War-Life balance

Author: Anastasiya Vaganova is a lecturer of Live Music and Dance Events (BUas).

Hello dear reader, my name is Anastasiya, I’m a passionate producer of live music events from Kyiv, Ukraine. For 11 years I have been bringing a high-class music experience to people through artist booking, show production, project and marketing management, programme management, and team leading. I used to organise 365 shows per year, programming two iconic venues in Kyiv, Ukraine, promoting live music shows in Europe.

On 24 February, at 06.00 hrs, I got calls from my mother and a colleague, a promoter I met at ILMC, with the same message - “The war has started”...  Immediately I heard a couple of explosions next to my house. My five-year-old daughter thought that the roof had fallen in. I started to collect our essentials and calmly asked her to get dressed, trying not to show my fear. She thought that we were going on vacation, but the fact was that we were going to a bomb shelter. We spent eight days on the floor in the shelters, under  attacks from bombs. Even trying to escape from the shelter was not safe for my daughter. So, when people asked me how I ended up in the Netherlands I simply tell them: directly from the bomb shelter. When I crossed the border, I had my handbag in one hand and held my daughter in the other. 

Live shows in wartime
After the war had started, we reopened our two concert venues in May 2022, as we realised that people were freaking out with instability and really needed us. All of the artists and musicians were willing to perform for free. We did not have any resources at that time to pay them – all income had been donated to Ukrainian foundations. The audience got used to the missiles and drone strikes in the morning and it did not stop them from visiting the show in the evening. With the shelters and subway station located next to the venue, it was up to the visitors whether they wanted to hide during the air alarms or not. During one year of the war we produced 400 commercial and free shows for two venues, sold 40,000 tickets, and collected 100,000 euro for charity for Ukraine. If you want to help Ukraine by contributing to the purchase of ambulances, please follow Zeilen Van Vrijheid - Aid for Ukraine together with whom we arranged the shows to raise funds for Ukraine.

Starting as a lecturer 
When I escaped the war, my priority was to find safety for my child. I realised that I could no longer pursue a career in the entertainment business. Instead, I wanted to make a positive impact on the mindset of future generations, and I found teaching to be the best way to do so. When I arrived in the Netherlands, I was determined to find a job that aligned with my experience in teaching. I found a teaching role at BUas through LinkedIn, and since August 2022 I have been proud to be making a positive change as a part of the BUas community. I’m honoured to lecture the gifted and curious students of the Live Music and Dance Events study track.  

And guess what? I arranged a live music show in the Chapel of the institute. The President of the institute, Jorrit Snijder, kindly supported the idea to arrange the first event for all Ukrainian students in the Netherlands for the purpose of supporting their mental health. I asked a famous Ukrainian band Go_A, who are very well known in the Netherlands, to join the initiative. They played a concert at BUas which united Ukrainian students from the Netherlands and Belgium, and the BUas community. I was impressed with how the power of live music unites hearts and minds; it very much resonated with my aspiration for music events to be a catalyst for unity in the pursuit of justice, dignity, and shared values. I was happy to realise this concert together with the strong community of BUas, including colleagues like Joyce Seegers, Nina Nesterova, Charlie Hicks, Raquel Araque Bolinches and my students, and thanks to fellow Ukrainian stakeholders and JBL company who donated beautiful gifts for the students and the team.

Sometimes I ask myself why I work in the live music industry. Now I know - to be able to one day arrange a show for my daughter in Ukraine, under a peaceful sky. 

This article was published in Uncover Magazine - Internationalisation. You can read the complete magazine via this link.