - Royal Academy of Music.

Currently Max is studying a Bachelor's degree in London and developing his career as a conductor, however one of his top priorities and goals abroad remain in the dedicated work of promoting Ukraine's music among the British audiences. An interest in discovering and collecting classical and contemporary Ukrainian music has grown for Max a long time ago, while studying choral conducting at the Glier music precollege in Kyiv. Coming from the background of choral music, his research naturally started from vocal and operatic repertoire, gradually expanding into orchestral and chamber ensembles. Max's goal was to digitalise as many scores and written manuscripts as possible, especially those that could be under the danger of destruction in the circumstances of the war.

On March 9th 2023 (the birthday of Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's most famous poet and the national symbol of freedom) Max Levytskyi has conducted his first self-curated concert in London - an a capella choir performance which featured some of the carefully collected pieces from 20th century Ukrainian composers setting Shevchenko's poetry. Most vocalists who took part were Ukrainian refugees - adults and students. That concert served as a catalyst to work towards a more expansive initiative and be able to perform the unknown Ukrainian repertoire for the British audience. Soon the idea was being shaped between Max and one of his Ukrainian colleagues in London - Alisa Zaika, at the time a composition and conducting student at the Royal College of Music and now a freelance composer. Together they brought it to life by creating the Lihtar Orchestra and Choir - a student-based, independent collective which now has realised over 15 concerts in London.

Lihtar comprises students from all conservatoires of London, and functions as a collective with a voluntary and variable set of members - meaning that every project features different instrumentalists or singers depending on their availability and the will to take part. There are some Ukrainian or international members that act as a certain core group, for example, the orchestra's concertmaster - violinist and composer Illia Bondarenko. Additionally, some concerts feature older, professional members or adult amateur musicians - the UK's classical scene has a well-developed tradition of amateur orchestras and choirs. Aside from its primary goal of performing Ukrainian music, Lihtar also focuses on fundraising work for Ukraine's frontline and medical sector. So far, almost all of the collective's concerts have been completely non-profit fundraisers for Ukrainian volunteers and charities such as the 1992 Fund, FADU, Wild Post and Ukrainian Action. All performers taking part, including the international members, are volunteers who wish to play the music and support Ukraine.

As for Lihtar's programs - the purpose is to organically combine Ukrainian pieces with the traditional Western repertoire, including contemporary music. Every concert features one or more pieces of Ukraine's classical heritage - from 18th century to the modern day. Some of these composers, presented and performed by Lihtar include Maksym Berezovsky, Mykola Lysenko, Mykola Leontovych, Vasyl Barvinsky, Levko Revutsky, Borys Liatoshynsky, Vitalii Hubarenko, Yevhen Stankovych and Hanna Havrylets. Lihtar specially focuses on introducing these composers to the international audiences through its social media and promotion - to fully communicate the value of their creative input to the listeners that have never even heard those names. Unfortunately, Soviet Russia has done such a great job at repressing Ukrainian artists that most Westerners still think of the Carol of the Bells (Mykola Leontovych's "Shchedryk") as an American pop-culture Christmas hit. Lihtar's mission remains to keep representing the best of Ukraine's classical music on the vibrant cultural scene of London - along with raising funds to help various Ukrainian charities.

UK's capital is a perfect place for the growth of new initiatives and reaching wider audiences, so Lihtar always keeps looking for opportunities to expand and connect with other organisations. One of Lihtar's most exciting collaborations has so far been a Campaign for Ukraine's charity concert at the historical King's Cross St Pancras venue with Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, frontman of the beloved Okean Elzy band and Mariia Yaremak, one of the leading Ukrainian composers. The concert was also supported by the Ukrainian Embassy in London. Max Levytskyi himself will soon graduate from the Royal Academy of Music, and along with being Lihtar's chief conductor and creative director he actively works on other projects - such as conducting a string ensemble featuring players from the London Symphony Orchestra in the upcoming premiere of a new work "Nonet" by Illia Bondarenko - as part of a fundraising event by the Friends of Oleksandriya charity at the Bath Abbey on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion. Performing works by the new generations of Ukrainian composers is especially important to him as it gives an opportunity to shape our country's cultural future.

Max is determined to continue his work of promoting Ukraine's truly valuable musical heritage and giving it the worldwide recognition.