STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Russia's drone strikes have changed the way Ukraine sounds. A youth orchestra has been listening. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports from outside Kyiv.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: On most nights, 14-year-old Rostyslav Musiienko (ph) hears something like this buzzing over his house.
(SOUNDBITE OF DRONE BUZZING)
KAKISSIS: An Iranian-designed drone called the Shahed. It looks like a small plane and often carries a warhead.
ROSTYSLAV MUSIIENKO: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: Rostoslav says, "when it picks up speed, I hide because I'm scared." He knows this sound so well. He plays it on his trombone at orchestra practice.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: Joining the other musicians. Most are middle schoolers from the town of Kivshovata outside Kyiv.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: They're playing a composition about Ukraine's nights of war. It's called "Shahed Overture." The young musicians are writing it with local guitar teacher Dmytro Kornienko (ph).
DMYTRO KORNIENKO: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "We used to play jazz and funk songs," Kornienko says. "This composition reflects the horror that we now live in."
SERHII NEDUZHYI: (Vocalizing)
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
KAKISSIS: The orchestra is called Harmonia. They rehearse on a small, brightly lit stage. The conductor, Serhii Neduzhyi (ph), straps on a bass drum.
NEDUZHYI: (Vocalizing).
KAKISSIS: Then hums a tune to the lead violinist, his 14-year-old daughter Anna Neduzhyi (ph)...
ANNA NEDUZHYI: (Violin playing).
KAKISSIS: ...Who starts the piece by evoking a calm night.
ANNA: (Violin playing).
(Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "It's pleasant and peaceful," Anna says. "An ordinary day in an ordinary city until a terrible reality intrudes."
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: Her dad, the conductor, continues.
NEDUZHYI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: We hear air raid sirens, then a Shahed drone flying, then antiaircraft guns.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: The conductor pounds on his bass drum, explosions. The drone is shot down. Its wreckage falls on the city.
NEDUZHYI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: Then, he says, you hear the sirens of an ambulance and firefighters.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: And rescue workers digging in the rubble, hearing a baby cry.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
NEDUZHYI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: The drumming, he says, is a heartbeat.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: It starts quietly at first and then grows stronger and stronger. The heart beats louder, a sign of life.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: The young Ukrainians in this orchestra are survivors. Russian strikes blow out their windows at home and force them into bunkers at school. Nearly every week, they play at the funerals of local soldiers. Ruslana Halaziuk (ph), a 20-year-old drummer, struggles to describe the experience.
RUSLANA HALAZIUK: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: "You just stand there," she says, "and you just cannot hold back your tears."
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE")
KAKISSIS: There is no ending yet for this war or for "Shahed Overture," which the musicians are still writing. So today, they linger on a hopeful note.
(SOUNDBITE OF HARMONIA ORCHESTRA'S "SHAHED OVERTURE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
