Ukrainian klezmer group Kommuna Lux is returning to the United States for its third consecutive year touring the country and raising money for people back in Ukraine suffering from over three years of war.
The group will be playing three shows in Maryland this year: Sept. 12 at the 2640 Space in Baltimore and Sept. 13 and 14 at the Washington Ukrainian Festival in Silver Spring.
The group describes its music style as “Odesa Urban Folk,” which tells stories about Odesa, Jewish people and the street. It combines klezmer music with some Ukrainian folk music to generate a unique sound.
The group came for its first tour in the U.S. back in 2023. The members realized they could do some good by raising money while they played shows across the country.
During that tour, the group raised over $16,000 and formed its own nonprofit organization, KMLX.
It then partnered with the Rotary Club of Kyiv, officially supporting its Hospital Beds for Kramatorsk project. Since the start of the invasion, Kramatorsk has been the victim of several missile strikes, and the project helps to treat victims of severe burns and injuries.
In 2024, the group raised over $30,000, and it is looking to continue that charitable work this year.
Jeanine Renne, Kommuna Lux’s American manager, said that other Ukrainian groups have been using KLMX to contribute money they’ve raised through their shows, as well.
Renne added that Kommuna Lux will use the money it raises this year to help the Rotary Club, with initiatives for children in Ukraine who have been traumatized by war.
“We’re kind of joining in on several different projects. We haven’t decided on which one. We thought, we’ll just give the money to the Rotary and say, ‘Use it for these children’s projects,’” Renne said.
Renne said that, in previous years, the group had played its shows in the Baltimore area at the Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Columbia. This year, the group connected with the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee to have a show in downtown Baltimore.
Coming back for the third straight year is also a great way for the band to get exposure and spread its music to a new audience.
Renne said that it’s every band’s dream to be able to go on tour, share its music and give people a fun experience. She added that the tours and nonprofit work help group members maximize the benefit they can provide their home country.
Volodymyr Gitin, Kommuna Lux’s clarinetist, said that, in the beginning after Russia invaded and started the war, many people were in need of an outlet where they weren’t thinking about everything going on.
That need for a positive source of entertainment is an area where the members of Kommuna Lux can help their peers.
“From the beginning, we understood that people need this and even appreciate and ask about [having] such energy and such a way of playing music, because it makes all of us together stronger and feeling a connection to each other,” Gitin said.
Multiple tours have also given the band a chance to share Ukrainian culture with foreign audiences and give an insight into the various cultural elements in the whole country and just within the city limits of Odesa.
Gitin said that, this year, they’ve had to make several changes to the band, as some members were unable to come back and perform again.
“We understand that we can continue with new musicians but with the same interest and our goals that we have,” Gitin said.
Gitin hopes that, at the concerts they have coming up, people feel like they are part of the concert and get to experience something they couldn’t get anywhere else.
“If you go to a bar or maybe to the opera or the Philharmonic and different concerts, you can feel something special, but maybe not feel that you are a part of this concert. We try to make this feeling where people can feel this connection with us,” Gitin said.
