CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The best seat in the house for great music on Friday was on the gymnasium floor at St. Nicholas Cathedral School on the 2200 block of West Rice. The school has about 70 refugees from Ukraine in its student body.
Seven musicians from the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s orchestra, which has raised money for the school, performed in the gym packed with students and teachers.
Anna Cirilli is the school's principal. She told WBBM the school has gotten a lot of support from the opera and the community. "It's really special when you see it all come together," Cirilli said.
"The students enjoy... especially a performance like today, where they can relate to music, you don't need to know a language to understand the feelings that are projected through music."
Susan Warner plays the clarinet for the Lyric.
"It was so touching to know how music can move us- how it can connect people across boundaries and warzones and different cultures and language barriers and to just be surrounded (by) these children singing their (Ukrainian) national anthem, brought tears to all of our eyes...very hard to play the clarinet when you're choked up," she said afterwards as kids left the gym and went back to class.
William Cernota has been a cellist with the Opera for 40 years and said he was touched especially when the choir sang their Ukrainian songs.
"Those hundred year- old and older songs are with them. They obviously feel the emotion."
Oksana Mazur is an 8th grader from Ukraine who has been in Chicago for several months. She needed the help of a translator when speaking to WBBM, but when asked about the music she smiled broadly and said, "Yes, I love it."
Donations towards the school can be made here.
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