Songs of Stolen Children, performed by the group Daughters of Donbas, will have its Atlantic Canadian premiere on Nov. 20 at St. Andrew’s United Church. The 80-minute concert addresses the estimated 20,000 Ukrainian children who have been taken from occupied regions in eastern Ukraine to Russia, and is meant to inspire, promote unity, and call for action.
The project is led by Marichka, a Ukrainian-Canadian singer who won the Amnesty International Prize and previously fronted the bands Balaklava Blues and Lemon Bucket Orkestra. She’s been travelling between Canada and Ukraine to research the project and has even met some of the few stolen children who have been rescued and returned.
“Hauntingly beautiful acoustic melodies translate the themes of sorrow and hope and give voice to captured children who tragically can’t speak for themselves,” organizers say. The performance weaves Ukrainian folk music into a modern context, drawing on ancestry and storytelling traditions.
Taking the message worldwide
After the Halifax show, Songs of Stolen Children will tour internationally in 2026. The group will perform at The Hague in the Netherlands, home of the International Criminal Court where Russian President Vladimir Putin has been indicted for the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Daughters of Donbas will also represent Canada and Ukraine at WOMAD in Australia—the legendary music festival founded by Peter Gabriel—and at the Celtic Connections Festival in Scotland.
The concert is meant to inspire, promote unity, and call for action on behalf of the children who remain missing.
The Halifax performance begins at 6 p.m. on Nov. 20 at St. Andrew’s United Church, located at 6036 Coburg Road. It’s being organized by the East Coast Ukrainian Association.