Heart to Heart Concert

Heart to Heart Orchestra's 9th Regular Concert held at the Seoul Arts Center

Collaborations with Seoul Aewha School Sign Language Choir and etc.

"Every time the stage is repeated, the sociality of the children increases, and the therapeutic impact of the orchestra activity is shown"

"You raise me up - "

The stage moves in unison according to the lyrics. 60 members of the Heart to Heart Orchestra, 80 members of a children's choir(Agape?Yeomgwang area children's center), 18 members of a sign language choir(Seoul Aewha school), and 4 voclaists(vocal ensemble 'Rottini') perform in a harmony that touches the hearts of all the audience that has filled the 2500 seats. For a long time after the performance, all the audience applauded in a standing ovation. The audience of this performance full of love and inspiration could not leave their seats for a while. Jin-sook Hwang(47, Kyunggi-do Bucheon), who watched the performance, said, "Also being a mother, I cried a lot because watching these children who overcame their difficult situation and are performing so well made me think of the efforts of their mothers. I　hope the feelings I experienced today help to make the world a better place that will embrace people like them."

On the afternoon of the 7th, the "Heart to Heart Concert for Improving Disability Awareness" was held at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center in Yangjae-dong , Seoul, jointly sponsored by the Heart to Heart Foundation and the Seoul Arts Center. It is the 9th regular concert of the Heart to Heart Orchestra, the first Symphony Orchestra for the Developmental Disability Youth in Korea, founded in 2006 by the Heart to Heart Foundation. Hyun-sook Kim, general manager of Samsung SDI, who has been supporting the Heart to Heart Orchestra along with her coworkers since 2007 through fundraising, said, "For the last 8 years, every time I see the members with developmental disorders grow and improve, my coworkers and I　feel proud about and find meaning in being able to take a part of helping them. I hope that the message that people with disabilities can do it too will spread widely through this concert."

Starting off with an introduction by anchor Kim Dong-gun at the microphone, six classical songs were played for two hours, beginning with F. Suppe's "Poet and Peasant Overture". This concert was more meaningful because it was held for the purpose of "communication beyond disability and non-disability." Hee-eun Kim, head of the Orchestra Division of the Heart to Heart Foundation, explained, "If last year's performance focused on harmony with musicians famous worldwide, this year, we wanted to show that all children can become one through music." 

For this, children from the Agape Regional Children's Center in Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province, and the Children's Center in Yeonggwang District in Seoul, Dongdaemun-gu, who's choir activities have been supported by the Heart to Heart Foundation the last two years ago also participated in the performance.　The sign language choir from Seoul Aewha School also took part. Hyun-min Kim, a teacher at Seoul Aewha School, said, "We have been preparing hard for two hours each week since September, and it was an opportunity for children who have always been on the receiving end of help to exchange help and communicate with others." In particular, world-renowned pianist Im Dong-hyuk joined the show. Trumpeter Han-gyul Lee(19), who is a member of Heart to Heart, and the vocal ensemble "Rottini" also joined. More than 1,000 disadvantaged children were invited to the audience.

"I was nervous and scared while watching the performance." said Eun-shil Jang(47), the mother of Han-gyul Lee(Korea National University of Arts, Developmental Disability Level 3), who participated in the performance. Jang said, "It was impossible for him to stand on stage until a month ago." Lee entered the Korea National University of Arts this year thanks to his talent with the trumpet, but it was not easy to adapt. "He heard performances at levels he had never heard before, and he started blaming himself. He would constantly hit his mouth to the point where he would bleed, saying he didn't like the sounds he was making. It was impossible to even play the trumpet at the time. He doesn't have normal communication skills, so that was his way of expressing his frustration." After a long struggle, Lee decided to join the performance a month ago, and immersed in treatment and practice. His hardships that made him stronger are what makes his stage even more touching.

The concert hall of the Seoul Arts Center is known as "the most preferred concert hall for first class musicians". The process until these members with developmental disabilities could come to this stage was not easy. Although it depends, as they usually have the intellectual abilities of about a five to six year old, there is a great deal of difficulty for them to communicate and socialize with others. A flute member who is a third grader in middle school had to be hospitalized instead of heading to the stage. He became a victim of school violence a week before the stage, and wounds that would last for four weeks. Hee-eun Kim, head of the department, said, "Since they cannot express themselves enough, the members sometimes get bullied by friends who do not understand their state. It is regrettable to not be able to stand on stage after practicing hard all year round because of social prejudice and indifference." It is no wonder that a lot of time and effort is required for a good stage compared to the regular performers. The conductor of the Heart to Heart Orchestra Geun-do Kim(41) said, "Depending on the symptoms of the disorder, the playing ability and the communication ability of each member are significantly different. Harmony is essential in the orchestra, so getting these members to cooperate and perform with each other is a process that requires incomparable persistence and perseverance compared to leading regular orchestras." There is no wonder why their stage which led to a standing ovation is called a miracle stage.

Da-bin Kim(21, Sahmyook University 3, autism class 3), who played cello solo in the show, showed a new side this year. His mother Yoo Hyun-sook (51) said, "I held his hand before he went on stage, and I noticed he was sweating. It was the first time he was nervous. Before, he would be immune to the environment and just be all smiles even before performances. It means that his sociality has gotten better." She added that it's "the reason why I especially had a lot of moments when I was moved during this stage" was added. This regular performance which has met its ninth year shines more after the curtain falls. As the years go by, the stages help to increase the sociality of the members in surprising amounts. The conductor Geun-do Kim said, "Through all the big and small stages the members stand on, I experience first-hand that the orchestra has a great impact on treating the developmental disorders." 

This effect is not limited to developmental disabilities. Hyun-min Kim, a teacher at the Seoul Aewha School who prepared a sign language performance by deaf children, said, "The children who used to be passive in everything were saying after their rehearsals that they want to show more people their performance, and were asking for more tickets. They had a lot more confidence after their show, and many of them started dreaming that they wanted to be people who inspire others. " Hee-eun Kim, Head of the Department, said, "There were members who were moved to tears after the stage, some who were sorry that they made a mistake, and some who were determined to do better next year. It was impossible to think in the past they would feel and show these kinds of emotions. As much as I　am experiencing how much each stage is helping the members with their sociality bit by bit, I want to expand opportunities for them to stand on various stages so they can have more chances of communication."