Violinists perform for victims
CALIFORNIA – Neither Michelle nor Hannah Min can remember a time when they didn’t play the violin. The sisters, now 17 and 14 respectively, began playing when they were four years old and have played with a variety of youth orchestras.
Friday afternoon the girls gave a free concert on the streets of California, setting up at Third and Wood streets at 3:30 for a two and a half hour concert. They accepted donations for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“I had seen on the news how little elementary girls are doing lemonade stands to raise money for the hurricane victims. I figured I was a little old for a lemonade stand,” said Michelle, a senior at California Area High School. “I had been in Harvard this summer and there were street musicians and it was wonderful. I figured my sister and I could do that. We perform together for weddings, so we have some pieces polished.”
Hannah, who is a freshman at the high school, readily agreed to her sister’s plan.
“It’s the cause. So many people lost everything, even people who didn’t have anything to begin with. Some people can’t even find their families,” Hannah said. “I can hardly do anything at my age. Doing what I do best is the best way I can help them.”
And one of the things Michelle and Hannah do best is play the violin. Both girls have played with the Maryland Youth Symphonette and are currently with the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra, where Michele is concertmaster. Michelle can count 16 different orchestras that she has played with, traveling to China in 2002 with the Maryland Youth Symphony and Europe in 2004 with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony. She took the Top Talent award at this year’s Coal Queen contest.
She has also been teaching violin since her freshman year in high school.
“It’s really great to be able to pass on a gift that you have, so that’s what I want to do with Katrina,” Michelle said.
The teens have put together a concert of what they hope will be popular pieces with the public, including the Orange Blossom Special, which Michelle describes as a “really great fiddle tune,” The Entertainer, Humoresque and a few classical selections. In the event of rain this afternoon, the girls said they might move their concert to Saturday.
The girls, who both play the piano and organ as well as the violin, credit their parents, the Rev Paul and Kim Min, with instilling a love of music in them.
“My mother played a little piano. My father, even until he was in middle school, wanted to be a concert conductor, even though he didn’t play an instrument,” Michelle said.
Hannah said there were times when she rebelled against having to practice the violin.
“Now I’m so grateful beyond reason,” Hannah said. “It’s really stress-relieving when you play, especially when you get into it.”
The girls are hoping their music will be relieving more than their own stress Friday.
“The money that we get will be put under the name of the church my dad preaches at and donated through the Presbytery,” Hannah said.
The girls’ father, the Rev. Paul Min, is the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in California and United Daisytown Presbyterian Church. Min said there are about 60 individual churches within the Washington Presbytery. Min said special collections are being taken up at the churches to aid the hurricane victims.
“People are very willing to help, but they often don’t know what to do,” Min said.
Min said the Presbyterian Church is accepting financial contributions, donated items and offers of volunteer help.