City Day Camps 2019
Bar, Ukraine
June 2019
In June, we went to Bar, Ukraine for our first Music Camp in this small city. The children sang from the magnificent Catholic cathedral where passers-by heard the music and stopped to listen. They had never heard anything like it! Three-hundred extra chairs were brought in to help accommodate the audience––and all were filled. There wasn’t even any extra standing room. These children never have the same opportunities as children from the big cities––but they outdid themselves and were full of smiles!
Fastiv, Ukraine
June 2019
Following the Music Camp in Bar, the MCI team traveled to the town of Fastiv—not far from Kyiv. This economically challenged city has fallen on hard times—and the opportunity for children to come together in a positive environment is a rare occasion. But Music Camp was welcomed by the children, the parents, the city officials, and the cultural administration. A billboard in the center of the city advertised the Camp and concert to the whole city. It was a great celebration to bring music to so many who had never had the opportunity to sing or play an instrument. What an amazing transformation Music Camp brought to this city!
Fagaraș, Romania
June 2019
Our fourth Music Camp in this small city in central Romania has become a welcome tradition for many children and families. With strong support from the House of Culture and the Municipal government, children from the entire rural region surrounding the city are provided bus transportation and a meal. Everything in the city is within walking distance. This city is also home to an ancient citadel where the history of Romania lives every day. The Music Camp children have performed here for traditional folk festivals as well as in the Civic Auditorium
Cluj and Bucharest, Romania
September 2019
In order for the children to prepare a program for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Bosch Corporation in Bucharest, Romania, we did something we have never done . . . we began Music Camp on a Saturday––September 14! On Thursday, September 19, the children boarded the bus to head for Bucharest. We had both a vocal choir (children from traditional schools––as well as children from the School for the Blind) and we had our “White Gloves Choir”––children who “sing with their hands” from the School for the Deaf. At the celebration, there were about 400 “high-level” business guests who heard the children. It was a special moment. Bosch also arranged an educational tour of the Parliament Palace (formerly the Ceausescu Palace) ––an experience that few children in Romania have. After returning to Cluj, the children did one final concert on Saturday, September 21 in the magnificent Biserica Kogalniceanu. It was an unforgettable week for some amazing children!
