Awareness Raising: Music Ambassadors Tour Case Study

Music Ambassadors Tour is a unique project, the main goal of which is to foster a stronger connection between Ukraine and representatives of the music industry and culture from across the world. The idea behind it is to invite music professionals, artists, festival organizers and music journalists on a curated journey through Ukraine, where they would be able to experience first-hand how everyday life functions in Ukraine, how the music industry adapted to the wartime reality, but also the consequences of the Russian invasion and the humanitarian aid which Music Saves Ukraine is providing.

After each edition, a documentary is produced to show Ukraine through the perspective of the tour guests, who chose to come to Ukraine to demonstrate their solidarity and see the real situation. This allows us to present a more grounded and personal view of what is happening in Ukraine. After the tour, its guests become Ukraine’s ambassadors, who can share their personal experiences and better explain to their teams, colleagues and audiences why it is essential to do more to help Ukraine.

Music Ambassadors Tour 2022

The guests spent 5 days in Ukraine with the Music Saves Ukraine and Night Ambassadors team, during which we travelled 1800km on land and visited 8 cities. We showed our guests how Kyiv lived during the blackouts and the consequences of the Russian destruction in the Kyiv region in towns like Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and Hostomel. We held an event with discussion panels about the adaptation of music events and culture to the realities of war. We went to Kherson, which was constantly shelled following its liberation 3 weeks prior, saw how humanitarian aid is distributed through the newly established heating and charging spots, and heard the story of Kherson theatre from its director. We saw how aid is being distributed through the new humanitarian hub in Mykolaiv. We held another event, which was streamed online and featured panels to discuss nightlife and hear our guests’ reflections on what they saw during the journey.

You can watch the documentary from the first Music Ambassadors Tour here.

Music Ambassadors Tour 2024

On the first day, when some of our guests were already in Kyiv, and the rest were close, there was an attack on Kyiv with hypersonic missiles. Air raid alarms continued throughout the day as we were trying to show the city and how it lives to our guests. On the second day, we went to Borodyanka and Irpin to show the Borodyanka Palace of Culture, which is rebuilding after heavy damage during the Russian occupation and bombing of the town, as well as the Central House of Culture in Irpin, which was also destroyed to a point where it still cannot function now. We visited the Kyiv Institute of Rehabilitation, which Music Saves Ukraine is helping with the necessary equipment, to show how those who suffered as a result of the war are being treated for free.

The original plan was to go to Kharkiv, but the situation there got so critical that we could no longer guarantee an acceptable level of safety, so we went to Chernihiv instead. There, we heard the story of how the city resisted at the beginning of the war, thwarting Russian plans to occupy it, and showed the destruction of cultural infrastructure, including the missile attack on Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Theatre.

On the next day, back in Kyiv, we visited the premises of TAVR Media group, to show how the biggest radio stations operate during the war and how ticketing and production companies continued to innovate despite the war. The day ended with another event in Kyiv with discussion panels, where our guests reflected on the tour, and we discussed how we will continue supporting Ukraine together. Watch the documentary about the second Music Ambassadors Tour here.

“I am grateful that I was part of the 2nd Music Ambassadors Tour to Ukraine at the end of March 2024. I will never forget this journey, where we saw the destruction and heard shocking stories from witnesses during our visit to several cities. I was deeply impressed by the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people. We need to support them more. It is our duty!“
Christof Huber | YOUROPE chairman & Director Festivals at Gadget