American composer and pianist Calvin Jones and his wife, a native of Kiev, Ukraine, were awakened in their apartment on February 24th at 5 am to the sound of loud sirens and bombs going off around them. Since their narrow escape from Kiev, they have moved from Romania to Montenegro to Greece in order to find a semi-permanent home, hoping they can return back to their apartment in Ukraine one day.
Press release by Crossover Media
Since then, they have been assisting other escapees and supporting those left behind. “It has been heartbreaking to see so many people killed, injured, and displaced by this senseless war. We are and have been working to get as many people out as possible, assisting those having to find new homes and getting supplies like food, water, and medication to people still in Ukraine – and there are so many needs right now. We are working with individuals and organizations on the ground to try to meet as many of these very practical, material needs as possible. We have been in touch with so many people who continually risk their lives taking supplies to elderly, infirmed and others who desperately need help. They are the reason we decided to dedicate the video of ‘After the Conquest’ to them. They are real heroes and have been mostly overlooked.” says Calvin.
The music video features footage recorded by a Ukrainian who stayed behind and has documented much of the destruction. The footage centers around the Kiev, Ukraine area and shows how businesses, homes, apartments, vehicles, and nature have all been destroyed because of missiles, gunfire, and tanks. It also features Calvin performing his arrangement of “After the Conquest” with the Lviv Virtuosos Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine. “This video is extremely important to us to show what’s happening from the perspective of people who are still living in Ukraine. Journalists tend to gravitate to areas where the most damage is located, but we wanted to represent how the millions of little ways that everyday life, as people have experienced over the last several decades, has been devastated and ruined.” added Calvin.
The “After the Conquest” video had its world premiere at the World Unite for Ukraine online music event on July 14. “We wanted to partner with another organization and artists from around the world to call for an end to this devastating conflict” says Jones.
Jones is releasing the “After the Conquest” single on digital music platforms and will give a portion of the proceeds to individuals and charitable organizations helping victims of the invasion.
For more information and music samples, visit calvinjones.com.