Ukrainian baritone raises almost €4,000 for food charities
Ukrainian baritone Maksym Lozovyi performing a selection of hits from the musicals during his recent concert in the Carlow Methodist Church Photo: michaelorourkephotography.ie
TWO sold-out concerts by a celebrated baritone from Ukraine raised almost €4,000 when he performed recently in Carlow town.
Maksym Lozovyi, a much-lauded opera singer from the city of Kherson in Ukraine, generously decided to stage two performances, with the proceeds going to two good causes. Maksym uses the beautiful Methodist church in Carlow as a rehearsal space and when he heard that it runs a charity food pantry for people in need, he decided to raise money for the cause. The second beneficiary was a similar food bank for people in need that’s being run in his own home parish in Kherson.
Over the course of the two concerts, €2,000 was raised for the Ukrainian food kitchen, while a further €1,900 was donated to the Methodist one in Carlow, Maksym’s adopted town.
The food pantry has been helping people for decades, donating essential supplies to families who are in need. The donations are made through agencies such as Barnardos, not directly to the people themselves, so it’s all done discreetly and without any fanfare.
For the two concerts, Maksym treated the audiences to a mixture of classical and musical songs, with Ollie Hennessey on the piano and as musical director.
“It went really well, fantastic. Everyone really enjoyed it. It’s a substantial amount of money going towards our food pantry. Maksym used to always put on a performance around the time of his birthday in Kherson, so it’s lovely that he did this for us here,” said Anton Scheele, a church member and friend of Maksym’s.
Maksym’s profile in Carlow and, indeed, Ireland is on the rise following his performance at the Rose of Tralee in August. Back home in Ukraine, he was a renowned baritone as a member of the Kherson Philharmonic Orchestra and is now a member the Irish National Opera Company.
He is currently in rehearsals for an upcoming production of Verdi’s Rigoletto at An Bord Gáis Theatre, with the show running in the first week of December. Tickets are available from the An Bord Gáis Theatre box office.
