A message from my daughter . . .
On Friday night, eighteen faculty members at MacPhail presented a recital to raise funds for the Suzuki Department's European Tour slated for June of 2013. The opportunity to hear our teachers perform was not to be missed! With skill and passion, they played repertoire from Bach to Tchaikovsky to a full house and the donation jars appeared to be stuffed with contributions.
After our volunteer ushering duties were over, those signed up for the trip posed for a group photo. Pictured below are just over half of the students who will represent MacPhail, Minneapolis, and the state of Minnesota as musical ambassadors.
That's me - third row up on the far left. Since my mom was not the official photographer standing front and center with a dslr camera, she tried my best to capture what she could from the far right with our little point and shoot, so sorry about the photo quality!
The
nine day itinerary for this trip includes: Frankfurt, Rothenburg,
Prague, Cesky-Krumlov, Salzburg, Neuschwanstein, and Munich. MacPhail
students on strings, piano, and harp will present concerts in several cities along the way, performing in chamber
groups and small ensembles. When we have all the music ready, we will be giving a fundraising concert in the spring before we go. You are welcome to come!
I can't tell you how excited we are about this, because it doesn't seem real yet! But I can tell you that it's starting to feel more and more real to my mom and dad as the installments come due! We are setting aside money each month through June for both mom and I to go. To be honest, this is proving to be quite the sacrifice to keep our checkbook in the black and continue to pay for lessons, and meals beyond rice and beans (my brother hates rice and beans - and onions!). Hopefully, the MacPhail fundraisers will reduce some of the cost, but at this point we have no idea exactly how much will be covered.
It's extremely difficult for me to muster up the courage to even ask this, but if you love the performing arts and happen to have the means to bless others, would you prayerfully consider a contribution to my trip fund?
If you live close enough, I would love to sell you a poinsettia! This is our current fundraiser - but a bit of a short notice since orders are due Tuesday.
Here are some other options we came up with after a bit of brainstorming, and some could even be worked out from a distance:
For $25 choice of the following:
- a tin of homemade Christmas cookies, fudge, or peppermint bark - delivered or mailed to you
- postcards from every city we visit
- a set of 6 homemade ornaments (though we haven't decided on this year's project)
For $50 choice of the following:
- a Sunday afternoon (3-4 hours) gift wrapping Christmas presents for you
- 4-5 hours of babysitting
- 1-2 days of pet-sitting
For $100 choice of the following:
- a strolling violinist (me) for your next dinner party (repertoire mostly from Suzuki Books 1-4, special requests ok too!)
- 50 Christmas card envelopes addressed in calligraphy
- a one-year advertisement on Pinewood Castle's side-bar
If you prefer to remain anonymous, that's okay too, but be aware that my mom is one of those who insist on making us write thank you notes. That's the least we can do, but would love to do so much more out of sheer gratitude!
If you cannot contribute financially, will you please remember our family and this endeavor in your prayers? Please pray for adequate funds, our safety, and that the educational and cultural enrichment gained from traveling abroad will be used to bless others.
MacPhail's Suzuki Association is handling the finances, so if you can help, please write your check to MSA, and mail to this address: MSA European Tour, MacPhail Center for Music, 501 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401.
(Please write my name on the memo line so the funds go directly to my trip account. If you don't know my real name - leave a comment and my mom will be happy to email it to you.)
