UNLV Associate Professor and Director of Orchestras Taras Krysa conducts class at the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center Tuesday March 8, 2022.
Saturday, March 12, 2022 | 2 a.m.
The Las Vegas Sinfonietta, which is conducted by Ukrainian-born Taras Krysa, is hosting a benefit concert at 4 p.m. tonight at the Clark County Library Theater, 1401 E Flamingo Road. Tickets are $28.
Krysa, associate professor and director of orchestras at UNLV, was born in Ukraine and as a child lived in the former Soviet Union. He was the conductor of the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra in Ukraine from 2016 until 2020.
“There’s overwhelming support from my colleagues and in the community,” he said. “I’m blessed with such a large community here, musicians outside of UNLV. I’m very active in town, playing and conducting Las Vegas Sinfonietta, playing in many other groups and so on. So everyone is very supportive. I’m very grateful for that.”
Las Vegas Sinfonietta will play Mozart’s last three symphonies as well as a piece by Ukrainian composer Maxim Berezovsky, which Taras added to the Sinfonietta’s performance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month.
Kyrsa said that if attendees wish to donate to Ukrainian relief causes, they can donate through the Sinfonietta’s general donation page and specify the money should go to Ukraine. He said individual relief causes are currently not selected but they will specialize in humanitarian aid.
Later this month, the UNLV Symphony Orchestra, also conducted by Krysa, will dedicate its concert to the Ukrainian people 3 p.m. March 27 in the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall. Tickets are $15, with discounts available to seniors, military members, and UNLV faculty, staff, and students.
