Ukraine’s Atlas venue joins Liveurope
Kyiv’s Atlas has become the first Ukrainian venue to join Liveurope after the European Union-backed association hosted its ninth annual celebration of Europe Day through music.
The 9 May event, which also served as a fundraiser for Music Saves UA humanitarian appeal, brought audiences together to celebrate European values and pay tribute to Ukraine’s music scene.
It started with an intervention by the head of the Mission of Ukraine to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov, followed by a conversation with two Ukrainian culture professionals, who provided first-hand insights into the current state of the music sector in Ukraine.
“We created Liveurope out of an appetite to make music venues ambassadors for European values.,” says Elise Phamgia, Liveurope’s coordinator. “By celebrating Ukrainian music on Europe Day, we hope to show the power of music to build bridges between our shared cultures”.
The evening concluded with performances by two Ukrainian bands, made possible through the collaborative efforts of hosting venue Ancienne Belgique and Atlas.
“As Ukraine’s accession to the EU draws closer, our collaboration with Liveurope will foster a sense of unity across borders”
“This Europe Day event was about the contribution of Ukraine to European culture,” says Vsevolod Chentsov, head of the Mission of Ukraine to the EU. “It is very important that Ukrainian culture organisations like Atlas get integrated into European cultural landscapes.”
The collaboration with Atlas served as a first step to integrate the venue in the Liveurope platform, with Liveurope announcing that the Ukrainian venue is joining its platform of concert halls as an associate member. As a result, Atlas will get direct access to a network of like-minded venues and in the long run, receive support for programming European acts in Kyiv.
Liveurope now houses 23 leading European concert venues, all committed to promoting music diversity and supporting the next generation of European musicians.
“We are thrilled to be joining Liveurope as its first Ukrainian representative,” adds Vlad Yaremchuck, Atlas’ artistic director. “As Ukraine’s accession to the EU draws closer, our collaboration with Liveurope will foster a sense of unity across borders and it is highly symbolic that this announcement came the same day when Ukraine celebrated Europe Day officially for the first time”
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