Request: Mandoline

for Amaliia

Amaliia Houri (18) was born in Donetsk, Ukraine. She has been playing the domra (a type of lute) and the mandolin since she was six. Unfortunately, her studies were interrupted: in 2014, she was forced to flee her hometown of Donetsk because of the war, and after wandering for a while, she and her family found refuge in Kharkiv. There, she was able to continue her studies and refine her technique, after which she was admitted to the Kharkiv Higher College of Arts. Now, her studies have once again been brutally interrupted by the war.

Amaliia has come to realize how important music is to her: it allows her to express her emotions, and—thanks to Ukraine’s rich tradition of folk music—it makes her feel like a part of her homeland’s culture. That’s why she’s convinced she needs to make music her career!

However, she had to leave her mandolin behind. She is now in contact with the conservatory in Zwolle. Both she and her teacher, Sebastiaan de Grebber, are eager to get started on further developing her talent, but she doesn’t have her own mandolin...

So here's my question: Does anyone have a good mandoline that Amaliia can use? She'd be so grateful!

Call or email Ben Cartens (project manager for the Ukraine campaign).

Want more information?

You can read more about this emergency relief effort by the Musical Instrument Fund on this page. There you can find out how to help us provide instruments for refugees or make a monetary donation. Thank you very much!

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