ESSEN, Germany — In the bowels of a concert hall, two men hold their breath. This is more noteworthy than it sounds. One was Anton Hnatiuk, a young Ukrainian musician.
Shortly after the Russian invasion in February, Ukraine established martial law and barred males between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. Required to serve in the military, painters, musicians, chefs and many others have taken up arms in defense of their country. But there are exceptions.
Hnatiuk, 27, began playing the trumpet when he was 17. A few months ago, he auditioned over video chat for a German conservatory. A professor was so impressed by his talent that he helped Hnatiuk secure the necessary documents to leave his country and continue his studies in Essen.
