“Art unites people in difficult times. When words run out, music speaks for us.” – Iryna Usova to the Orlando Sentinel.
After returning to Central Florida from war-torn Ukraine, UCF alumna Iryna Usova ’16MA reunited with former instructors, colleagues and students, including current faculty Ayako Yonetani, George Weremchuk and Natalie Morris, a beloved pupil whose family helped her flee Ukraine.
Together, they performed with the Pegasus String Quartet in a free benefit concert on Thursday, August 25 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Oviedo.
“I will play from the heart for all Ukrainian people,” Usova said. “This is to support people’s spirits.”
Read the full story about Usova and her bond with the family who brought her back from Ukraine in the Orlando Sentinel article by Matt Palm.
Usova and her story has also been featured on:
- UCF Today: Picking Up the Peace
- Click Orlando: UCF musicians come together to help violinist who returned to Orlando from Ukraine
- WESH 2: UCF community rallies around UCF graduate