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A Sold-Out Music Hall Signals Deep Community Support for Ukraine

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Ukraine concert at Tarrytown Music Hall — Music Hall Executive Director Bjorn Olson welcomes pianist Irena Portenko (photo by Mark Lifflander)

March 28, 2022

By Barrett Seaman—

The program was put together on short notice but packed with musical talent—almost all of it Ukrainian. Every penny of the proceeds — some $28,000 at last count — will go to one of four organizations providing aid to embattled Ukraine and its millions of displaced citizens.

The Sunday March 27 Tarrytown Music Hall event was organized by Dobbs Ferry resident Irena Portenko, a concert pianist and instructor who performed herself, working in collaboration with Tara Framer, a design and marketing consultant living in Tarrytown. They managed to recruit a New York City-based Ukrainian choir, Chorus Dumka, another concert pianist, Svetlana Gorokhovich, with whom Portenko played a four-in-hand version of Smetana’s “Moldau,” Basso Stefan Szkafarowsky, a veteran of the Metropolitan Opera, and countertenor Jeffrey Palmer.

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Showing moral support for the effort were Congressman Mondaire Jones, County Executive George Latimer, and Town Supervisor Paul Feiner. Interspersed with the music were calls for help. The four recipients were:

Razom (razomforukraine.org);

United Help Ukraine (unitedhelpukraine.org);

A GoFundMe campaign launched by Irena Portenko (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-displaced-ukrainian-musicians?qid=71eaa9f21b18e4e370adb8e3d668d68f)

Jerome Strauss’ photographs, shot last May when Kyiv and other places in the country were still intact and at peace. Strauss will donate half the profits generated from his web site to Ukrainian charities (jeromestraussphotography.pixieset.com).

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