Voices for Children

2^nd International Arts/Peace

Camp

Washington, DC

USA

July 2007

Timisul Dance Troupe Welcomes WCC

Mei Chern Lim, Malaysia with two new Roma friends

Jonathan Alexa, Romania
Presents his LightSongs Collage

Shifra Cooper, Canada, loves the younger children!
Jonathan Alexa, Diana Savoiu, And Carmen Alexa

International Jazz Festival: Let Us Be United
Amy Dykstra and WCC Chamber Singers

Mei Chern’s young Roma friends join in the 
pre-concert vocal warm-ups!

Farewell from our Roma Family Friends who did not tell
us their names, but who came to both of our
performances at the International Jazz Festival!

Craig Dykstra, who took hundreds of photos and untold hours
of video, learns how to break dance after the performance at
the orphanage…who knew Craig was so multi-talented!

Itinerary

Arrive at your local airport two (2) hours prior to your flight. Don’t forget your passport and tickets. Enjoy the meal and movie en route!

Welcome to Europe! Transfer in Munich for the flight to Timisoara, Romania and arrive there at 12:40pm. Met by your local guides and interpreters, transfer to your accommodations. After lunch, you will have time to settle in before an informal get-together dinner, where you will have a chance to meet your local counterparts, the Romanian children. The meal will be served at the Timisoara House of Culture, and accompanied by a folk music and dance demonstration by their very own ensemble.

TIMISOARA is the home of FAF’s founder, Harry Morgan. Flashpoint of the 1989 revolution, this scenic city (pop. 325,000) is spiritually centered on the inconspicuous church Biserica Reformata Tokes. It was there that Father Lászlo Tőkés preached a sermon that inspired the citizens of Romania to overthrow the dictator. Other attractions are the Metropolitan Cathedral, 14th-century Hunyady Castle (now the regional museum), an 18th-century Catholic church and a pleasant old district. Interestingly enough, 1989 was not the first time the eyes of Europe fell upon Timisoara; it was one of the first European cities to have electricity (1884) and a tramway system (1869).

Work with ten to fifteen local children in preparation for local festival and social service performances; faculty includes Ms. Harness and her staff. Mornings will include choral rehearsals, choreography and drumming, while the afternoons will be a combination of peace collage workshops, local sightseeing, swimming, and classes in Romanian folk dancing!

The choir will perform at a prestigious international music festival - and also take some time to relax and do some shopping.

The castle is situated in Hunedoara (Eisenmarkt, Hunyad Vajda), by the Zlasti river, in the Cerna valley and guarded by the Poiana Ruscãi Mountains. Mentioned since the 12th century as a hub for leather tanning, wool processing and clothing industry, Hunedoara became one of the main iron extraction and processing centers in Transylvania. Iron ores were extracted in the area since Dacian and later, in Roman times. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the iron foundries and works were famous for their swords and spears. Around Hunedoara and into the mountains there is a famous area known as Tara Pãdurenilor or the Woodlanders Country, with breathtaking scenery and beautifully preserved costumes and folklore.

Hunedoara Castle is one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in Central and Eastern Europe, was built sometimes before 1409 and later extended by John Hunyady, Prince of Transylvania and by his son, King Matthew Corvinus. The castle, beautifully preserved, was built in Gothic style with baroque and renaissance influences. The interior of the castle has halls with arms and artifacts exhibited.

On the way to the castle and back, you will visit at a nearby monastery and have lunch by a scenic lake; you will also make brief stops at some villages to experience real rural life in Romania.

Some further rehearsals in the mornings will be followed by social service concerts in a local orphanage and a retirement home. The peace camp will conclude with a festive concert at the Timisoara House of Culture on Wednesday (at 6 pm), followed by a farewell dinner. To this, all Romanian participants and their families are invited. A local orchestra will play some live folk music so that you can put your recently-learnt dance moves to practice - and then the evening will culminate in a fun, lively dance party!
Don’t forget to pack tonight!

After breakfast, we’ll check out of our accommodations and head for the Timisoara airport and the flight home. Lufthansa Flight 3481 departs Timisoara at 1:20 pm.

Welcome home!