The wars are
still going on,
and the matches
are, thankfully, too
The matches organized as part of the “Keep Playing” campaign (instruments for refugees) remain numerous and diverse. And they’re always a source of remarkable stories: sometimes sad, but sometimes uplifting as well.
Special Cases
A unique arrangement, the likes of which has never been seen before, came about in Eindhoven: a generous pianist made the grand piano in her home available so that Koila (12) can practice under excellent conditions, whenever and as often as he wants.
Another special item: the guitar belonging to Jeanette Yakinian—a professional guitarist and, for more than 40 years, the life partner of composer Louis Andriessen—was donated to us and has now found a new home in Vorden in the Achterhoek region. There, Zach (12) plays this valuable piece of musical heritage with great musicality and enthusiasm. It’s a beautiful instrument that has found a very good home—and that was sorely needed, because Zach’s father—a well-known sound engineer in Ukraine—was killed during the war. The family has their hands full coping with their loss, and this guitar may help them a little in that process.
Keep playing, keep playing
Anastasiia (15) lived 9 kilometers from the Russian border and had already been forced to flee in 2014. When the war broke out, she was staying in Voorburg, where she still lives today—only without her family. Playing the guitar has always been a dream of hers, and that dream is now coming true, with the support of a local teacher. Hopefully, this instrument will help her regain some control over her life.
Serhi (61) is a sports massage therapist from Kharkiv. He’s staying in Nieuwe Pekela, where we were able to deliver a guitar earlier. There’s an enthusiastic team there and a few guitar enthusiasts who seem to inspire one another. Although Serhi may not be set to take the concert stage by storm, he’ll have a lot of fun with his guitar and continue to develop his talents alongside the others.
Timur (39) is a double bassist with an impressive track record: after studying in Kyiv, he continued his studies in Basel and London and performed as a freelance musician in various orchestras in Ukraine and Western Europe. With a beautiful, fully refurbished double bass on loan, he now hopes to make a name for himself as a soloist as well.
Amr (30) is a refugee from Syria who needed a piano for his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The original owner of this excellent digital piano recently passed away, and his widow was very happy that the piano will be played with the same passion her husband had. For good reasons, Amr prefers not to be recognizable in the photo.
Sometimes a match doesn’t work out—unfortunately, that happens too: a digital piano had previously been moved from Groningen to Limburg, but it soon turned out that it wasn’t safe there. Now the piano is in Bellingwolde (back in Groningen!), where it’s located in a locked music room at a shelter. Daniela (19) from Nadvirna (in western Ukraine) was very happy with it and immediately gave a recital. And she can do that in her slippers…
Support the project!
Do you know a refugee in your area who is looking for a musical instrument? If they are seriously interested and have stable housing, please contact the Musical Instrument Fund. There are still quite a few instruments waiting to make someone happy!
If you have any questions or comments, please contact project manager Ben Cartens.
This initiative is supported by Het Cultuurfonds
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