Dark Mofo Announces A Special Performance Titled ‘With Ukraine’

Dark Mofo has today announced a special performance titled With Ukraine on Tuesday 21 June, 8pm, at the Odeon Theatre in nipaluna/Hobart. Supported by the Arco Set Orchestra and Dean Stevenson, Dark Mofo will commit $10,000 of proceeds from this performance to Voices of Children, a charity providing support assistance to Ukrainian children and families affected by the Russian invasion.

For this performance, Stevenson will compose and rehearse the piece live at Mona during opening hours across the two weeks of Dark Mofo as part of his ongoing compositional ‘4PM project’. These sessions result in With Ukraine, a concert at the Odeon by Stevenson and his Arco Set Orchestra, also featuring his compositions written on Hiroshima, Kabul and other war stories.

“It would be easy to think that someone in Tassie can do nothing about the chaos in Ukraine. And maybe you’d be right.

“Collectively however, on the longest night, by putting it to mind, we may share something that sures up our standards in citizenry for what will not be tolerated from those who pull bigger triggers than we can reach,” Dean Stevenson said.

"It's been difficult to focus on a festival, knowing that families in Ukraine are being torn apart, communities destroyed, and towns and villages annihilated in the war,” Dark Mofo Creative Director Leigh Carmichael said.

“With Ukraine is part of our response, and combined with the proceeds of Chernobyl, the festival will donate more than $110,000 for the people of Ukraine.

“We’ve also had hundreds of festival goers make donations by rounding up their ticket, and we are grateful for their contribution to the cause.”

Having performed, recorded, and toured around the world, Dean Stevenson has released several solo projects and composed works for film and theatre. He has collaborated with Kate Miller-Heidke, Monique Brumby, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and performs with local bands Les Coqs Incroyables and 4 Letter Fish. He has performed at live events including Dark Mofo, Mona Foma, Ten Days on the Island, FireLight17 at Mount Roland, Imaginate in Edinburgh, and the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane festivals. He has also produced new music by Sting in collaboration with David Walsh of Mona, and was commissioned by the Governor of Tasmania to write a new work to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday.

With Ukraine, Tuesday 21 June, 8pm, Odeon Theatre in Hobart www.darkmofo.net.au