The chorus normally includes men, but the men in the group cannot leave Ukraine because of the war. What's left is an all-women ensemble performing traditional academic Ukrainian music while serving, as organizers put it, as cultural ambassadors for their country.
Greg Kannon, CEO of the faith-based nonprofit Music Mission Kyiv, says the concerts carry both joy and emotion for the performers and the audience. These are women living the war in real time, not historical figures singing about it from a distance.
For people in Lubbock, Sunday's show is a rare chance to hear directly from someone experiencing the war, not just read about it. LakeRidge Methodist Church is one stop on a tour stretching across Texas and into the eastern U.S. Lubbock made a short list of cities getting this performance this fall.