On May 1, the student-run music and art festival to benefit the people of Ukraine, called Come Together, was held at the Polish Hall from 4-7 p.m.  Juniors Grace Ain and Sam Sherman organized the concert, and all of the proceeds raised at the concert were donated to Razom for Ukraine, a non-profit that “supports the people of Ukraine in their continued quest for democracy and progress.”  To gain admission, audience members made a donation through GoFundMe or at the door.

“Ever since we connected in our freshman year at Schreiber, Grace and I have wanted to put something together that would really make a difference in our community.  We wanted to incorporate music into this event, seeing as there aren’t as many opportunities for student musicians to showcase their talents to a large audience,” said Sherman.

The two had been playing music and performing in bands for years now, and they had always wanted to organize a music festival, but never knew when.  Ain had sung in Sherman’s band, Gas Station Sushi Band, numerous times, and the two began discussing potential venues for such an event.  Two years after its conception, the arts festival took shape around the war in Ukraine.

“It felt right to connect my love for music with my desire to help the Ukrainian people.  By organizing this concert, we were able to bring people with all different interests together with a larger goal of sharing music, supporting one another, and helping donate to the war in Ukraine,” said Ain.

Ain and Sherman also credit much of the festival’s success to the support they received from three other Schreiber juniors, Jackson Dietz, Elias Dourmanis, and Shayna Kaypour.  Together, the five of them collaborated to organize every facet of the festival, such as establishing vendors, calling venues, creating signs, publishing ticket links, making slideshows, and more.

The Polish Hall was settled on as the venue in what Ain described as a “happy accident.”  There were parallels between Poland as a nation and the Polish Hall — Poland has aided the refugees traveling from Ukraine heavily over the past few months, and the Polish Hall was extremely receptive of the idea for a benefit concert at their space.  They were welcoming to Ain and Sherman, and the two truly appreciated the Polish Hall’s adaptability and willingness to support them with their mission.

The concert consisted of fourteen different acts, ranging from soloists to large bands and featured jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and other styles of music.  Sherman kicked off the concert with his own opening solo act, a set with his band, Gas Station Sushi, and then a song with Schreiber science teacher Ms. Joy Grasso-Krebs.  Ain and Dietz then took the stage for a duet, followed by ten other acts featuring several Schreiber students, such as sophomore Lyla Mousoroulis, Kaypour, and sophomore Tess Romero.  Goody’s Basement, a jazz fusion group consisting of five Schreiber students, performed their renditions of  Sir Duke  and Poison, before Grace’s band, “The Ruckus,” took the stage for their set.  Lastly, the concert’s organizers came together on stage for the finale, with their performance of Kanye West’s “Ghost Town” and the Beatles’ “Come Together,” in what was a rather fitting end to the concert.

Ain and Sherman also wanted to make the festival interactive, more than just a sit-down concert.  To accomplish this, tables run by student vendors were arranged along the sides of the room, with all revenue donated to Razom.  Senior Sam Nachimson, founder of  Boxface Skateboards, sold some of his merchandise and artwork, and juniors Kate and Alec Goodman partnered with Carlo’s Pizzeria to offer pizza.  In total, approximately $15,000 were raised from the event, and there are still daily donations coming in from the community.  

“I’m just so glad that we were able to create a nice, safe atmosphere with people who truly wanted to help.  It was really important to us to create an outlet for people who wanted to help but didn’t know how, so organizing the festival and having the proceeds go to Razom felt like it gave people an opportunity to help out in a time where so many felt helpless,” said Ain.