More than 100 community members were entertained during the West Hempstead Violin Gemach’s fall concert held at the American Legion Cathedral Post 1087 on Woodlawn Road last Sunday.
Bulgarian-American violinist Gergana Haralampieva opened the concert with an impactful 40-minute performance.
An award-winning musician, Haralampieva has performed with ensembles across the country. A recent fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect program, she has earned degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
This marked Haralampieva’s second performance in West Hempstead, and Alla Bell, a chamber musician and teacher at the Great Neck Music Conservatory, accompanied her on the piano.
Haralampieva, who’s also a music educator, said she’s passionate about making classical music accessible, which is why she enjoys taking part in community performances. She teaches students in her Commack studio and serves as the director of operations and educational programs at Long Island Chamber Music, or LICM.
“Our mission is to bring world-class classical music directly to Long Island,” Haralampieva said.
In 2020, Haralampieva and her husband, Eric Huckins, a horn player, founded LICM, a nonprofit organization, with the mission to make professional classical music accessible to Long Island audiences.
LICM’s professional musicians bring classical music to local communities through concerts and educational programs, partnering with schools, libraries and community groups to foster an understanding of classical music throughout Long Island.
Jonathan Grossman, founder of the West Hempstead Violin Gemach, said he shares that same mission. A gemach is a Jewish organization that provides free loans or lends out items to those in need as an act of kindness. Grossman provides free violin rentals to Yeshiva day school students.
“When I started this program a few years ago, my goal was not only to encourage children in the neighborhood to start learning a string instrument or piano, but also to play chamber music,” Grossman said.
Each student in the program receives practice materials, sheet music and a list of local violin teachers. The gemach organizes free concerts and supports music education programming in West Hempstead.
Following the performance of Haralampieva and Bell, ten of the gemach students showcased their musical talents by playing various pieces on piano, cello and violin. While many performed solo compositions, the concert included various duets and group performances.
“I wanted to match up children with other kids who are also excited about learning music and playing together,” Grossman said, “because when you play with someone else, it’s a very different experience, and it uses a lot of different skills that you don’t have to utilize when playing by yourself.”
