TWI
for the Children, Inc
MUSICAL
EXCHANGE PROGRAM
MARCH
14-21, 1999
The
purpose of this project was to
bring the message of peace and reconciliation to the people of this war torn
country through the music written by American slaves as they expressed what
was in their heart. Felecia and Gertruda, through their music and actions,
exemplified our goal: that a different language, culture, ethnic and religious
background adds richness to a country-not conflict and war.
PURPOSE
OF EVENT:
This
musical exchange trip was a pilot
project for the "TWI for the Children" musical exchange series with
the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This
trip allowed us to determine if the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina would
attend this type of performance and accept American performers.
We found that, without exception, they want more of these programs.
The songs fostered reconciliation and brought diverse cultures together. Additionally, the Music Exchange Program brought a sample of
American culture to this nation.
Performers from the
TWI for the Children, Musical Exchange team were selected to sing in the
Sarajevo Winter Festival with Gertruda Munitic
The Musical Exchange team were invited to perform at the
Provarotti Centre in Mostar, National Theater in Zenica and in orphanages,
churches and schools where TWI for
the Children has projects.
PARTICIPANTS:
·
Felecia Vida
Stoval, singing American Negro Spirituals
·
Irvin Stephenson,
pianist
ITINERARY:
14
March:
Felecia
and Irvin depart Washington Dulles for Sarajevo
15
March:
Felecia and
Irvin arrive in Sarajevo.
Reception
to celebrate the Hungarian Independence Day and their recent membership in NATO.
The reception was held at the Army House.
16
March:
Morning:
Gertruda, Felecia, Irvin rehearsed at National Theater for
Winter Festival performance on the 18th.
Met Festival Director, Mr. Spahic.
Afternoon
free.
Evening:
Festival Program.
The performer was an opera singer from Austria. After the performance,
went for dinner hosted by Festival Board.
17
March:
10:30am:
Group met at Cathedral to rehearse.
11:30am:
Met with Director of
Festival at his office; photos taken; gifts given.
Noon:
Gertruda invited
Felecia, Irvin, Bobby, Azra to be her guests at New Concept Restaurant.
Afternoon
free.
Dinner:
With the team
at the restaurant, hosted by the Festival Board.
18
March:
2:00
pm: Group met at
Festival restaurant for lunch.
After
lunch: Met with
Director of Festival.
Afternoon
free.
6:00:
All met at the
Cathedral, where Felecia and Gertruda dressed for the performance.
7:00
pm: Performance
began. The Cathedral was filled--”standing room only”. Those present
included members of the American military, who came to meet Felecia and Irvin
after the performance. Several of them were African American female soldiers who
thanked Felecia for bringing this music to them.
8:30
pm: Following the
performance the group left for the restaurant for dinner.
19
March:
10:30am:
Departed for
Zenica.
5:00pm:
Departed for the
National Theater where the concert was held that evening.
6:00pm:
Concert. Felecia and
Gertruda sang; Irvin accompanied them and played several piano solos. This
fund-raiser was for the Teen Center (see invitation distributed by Ajsa). Young
children danced and sang and one of the teenagers in the Trauma Training Group
sang a solo. The Mayor and his staff were present, all of the 40 teenagers from
the orphanage, as well as many of the local people. About 25 US military men and
women also attended.
8:30pm:
Returned to
Sarajevo.
20
March:
4:00 pm: Group
drove to the school in Ilidja where the school was celebrating its birthday. The
room was filled with teachers and parents.
Gertruda and
Felecia were invited to sing. Irvin accompanied them and played a solo piece.
5:00
pm: Departed for
Mostar.
9:30 pm: Arrived at Pavarotti Centre.
21
March:
10:00am:
Church service at the Evangelical Church. Asked Felecia and Gertruda to sing.
11:30am: Returned to the city. Walked
around the city, visited the bridge, took photos and returned to the Centre for
lunch.
Rest time before the performance.
7:00pm:
Concert – full
house with about 150 to 200 people attending.
9:30pm: Departed
for Sarajevo.
22
March:
7:00am: Departed
Sarajevo for US
Article
Translated from Newspaper in Sarajevo on Musical Concert
LIVE
CONCERT
From the spirit -
from your heart
White
and black music mixed together to bring
creativity
and
beauty together to give so many visitors something
very
special at this evening concert. All music lovers in the
Cathedral
in Sarajevo enjoyed a great concert.
This
Black spiritual music program was organized by the Sarajevo Winter Festival
Committee. Felecia Vida Stoval from Washington is performing opera, pianist is
Irvin Stephenson, and special guest is opera prima donna Gertruda Munitic.
In
the beginning of the concert, Felecia started singing in a high soprano voice to
the Cathedral completely full of people. She is a great black singer from USA
and she surprised everyone by - not coming on stage as is usual - but instead
came through the front door of the Cathedral and walked down the aisle singing
her first song, “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”. She sang this song as she
walked between the people. In this moment it was clear for all that this was
something that would be the best of all to remember of the Winter Festival of
Sarajevo of 1999.
Felecia
has a gift for singing and an interpretation of the music that comes from the
heart . At this moment there was a religious experience for all present. It was
a normal feeling for the atmosphere of the Sarajevo Cathedral.
For
me, the journalist wrote, it reminds me of readings from the Bible when we read
that voice and music has a special place in life. He went on to say that one can
sing like the Black voice because they had a specific religious experience in
their history.
Our
public knows Gertruda Munitic, our prima donna - that great soprano. She has a
voice like poetry and we heard it as she sang the legendary “Ave Maria”. And
together with Felecia, sang “Panis Angelicus” by Franck Cesar. The spirit of
white and black music goes together in a great creative way. The guests were
Sarajevans, diplomats, foreigners and American military - members of the NATO
Sustainment Force (SFOR). They
can say to us, that through the fine arts (music, art, drama) - all people in
the world can become a family. It doesn’t matter what our culture is.
The
piano maestro, Irvin Stephenson, was much more than a solo pianist who followed
these two great divas. The two pieces he played, “Sometimes I Feel Like a
Motherless Child” and “Deep River”, sounded - in the Cathedral - like a
similar echo of the legendary Kit Jared who, was a jazz maestro, in concert in
the Cathedral in Cologne. Irvin showed the world a rich impression of piano
improvisation.
Sarajevans
had so many reasons not to breath during this wonderful happening.
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Updated:
12/20/2004