ABSOLUTT CELLO MUSIC MEETING FOR HOPE AND TRUST, BERLIN 2014
Absolutt Cello Music Meeting for Hope and Trust, Berlin 2014:
April 24th to April 28th Berlin hosted a 5 day music meeting with cellists and young classical musicians from all over Europe. We want to thank all participants, organizers and helpers from Norway, Germany, USA, Sweden, Ukraine, Iceland, and Czech Rep. for a wonderful project and outstanding musical presentations and cooperation, culminating in a fantastic crescendo in the great concert for Hope and Trust in The American Church in Berlin, Sunday April 27th.
The theme of new life/spring, the wish for peace and friendship to last in the future and a strong connection between young musicians in Europe stayed with the group until the end of our stay, lighting candles for Hope and Trust in 3 churches, The ACB, Kaiser Wilhelms Gedächnis- Kirche and in the Berliner Dome. The sunny, warm weather felt like a blessing, as did the wonderful warm welcome that met our cellists everywhere they came, and the wonderful energy of Berlin itself!
This is a city for the future, a meeting place for Europe's young generation as well as a place to remember why we want to work for peace, trust and understanding between our countries.
Special and profound thanks goes to our kind and endlessly considerate hosts Steve and Kristi Kienberger for all their help with planning and arranging the music meeting in the beautiful New Gothic church in Schöneberg! We could not have done this without you.
A special thank you to cellist Rachel Helleur for sharing her exciting workplace, rehearsal with the Berlinerfilharmoniker and her life story with our young cellists. We also want to give our deepest thanks to our good friend cellist Jakub Tylman for his continuing inspiration and instruction at the masterclasses with the young cellists and for driving from the other end of Germany to meet us! We also want to thank our new friend pianist Tobias Hartlieb for expertly accompaniment of the soloists both in masterclasses and in concert. Elizabeth and Isabel, thank you for sharing your energy and music on French horn and the piano, and thanks to all our helpers and youth representatives; Elsa, Anna and all the other wonderful enthustiastic people in the American Church. We felt truly blessed in every way during the whole stay.
Dear friends Gala and Dori, Hjörtur and Andreas, Ingrid and Maria: thank you for once again travelling long distance to meet with the ensemble and helping us create the musical magic! All the soloists, and all of the cellists in the talented, expanding Utøvende Nivå ensemble: Our deepest thanks for all your hard work, practising together and on your own and in the masterclasses with Torfinn and Jakub! Thanks to Øystein and all the others in the Swedish Seaman's church: We are grateful for all your friendly help and support! To all the fine people of Berlin that we met: Thank you so much for giving us a taste of summer and the feeling of belonging and acceptance. A wonderful audience and good helpers all around made this project a dream come true! The dream that this late April Sunday became a reality as the Holbergsuite filled the church under Torfinn Hoffart's intense direction, completing our 8th European musical journey with Absolutt Cello.
To all our friends all over Europe: Thanks for helping us fulfill the European youth cooperation and our growing Hope and Trust that the young musicians of Europe will always keep their friendship and harmony, and bring light and warmth to souls in need wherever they go.
Thank you so much! Thank you all for sharing your music, laughter and for keeping the faith!
Last, but not least, we want to give thanks to our cherished sponsors: UNOF, Bergesenstiftelsen, Oslo Musikkråd, Oslo kommune, The Barratt Due Institute of Music and to this year's private sponsor: Astrid Eggesvik in the loving memory of her mother Inger Skybak Eggesvik (1949-2013). We are grateful for the continuing support and donations of all our contacts in Norway, Prague and Berlin, and for the enthusiastic and faithful support of all the cellist's families.
We are looking forward to the continuing tour in Praha, Plzen and Berlin when we will all meet again, share awesome cello music and show the results of the labor of a long summer of practising!