Next week one of the biggest pre-parties is taking place in Israel. Israel Calling 2022 already has 23 artists confirmed! Now they announced the 24th artist to join the line-up. Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine will be part of the event next Thursday in Tel Aviv!
Kalush Orchestra joins the line-up of Israel Calling 2022
The Ukrainian representatives will perform in Israel Calling 2022 next week in Israel, alongside 23 representatives from all over Europe who participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest which will take place in Turin, Italy.
The Ukrainian delegation will arrive in Israel with the assistance of the Jewish Agency for Israel and will perform, among other performances, in front of immigrants who escaped from the war in Ukraine. Those will be in the audience in order to cheer them and strengthen their morale in those difficult times.
The Ukrainian representatives, alongside other representatives, will land in Israel this Tuesday ahead of the Israel Calling show which will take place next Thursday, April 7th, in Menora Mivtachim Arena.
Israel Calling is an initiative of the producer Tali Eshkoli and it is being held with the cooperation and support of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, and Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.
Eurovision 2022 artists from Albania, Armenia, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Serbia will take part in Israel Calling 2022.
For Kalush Orchesta the mission as artists grew within a few weeks from simply entertaining and representing their home country at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, to becoming the face and the voice of a nation currently undergoing excruciating times. Amidst a war that has the entire world holding its breath and suffering vicariously, Kalush Orchestra have decided that it is now more important than ever to stand their ground, hold onto their dreams, and fight for what they believe in.
Oleh Psiuk, the founder and frontman of Kalush Orchestra says:
“February 24th was supposed to be the worst day of our lives, but the longer the war lasts, the more terrible the days become, as they are filled with more pain, blood, death, and destruction. Every new day is a story, a story of joy when we hear the voice of parents and friends, and a story of pain when we look out the window or read the news of aerial bombardment, the entry of enemy tanks, and the shooting of civilians queuing for bread.
We read in the textbooks about the terrible times of wars and genocides that were committed against the Ukrainian nation, but we could never imagine that all this would happen to us again.
Over the last year, we had concerts in every regional city of Ukraine and in most district centers, I remember a lot of eyes standing in front of the stage and it’s scary to imagine that many of them closed forever. It’s scary when your girlfriend helps to strengthen positions during the shelling and you don’t know if you’ll hear her voice again. It’s scary not to see a smile on the faces of our band’s guys because everyone is in a different area and all that can happen. It’s scary to open messages and to read that your friend died defending Kherson.
All this is scary, but when you read about everything from the stories or the interviews, it’s one thing, and when you’re at the center of it, it’s another thing completely. You do not think about fear, because you are overwhelmed by love for everyone around you, for the native language, streets, buildings, and land. Therefore, Ukrainians have no fear, they have a great love for their nation and country.
We thank the producers in Israel for the invitation and we look forward to meeting the community of Eurovision. This support that we feel is incredibly important for us and the entire country”