SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — A weekend concert on the campus of Augustana University will raise money and awareness about the ongoing plight facing refugees escaping war-torn Ukraine.
The concert will feature original music from a South Dakota composer.
This cause is close to Calvin Jones’ heart.
Beautiful music played against a backdrop of the ugliness of war.
“My music is touching on all aspects of life. So, there’s celebration. There’s devastation, and everything in-between,” composer Calvin Jones said.
Pierre resident Calvin Jones is performing a concert to benefit Freedom’s Haven, a non-profit that helps bring Ukrainians to South Dakota.
“It’s not a piano recital. It’ll be something that will move you, so don’t wear mascara,” Jones said.
Jones and his wife Inga were living in the capital of Kyiv, when Russia launched its attack on Ukraine in February of 2022.
“It was early morning, around 5 o’clock. I just heard this huge explosion. It was different from other sounds that we are used to,” Inga Jones said.
“When those bombs hit, they felt so close to you, you just had no idea of what was going on, because you didn’t,” Calvin Jones said.
The war still impacts the couple to this day.
“My best friend over there just got conscripted yesterday. So, I’m really concerned about him, praying for him as he goes into the army now,” Jones said.
Resettling Ukrainian refugees in the United States isn’t just a humanitarian cause. To Jones, it also brings a big economic benefit to South Dakota, helping fill a labor shortage throughout the state.
“We’ve got a lot of people that are aging-out and the birth rate is getting lower and so the need for immigrants is pressing,” Jones said.
Jones is concerned that America’s focus is drifting away from a war that’s dragged on for nearly three years. He hopes his music will motivate audiences to reach out to the refugees who’ve lost so much, yet still have so much left to offer.
The concert is Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Hamre Recital Hall on the Augie campus. Admission is free.
