Sunday, June 30th, at the Truro School Chapel on Trennick Lane, Truro TR1 1TH, 4 pm start, Truro Sinfonia stages their Summer Concert to benefit two local refugee charities.

Proceeds from the door and raffle ticket sales will be shared equally between Mobile Refugee Support (MRS) and Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families (Welcome).

Truro Sinfonia Conductor Patrick Bailey has invited internationally acclaimed Penzance based pianist Stella Ponderous as the soloist for Mozart's Piano Concerto no 24 in D Minor K491.

Beethoven"s Symphony no 8 is also to be played.

The idea for the concert was originated by Truro Sinfonia Secretary, Alison Stott. After reading Facebook post accounts of her friend Glyn Winchester describing her experience volunteering in Northern France with refugees, Alison was motivated to help organise the Benefit Concert.

Alison spent a good deal of time researching and searching for Arabic based musical scores. She tried various Facebook groups such as the UK Amateur Orchestra which led her to making various new contacts including The Syrian Expat Orchestra.

The discovery of the piece of music being played on June 30 was located through Africa Express who introduced her to The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians.

This route led her to Basel Saleh who is a Syrian refugee resettled and living with his family in London.

Alison, said:

"Basel Saleh is delighted to have made contact with the Truro Sinfonia and that his music is being played by an orchestra in the UK,"

Falmouth resident, Glyn Winchester spent a week volunteering in Northern France in February of this year. She has been involved with the Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families community group since it formed in 2018.

She said that she had little knowledge of the situation on the ground and had not even met a refugee, so a trip to Calais was the best way to gain a clearer understanding.

"The moment I arrived in a freezing, rudimentary makeshift camp in Northern France and met the refugees, I was incredibly moved and committed," Glyn said, surrounded by a small mountain of material donations for refugees which is accumulating in her home's sitting room.

The donations will soon be going to Northern France and Greece thanks to the organisation, Open Hearts Open Borders.

Glyn Winchester, continued:

"I vowed to help out in any way I can from Falmouth. I worked in Dunkirk with a small charity focussing on one group of refugees.

"This charity, Mobile Refugee Support, is made up of six core volunteers and the warmth, kindness and professional approach I saw in action cemented my loyalty to them.

"While in the car waiting our turn to take the Channel Tunnel back to the UK, mulling over all we had experienced and seen, Alison rang me and said she really wanted to help and contribute, and she thought a benefit concert would be the way.

"Alison has worked incredibly hard to locate the music composed by a Syrian refugee, Basel Saleh, who has successfully resettled in the UK with his own family.

"Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families is working diligently to fulfil all the criteria involved with the Government's Community Sponsorship Scheme.

"We will undertake to help a family settle into our community and we are raising funds for various aspects of resettlement, including provision for English lessons for the family".

Find more info about the concert by pressing the button down below.

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