Schulmerich recently received a letter from Connie Fortunato, Founder & Director of Music Camp International. Schulmerich contributed a three octave set of handbells to this organization near the end of 2006. In her letter on May 21, 2007, Connie writes, “I’ve just experienced one of the most exciting weeks of my life! Amazingly, 310 children-most of them orphans-from all over Ukraine and former states of the Soviet Union participated in our first Music Camp at Artek. Artek, located on the Crimean peninsula, is a camp facility owned by the Ukrainian government where thousands of orphans and children in the social service system come as ‘guests’ of the government. Thanks to you Schulmerich, these children had the opportunity to play a musical instrument (handbells) and sing in a choir for the first time!
At first these children were filled with disbelief. Their ‘system’ had told them that they were not talented, that they were not musical, and so an opportunity to perform with one of the best state orchestras in the country was, quite simply, a dream beyond their imagination.
Because of your generosity, on April 27th, these 310 children, accompanied by the Simferopol Philharmonic, sang for the First Lady of Ukraine, Mrs. Katerina Yuhsenko, Princess Sofia of Morocco, and other visiting dignitaries from Russia, Uzbekistan, and the United Nations, including the head of UNICEF.
These ‘high officials’ could hardly believe that these ‘non-auditioned, non-pre-selected’ children could perform on instruments and sing seven songs in four languages after just five days with Music Camp International.
A Kiev city camp begins the first week of June. These children will perform at the National House of Recordings.
This camp is launched as a part of the Children’s Day Festivities-one of the major holidays of Eastern Europe. Next we go to Romania to conduct Music Camp for children in Bucharest, Brasov, and Sibiu.”
As you can see our handbells are being used effectively. They are hopeful to obtain another three octave set of handbells for Romania fairly soon.
The Music Camp children will be touring the United States in October and November 2007.
www.musiccampinternational.org