Rays of Hope
for Refugee
Musicians
The situation in Ukraine remains dire, and it is expected to stay that way for some time. Fortunately, we’re still able to bring a ray of hope into the lives of musicians who have fled Ukraine and other countries from time to time. While this may not change the geopolitical landscape, it can still make a difference in people’s living rooms (often just small rooms).
New matches
Yasin (40) is a professional flutist from Ankara who had to sell all his instruments to pay for the flight. He lives with his family in Alkmaar and wants to return to his old profession. He also has plans with friends to start a band. Just for fun—or perhaps to take the world by storm? Thanks to donations, we’ve at least been able to help Yasin and his friends get a good start by providing them with various musical instruments.
Seyma (25) is also from Turkey. She lives with her husband, Emrah, in a small apartment in Leeuwarden and is determined to build a life here. She had to leave her guitar behind in Turkey, so she was overjoyed to receive a beautiful guitar as a donation (complete with all the accessories: a stand, a music stand, and lesson books).
Kateryna (19) is from Dnipro, Ukraine, and lives with her mother and little sister in a tiny house in Monster. She missed her piano terribly, and when a beautiful digital piano was carried into the tiny house (it barely fit), she pulled a small stack of sheet music from the bottom of a bag and started playing right away. She could hardly believe she was allowed to keep the piano, and when this was confirmed in several messages, she was over the moon.
Here’s a heartwarming story about Polina (25) from Kharkiv, Ukraine. When the war broke out, she was performing with a string quartet on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. She was able to retrieve a few belongings from home and is now continuing her master’s program in The Hague. Her Chinese cello was not of sufficient quality for that. Fortunately, we were offered several beautiful cellos, and after a few trials, we found the ideal combination of cello and bow. She seems to have been blessed with a great deal of good fortune, because while she was trying out the instrument, what was originally intended to be a loan spontaneously turned into a gift! And, of course, invitations for a house concert followed immediately...
Looking for an instrument?
Of course, we would like to express our gratitude to our exceptionally generous donors, but also to the many (semi-)public-sector employees and volunteers who assist the refugees. They are often the ones who put the refugees in touch with the Musical Instrument Fund.
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: cartens@muziekinstrumentenfonds.nl
Be sure to check out these posts as well:
This campaign is supported by:
