Bandura Presented to

Ukrainian

Representatives

Bandura

Last year, the Musical Instrument Fund put out a call for a bandura (a traditional Ukrainian stringed instrument), and to our surprise, one was found quickly! You may remember the photo in which project leader and matchmaker Ben Cartens was sitting bent over a bandura with the utmost concentration. The instrument needed some new strings, so Ben rolled up his sleeves and got to work himself.

Last Friday, Ben presented the bandura to the alderwoman of Krimpen aan den IJssel. She accepted the instrument on behalf of Anastasia from Ukraine, who is currently staying there and can’t wait to start making music again! According to the alderwoman, it was a special and moving moment. We’ll definitely stop by soon to hear Anastasia play the instrument.

And the clarinet?

A month ago, we posted another call for help: Who can help us find a clarinet with a French key system for Amir from Iran? We received countless responses (and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone for that!) that pointed us in the right direction.

We even thought we’d reached the finish line, but unfortunately, a clarinet that was offered to us turned out not to be a good fit for Amir and his playing style after all. He’ll be attending a Selmer event (a manufacturer of wind instruments) soon to continue the search. Hopefully, we’ll hit the mark there. We’ll keep you posted.

Want to know more?

The Musical Instrument Fund could really use some help reaching refugees who are looking for an instrument. Read more about the campaign and how you can help us by donating instruments or making a monetary donation. Thank you very much!

The “Keep Playing: Instruments for Refugee Musicians” initiative is supported by Het Cultuurfonds.

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