In the face of tragedy sometimes art and beauty might be all some of us have to offer to sustain hope and humanity.
Hello to you listening in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday and your host, Diane Wyzga.
In the early 1990s a cellist in Sarejevo, Vedran Smajlovic, went out into the square when the bombs were dropping and started playing his cello. A journalist asked him, "Why are you out here playing your cello while the bombs are dropping?" The cellist replied, “Why are they dropping bombs while I’m playing the cello?”
In the face of tragedy sometimes art and beauty might be all some of us have to offer. Art and beauty give us hope, remind us of our humanity even when someone else denies it, as well as help shape the stories of the society they reflect.
As bombs fall on Ukraine the sound of music offers hope. Whether the voice of a child singing a tune from the movie, Frozen; Vera Lytovchenko, violinist and teacher playing in a bomb shelter dressed in an evening gown; a piano player outside a train station; or men singing their country’s anthem.
Click here to listen to the music of a determined nation fighting for its soul and winning albeit at great cost.
NOTE: During the nearly four-year siege of Sarajevo that ended in 1996, Vedran Smajlovic played Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor on his cello in ruined buildings, including the Vijecnica, the Bosnian capital’s destroyed city hall. He also played at funerals despite the threat of sniper fire. His powerful music became a sign of resilience and of the triumph of humanity over brutality.
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Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team
Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts
Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music
All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts