In a time when air raid sirens too often drown out childhood dreams, two Rotary clubs – Kharkiv-City (Ukraine) and Vilnius International (Lithuania) – are composing a bold new movement: Peace • Music • Freedom.
This inspiring humanitarian-cultural project will bring 43 young Ukrainian musicians, aged 9–17, and 13 of their teachers from the Kharkiv Music Lyceum to the peaceful countryside of Lithuania from July 7–21, 2025. Over two weeks at the Daugai School of Technology and Business, these children – each of whom has lived through more than three years of war and trauma – will trade the sounds of sirens and shelling for harmony and hope.
Creativity Through Cultural Exchange
The project’s title captures its essence: Peace • Music • Freedom. For two weeks, these children will trade the sounds of war for harmony. They will rehearse intensively, live communally, and culminate their experience with gratitude concerts in four Lithuanian cities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Pakruojis, and Daugai. These performances will not only showcase their musical talents but will also serve as acts of cultural diplomacy, expressing resilience, gratitude, and a longing for peace. By sharing their art, these young musicians will strengthen Ukrainian-Lithuanian ties and inspire audiences to see beyond headlines – to the human stories that music can so powerfully convey.
Building Peace Through Performance
This initiative is Rotary at its best – responding to crisis with compassion, creativity, and collaboration. The budget for the two-week program is €32,450 (~$37,000), with substantial contributions already pledged by the Kaunas, Radviliškis, and Pakruojis municipalities, alongside a €2,000 commitment from Vilnius International RC. Still, a final €3,450 (~$3,970) is needed to cover meals and miscellaneous costs. Rotarians and friends of Rotary are invited to help close this gap – by donating or sponsoring one of the four concerts. Every euro raised transforms trauma into opportunity, and fear into joy.
Lasting Impact
The power of this project extends far beyond its closing curtain. When the students return to Kharkiv, they will bring with them sharpened skills, deeper confidence, and renewed purpose. Their teachers, too, will return with new pedagogical tools and rehearsal methods tested in safe conditions – practices that will enrich the Lyceum’s remote instruction for the classmates left behind. Moreover, the project offers a blueprint for replication – with a clearly documented budget, sustainable partnerships, and international goodwill, Peace • Music • Freedom represents one of many such exchanges between Ukraine and its European neighbors, and one to emulate. This is more than a music camp. It is a sanctuary. It is an act of hope. And this is Rotary in action: creating peace not through politics, but through people – through shared humanity, cultural expression, and the belief that even in the darkest hour, music can light the way.
Hope Through Action: The Spirit of Opus For Peace
Peace • Music • Freedom also stands as a shining example of Rotary’s emerging global grassroots initiative, Opus For Peace – a movement that harnesses the power of the arts to promote healing, understanding, and reconciliation across borders. Whether through music, theater, visual arts, or storytelling, Opus For Peace invites Rotary clubs worldwide to recognize the arts not only as cultural expression but as active instruments of peacebuilding. By giving voice to young Ukrainians and allowing them a respite from the war, this project brings that vision to life – note by note, heart by heart.
To support this project or learn more, contact the Vilnius International Rotary Club or visit https://www.facebook.com/Vilnius.International.Rotary.Club/
