Veteran Baltimore-based singer/songwriter SONiA is almost as well known for her humanitarian endeavors around the world as for her well-received albums and concerts. On Saturday, Feb. 18, the award-winning musical and visual artist will host a benefit concert for Ukrainian refugee children at the An Die Musik concert venue, 409 N. Charles Street.
The concert, which begins at 7 p.m., is in honor of what SONiA — who grew up in Pikesville as Sonia Rutstein — has dubbed “International disappear fear Day,” which she describes on her website as “a global annual event that encourages people to build a better world by confronting their fears through art [and] by answering the question, ‘What would YOU do today if you weren’t afraid?'” (The phrase disappear fear is also the name of SONiA’s longtime band.)
“This year I am delighted to perform at this wonderfully intimate venue in the heart of historic Mt Vernon Baltimore,” wrote SONiA, 64, who is also preparing for a 20-city concert tour of Germany later this month. “The evening is ours to share and I will debut a few songs from my upcoming ALBUM 23. I will be joined by my dear friend Chris Sellman on the bass. Also this concert will be broadcast with a 5 camera feed to the world via the marvelous technology of the internet.”
In a 2017 interview with Jmore, SONiA attributed her activism and global perspective to the fact that “in Judaism, it is our custom to actually come forward and perform our very best — to put our money where our mouth is. Because this is when we have the opportunity to show the holy one we are worthy to be named in the Book of Life.”
Tickets for the Feb. 18 concert are $15-20. Proceeds will benefit Voices for Children, a Ukraine-based nonprofit that provides psychological support to children and financial assistance to families impacted by the war.
For information about the concert, visit andiemusiklive.com/events/.
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