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Guest conductor Dalia Stasevska dedicated the National Arts Center Orchestra’s Wednesday concert to the people of Ukraine in an impassioned speech that also called on world leaders to shut down the country’s airspace and provide fighter planes to defend against the Russian invasion.

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A Ukrainian-born Finn, Stasevska made the remarks before leading the orchestra through a program featuring music by a Swede, a Russian and a Czech. To underscore the importance of events in Ukraine, the evening began with a last-minute addition to the program, a ferocious and urgent rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem, played as the stage lights shone blue and yellow, the Ukraine flag colors.

Several members of the Southam Hall audience wore blue and yellow to show their support for the Ukrainian people, and one even wore the flag as a cape.

On the same day Russia bombed a maternity ward in Ukraine, Stasevska was clearly holding back her emotions. She said her brother was in Ukraine “in the middle of everything,” expressed pride in Ukrainians standing up for themselves, and pointed to the long, slow rise of Russian authoritarianism over the past 20 years.

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“Now the line has been crossed,” she said. “The masks have been removed and we see a monster. I am grateful to the West for being united as never before, but it is not enough. Our work cannot stop until every Russian soldier comes out of Ukrainian soil.

Then she threw herself into the music, conducting with every fiber of her being, projecting a larger-than-life presence on the podium. Premiering on the program was the Canadian premiere of Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi’s Wildwood, a delicate piece inspired by trees and the changing seasons that is packed with sturdy strings, powerful brass and shattering timpani, with delightful contrast provided by the presence delicate and anchored from a harp.

A grand piano was rolled out for Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 35, which was anchored by the three-way connection between Stasevska, guest pianist Gabriela Montero, who is Venezuelan, and the orchestra’s principal trumpeter, Karen Donnelly. It was a highly engaging performance highlighted by Montero’s dashing mastery of the keys.

After the intermission, the orchestra performed Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, written at the height of the composer’s fame in the late 1880s. It’s a crowd-pleaser that alternately thrills and soothes, showcasing the orchestra’s many fine musicians as well as the expressive style of young chef with long brown ponytail. For her efforts, Stasevska was rewarded with two standing ovations.

The program repeats on Thursday. For tickets to the live concert at Southam Hall, or a live stream, go to nac-cna.ca.