The one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was observed in the Lily Gallery on the evening of February 24. Ukrainian food and drinks were served, lived experiences of individuals, including two Davidson College students who were present during the initial invasion were retold, traditional Ukrainian musical performances took place, and a silent art auction happened in order to generate funds for medical equipment to send to those fighting.

While the Lily Gallery was filled to the brim with roughly 300 people, all talking and milling about before any performances took place, my attention ended up on the silent art auction taking place in the farthest-back section of the room. There were several tables lined up, covered in various paintings, some directly referencing Ukraine and its culture, others making more-subtle hints toward key aspects of its history, people, or major events that shaped it. These included the sun shining over beautiful fields of wheat, the Ukrainian flag with its trident emblazoned upon the center, and on the more somber side, the skeleton of a fallen soldier lying in the mud and surrounded by poppies, still wearing their war gear.

Though there was the obvious purpose of selling this art to purchase much-needed medical supplies for the war, I also believe there was much more intent behind the usage of art to accomplish this. There was no one put in charge of explaining each piece, but rather a paper describing the works and detailing the respective artist’s motives and purpose behind their creation(s). Given the number of people attending the event, it would have shocked me if those in charge of planning the night assumed everyone was well-rounded with regard to art exposure of any sort. Furthermore, as so much of the art was specifically oriented toward a country that sits on the other side of the world, it was interesting to watch and listen to people speak to one another about each piece, some seemingly understanding the intent of the artist, while others were utterly clueless as to the purpose of certain paintings. I believe the choice to utilize these specific art pieces for this silent auction was made with the goal of instilling an appreciation for more than just the easy-to-see aspects of Ukrainian culture. Having developed a strong interest in art over the first semester at Davidson, I was enamored with many of the artworks. That said, my knowledge and understanding of Ukrainian culture were still lacking considerably, even with Russian language studies and the pieces of Slavic culture it includes. Being able to walk around and look at numerous pieces of what were essentially bits and pieces of a nation on canvas allowed me to see through the eyes of a Ukrainian, to a degree. I was able to catch a glimpse of how they see their country and the struggles it has faced and continues to face. It was both an inspiring and enlightening experience, to say the least.

Watching the other attendees’ expressions and listening to conversations around me, I got the sense that I was not the only one who had gained some insight into Ukraine’s culture, as well as a newfound admiration for the love their show toward their country. The usage of art as the primary means of gaining money for the war effort was certainly a brilliant one, as it undoubtedly enabled more lives to be saved with new medical equipment, but it also garnered attention toward Ukraine from people who are essentially outsiders, people who may not have known very little about the country prior to this night.

The Dean Rusk International Studies guest speaker, Greg Delawie gave a presentation in the Siemens Lecture hall within the Visual Arts Center on “Promoting Democracy and Rule of Law in the Balkans.” Delawie boasts an impressive and extensive career in foreign affairs, ranging from diplomacy and 30+ years of experience with advocating/developing US policy to working on international trade, human resources, and international aviation with the State Department. From 2015 until 2018, Delawie was the US ambassador to Kosovo. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics.

To begin his presentation, Delawie provided a brief overview of what exactly is meant by “the Balkans” and which of these nations, in particular, he would be focusing on. The Balkan nations were formed following the collapse of Yugoslavia and their individual movement toward democracy and free market economics. The Western Balkan 6, i.e. the 6 Balkan states that want to join the European Union, were the subject of Delawie’s talk. These include Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia. Delawie noted that these six nations, while each having many similar struggles within their borders, are more developed with regard to the implementation of democracy and free market economies, compared to the other Balkan states (Bulgaria, Croatia, etc). As he continued the discussion of democracy, Delawie provided definitions for terms such as corruption and explained what the “rule of law” actually consists of. He emphasized the link between democracy and the ability to fight corruption, using certain Western Balkan states as examples of this. Delawie finished up his presentation with reasons “Why we in the USA should care about democracy and corruption” in other countries. These reasons boiled down to the fact that democracy is opposed by the two major superpowers (Russia and China), and that democracy promotes stability. Lastly, he provided several pieces of advice that would help grow democracy and rule of law in the Balkans, particularly the states that experienced more corruption than others. Overall, Delawie’s presentation was oriented at informing the audience of the importance of democracy and how it positively affects a nation, in addition to pushing corruption out.

Entering this presentation, I was fairly uneducated about the Balkans other than their origins and that there have been a series of wars that took place within several of these countries. I was aware of the fact that democracy and lack of corruption/fair rule of law tends to result in a better way of life for the people of these countries, but hearing about the individual experiences with corruption and how it has negatively impacted these nations was enlightening. Given the presumed goal of Delawie was to educate the audience on how important promoting democracy and a strong rule of law, not just in the Balkan states, but throughout the world as well, it would be fair to say this was accomplished from an objective standpoint. The slides he used, though few, were informative, and the content of his presentation answered anything I may have had a mind to ask, such as individual examples of how corruption has been stamped out in certain Balkan countries. I can say, without a doubt, my personal interest in this region of Eastern Europe has increased a notable amount following this talk, and I now plan to spend more free time researching and learning more about the US activities in this region.

Looking at Delawie’s presentation from a Humanities perspective, what he had to say certainly made sense in that in order to avoid repeating the tragic histories experienced by the Balkan states and Albania, instituting a strong rule of law and democracy is the best path to go down. Again, my prior knowledge of this region and the individual workings of each respective nation, as well as that of Yugoslavia (prior to its collapse), was limited, but judging from what Delawie had to say and current events, it is fair to conclude that whatever systems formerly in place, or even currently, were not doing their job. “What job?” one might ask. To construct a society in which future generations can live peacefully, without corruption lacing through their own governments, sabotaging chances for a nation to grow and prosper in exchange for personal wealth or gain.

The Davidson College Symphony Orchestra (DSCO), winners of The American Prize in Orchestral Performance at the collegiate level in 2018, is comprised of roughly 60 members, consisting of undergraduate students, college faculty, and members of Davidson’s community. They perform up to 10 times a season at various Davidson College and Town of Davidson events. Each January, the DSCO has a tour during which it performs at schools and churches, giving both concerts and learning opportunities to people. In addition to this, the DSCO serves partially as a workshop orchestra for student conductors. On the evening of April 20, the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra performed Tchaikovsky’s Symphony Number 4 in the Duke Auditorium located in the Alvarez College Union. One Professor Marcus Pyle conducted this concert.

I have long been a fan of certain composers, primarily ones whose pieces frequently get used in movies such as Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Zach Hemsey, and Steve Jablonski, to name a few. I had previously attempted to experiment with my music tastes by listening to classical composers, Tchaikovsky included but had never found the appeal until witnessing this performance. Sitting on the third-floor balcony, the loudness of the orchestra’s performance was incredible. The time seemed to flash by without me noticing it, as almost as soon as I was sitting down the instruments stopped playing and the musicians were bowing. That said, what I listened to was epic, to say the least. The emotion was visible in Professor Pyle’s movements, as it was with each of the orchestra’s members playing their respective instruments. It was undoubtedly a brilliant introduction to live-performance orchestral concerts, and easily outmatched any recorded pieces I had listened to in the past.

Upon entering the Duke auditorium, there was no ticket or ID check, and I noticed a considerable number of fliers for this event around campus and the Union. Perhaps those more musically inclined than I would be aware of orchestra concerts, but I thought this was great when it came to attracting new audience members. There were certainly a variety of people walking in along with me, which simply cements the aforementioned statement in my mind. Outside of honoring several graduating seniors in the orchestra, I would say this performance was aimed at both garnering more support for the DSCO, on and off campus, as well as perhaps inspiring or attracting new members and musicians for the future. I can say with considerable confidence that I will not be learning the trombone, oboe, or violin with the goal of joining an orchestra anytime soon. Still, I have realized it may be enjoyable to eventually pick up an instrument as a hobby, or at the very least, show out to more of the Davidson Student Orchestra’s performances when possible. To be quite frank, I had no idea we had one until only a few weeks prior to this event.

Overall, this concert did an excellent job of raising my personal interest level in orchestral performances, as well as in the college orchestra’s own activities. Walking out, I listened to several students around me saying similar things to each other. I would consider this an excellent experience for students and myself, showing off the musical talent of some of our own students while also igniting perhaps even the smallest of interests in this style of music and performance in many more.