A Song Full of Magic in Ukrainian!

Creativity and Grace Under Fire

Back in December of 2022, as part of my ongoing efforts to help the 1.9 million Ukrainian children displaced by the Russian invasion of Urkaine with the Song Flight program, I wrote the lyrics to a song entitled, A World Full of Magic and asked my supremely gifted friend, Raspbury to write the melody. You can hear the results here:

As beautiful as the song is, I really wanted to be able to have a copy of it in Ukrainian for Ukrainian kids to sing. So I had the lyrics translated (many thanks to Oksana Levytska) and then went looking for a children’s choir to sing it. The person who eventually said yes was Irina Berbitskaya, the conductor and music director of the children's choir called, "Inspiration" in Odessa, Ukraine. As you will see, the name is entirely appropriate. Below are the lyrics in both English and Ukrainian.

A World Full of Magic (Цей світ чудес)

There is a world                     У великому світі
We can’t always see               У світі чудес
A world full of magic             Пам’ятаємо, є
inside you and me.                 Чудо в тобі й мені.

We open the door                  Відчинимо двері
And let in the fun                    Радості й сонцю.
We sing with the birds           Співаємо з пташками,
And smile at the sun.              Сміємося з сонцем.

We wink with the fireflies        Летять світлячки,
Hoot with the owls                    Гукають сови,
Run with the wolves                  Біжать вовченята
And practice our howls.            Чи чуєш ти їх.           

We all share our stories            Разом із нами
And dance with the moon        Танцюють зірки
Fly with the butterflies              Летять метелики
And cry with the loons.             І великі птахи.                    

We’re all made of stardust       Небесний зорепад,
and kissed by the rain               Ось дотик дощу
We’re different outside             Ми всі такі різні
But inside the same.                І такі ж всі одні.

So whenever you feel               Коли твоє серце співає
Like your heart wants to sing   І ти разом з нами,
Just open your arms                  Відкрий свої обійми
And give your voice wings.       І твій голос летить.

Copyright 2022 by Jena Ball and Raspbury. All Rights Reserved.

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All of this was back in March of 2023, and given all that has been happening in Ukraine, especially the recent bombing of Odessa, I didn’t expect to hear from Irina anytime soon. So you can imagine my surprise and delight to receive this email from her:

Dear Jena,

We are excited to inform you that we have completed work on the song.

We have done our best to create a high-quality version, and we hope you will enjoy it. The song features three part voices, arranged by us exclusively for the choir's performance.

I also wanted to tell you about our choir. All the children who sing in it are students at Municipal Music School No.1 in Odessa, Ukraine. Each choir member also plays a different musical instrument like the piano, guitar, cello,  violin, clarinet. The children's ages range from 10 to 16 years old.   I, Irina Verbitskiya, have been leading the choir as the Conductor and Musical Director for a 25- year period. 

We frequently participate in various concerts and festivals, both in our country and abroad. Unfortunately, currently, many of our participants are abroad due to the ongoing military conflict. However, we all dream of our victory soon, so that all the children can return to their hometown and delight us with their talents.

I have my own YouTube channel where you can watch several videos of our choir. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/@user-cc5yx6so9h/videos . 

PS: Could you please tell me if it is possible to share this performance on my channel and Facebook? It would be fantastic to let all our friends and fans of the choir enjoy our singing.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Irina.

Would it be possible? Would I mind if she shared this incredible work of art? I want to shout it from the rooftops - to celebrate the kids, Irina, and the indomintable Ukrainian spirit that allowed them to create something so incrediby beautiful in the face of so much cruelty and destruction.

Please share this recording of A World Full of Magic far and wide. Let’s make sure that their amazing voices are heard and that the world receives the message of the song loud and clear, “We’re different outside but inside the same.”

Hugs,
Jena
P.S. Several people have asked how they can support Irina and the kids. I have asked Irina and will create a separate post when she replies.