How a Student from Kyiv Is Coping with the War in Ukraine Berklee student Valeriia Shemiatkina talks about music's critical role in helping Ukrainians stay hopeful in this tragic time of fear and deep uncertainty.
By
Alicia Taylor Bard
March 15, 2022
Valeriia Shemiatkina
Valeriia Shemiatkina is a second-semester music business student who plays piano, sings, and writes songs. However, she hasn't been able to do any of those things lately because her mind is preoccupied with the conflict in Ukraine. A native of Kyiv, she is heartbroken and worried about the safety of her parents, three sisters, brother, and her large extended family. She speaks to her family every day and, so far, they are safe. Her female relatives have fled the country while the men have remained behind.
After co-organizing a rally on campus last month to bring awareness to the conflict, Shemiatkina joined other students to sing the Ukrainian national anthem at a benefit concert held on March 11. In addition to her goal to manage musicians after graduating, shes planning to return to Ukraine to help others get an education and maybe even open a school.
We talked to Shemiatkina about how she's managing school in the midst of this crisis and the role music is playing in inspiring Ukrainians during this overwhelming time of stress and uncertainty.
What is it like being here in the United States while war is raging in your homeland? I feel absolutely terrible and each day it is getting worse. I can't study. The things that took me an hour to do before, now take me six hours to do. I'm trying to do whatever I can do here to bring awareness to what is going on in Ukraine. I would like to thank everyone who came out to support us on campus during our walk. It meant a lot to all of us.
There are less than a dozen Ukrainian students at Berklee. What can we do to help the Berklee students as well as the people of Ukraine? I feel like many students don't really know what is actually going on in Ukraine and what Russia is doing to my people. I don't know how much we can do here except continue to talk about it and spread awareness. If people have questions, they can ask me, and I will explain what's really going on.
Most Americans have not been to Ukraine and only know what they are reading, hearing, and watching online. What do you want people to know about Ukraine? I want people to know that our people are the greatest. They are kind even to Russian soldiers who are not kind to us . Our people are just incredible and everybody is just trying to help each other by delivering food to people who can't get any or delivering clothes to those who need it, including newborn babies. People are so supportive and we're working together, and I'm kind of sorry I'm not there to help. I've been crying a lot.
...[S]ongs are helping people get through this. They remind people of how it was before and how it will be, so they don't lose hope.
Valeriia Shemiatkina
Can you describe the music in Ukraine and what inspired you to want to be a musician? We listen to a lot of folk music that is blended with modern music. Some artists take old songs and add modern instruments to it. One of my favorite artists is Odyn V Kanoe. She went to Harvard and her voice sounds just like the wind, the land, or trees. She doesn't need to say words to let people know what she's singing about, and her talent inspires me.
What songs do you think your fellow Ukrainians are listening to during the conflict and why? I know they are listening to and singing our national anthem, now more than ever, because people are terrified. There's another song called Apta, which is very popular. It's about winning the war and it helps people deal with all the horrible things going on in the streets. Those songs are helping people get through this. They remind people of how it was before and how it will be, so they don't lose hope.
You sang the Ukrainian national anthem at a recent benefit concert. What did it mean to you to perform it? I am unable to help my people in Ukraine physically, but I can help them deal with everything they have to go through by sharing information with people here in America and showing how beautiful and strong Ukraine is. The national anthem describes and represents the Ukrainian spirit in the best way, so I am honored to sing it here [at] Berklee and tell people our story.
Watch: The Ukrainian national anthem, performed and arranged by Berklee students:
Related Categories
Keyed In
News
Most Popular
Berklee students perform Billie Eilishs Happier than Ever.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Billie Eilish Concert Film Celebrates Whats Possible at Berklee The hour-long video features 50 Berklee students performing a career-spanning collection of 23 Eilish songs.
Latest
Gary Bartz
Image courtesy of the artist
Saxophone Legend Gary Bartz to Perform with Berklee Artists at 13th Annual Global Jazz Summit The concert will honor BGJI alumni and include several performances dedicated to influential women in celebration of Women's History Month.
Global Summit on Ocean Sciences Features Student Compositions Pieces composed in Jennifer Beauregards Environmental Science course were featured at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022.
ADOY performs for the first time ever in the U.S. at the Business of K-Pop and the Korean Wave Symposium.
Image by Dave Green
Korean Music and Culture Take Center Stage at Berklee's Business of K-Pop and the Korean Wave Symposium Performances from the Korean Culture Student Association and synthpop sensation ADOY punctuated an in-depth panel discussion with K-pop industry influencers.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
15/10/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...
15/10/2025
Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...
15/10/2025
Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...
15/10/2025
CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...
15/10/2025
OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...
15/10/2025
NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...
15/10/2025
SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...
15/10/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...
15/10/2025
LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...
15/10/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
15/10/2025
Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films
UKTV have recommissioned the clas...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Nick Cave
JPEG (275 KB)
Explore the creative univer...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send
Over a fifth (...
15/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia
Entertainment
15 October 2025
GlobalTaiwan
Link copied to clipboard
...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline
Jeffrey Shapiro
CEO, Eyeline
Business
15 October 2025
GlobalCanadaInd...
15/10/2025
Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge
SA...
15/10/2025
Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...
15/10/2025
Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today
RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...
14/10/2025
SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...
14/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...
14/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...
14/10/2025
Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11
Print This Story
Eluvio power the EPCR'...
14/10/2025
As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...
14/10/2025
Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...
14/10/2025
(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...
14/10/2025
Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar.
Verlustfreies Audio war eine...
14/10/2025
La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium.
Le format sans perte de...
14/10/2025
For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...
14/10/2025
Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we're expanding mana...
14/10/2025
Since its debut, the Spotify Original podcast Caso 63 has been more than just a story; it's been a cultural sensation. The science fiction thriller captivat...
How a Student from Kyiv Is Coping with the War in Ukraine Berklee student Valeriia Shemiatkina talks about music's critical role in helping Ukrainians stay hopeful in this tragic time of fear and deep uncertainty.
