Australian Band Collaborates With Ukrainian Youth Symphony On Charity Single

Sydney soul band, The Bluesberries have released a song they recorded with over 70 musicians in four cities worldwide to raise money for those displaced by the war in Ukraine. 

Band members Daniel Fallon (musician and BBC journalist), Paul Beard (composer, producer and keyboardist) and John McMurtrie AM (Australian entrepreneur and musician) started writing Blue Skies earlier this year with the aim to promote peace and raise funds on behalf of Australia For UNHCR to help those displaced.

"Blue Skies is our response to the terrible conflict in Ukraine," Fallon began. "It's a song that reflects on the experiences of refugees – people with ordinary lives who have been forced to flee and who dream of a day when they can come together again to live in peace."

The Bluesberries have unveiled two versions of Blue Skies: one in English and one in Ukrainian. The band teamed up with Australian and Ukrainian musicians, including two youth-based groups affected by the conflict.

The Youth Symphony Orchestra Of Ukraine recorded a symphonic arrangement of Blue Skies at a cathedral in Düsseldorf, Germany. At the same time, 28 members of the Shchedryk Kyiv Children’s Choir recorded choral arrangements for the project in a studio damaged by the war.

Blue Skies will raise funds for Australia For UNHCR's campaign that assists people who have fled their country due to the war or have been displaced in Ukraine and now facing a dangerous winter. Now that it's winter, people in Ukraine are dealing with freezing temperatures in damaged homes or buildings, with disrupted energy, heating and water supplies. 

"Australia For UNHCR is incredibly grateful to the members of the Bluesberries for their generous support of the Ukrainian people," Trudi Mitchell, CEO of Australia For UNHCR, said. "UNHCR is currently focused on helping Ukrainians who’ve been displaced by the war to get through winter. The funds raised by The Bluesberries will help the UN Refugee Agency to do this vital work."

The song also features on the Blue Skies EP.

Listen to Blue Skies and donate to Australia For UNHCR here.