An absolutely wonderful concert at the delightful Wesley Chapel in Harrogate on Thursday 28th March.
This was a stop on Margaret Fingerhut’s national tour of places of sanctuary. The audience were thrilled by the Margaret’s exquisite playing of music composed by people who were Far From the Homes they Loved. Internationally renowned pianist Margaret Fingerhut introduced each item, ranging from Handel in the Eighteenth Century to a piece which Margaret had commissioned by a contemporary composer Moutaz Arian. Moutaz is a Kurdish Syrian refugee who wrote the Refugee National Anthem for the 2016 Rio Olumpics, he is now in exile in China! Margaret told the appreciative audience a little about the lives of each of the composers before playing their work. The experience was enhanced for the audience by the screen above the piano which allowed us to watch the keyboard as Margaret played. An unforgettable evening! Thank you Margaret for donating your time and energy to this project, raising awareness of refugees and also funds for groups who support them, and for including Harrogate in your tour of the country! We raised over £1,000 for Harrogate District of Sanctuary!
Vote of thanks, gifts and flowers were presented to Margaret by Belinda Goode, vice chair of Harrogate District of Sanctuary, and Zakariah Battal, Kurdish Syrian refugee who came to Harrogate in July 2016.
