Students enlist Vivaldi and Beethoven to help support PIH

	From left to right: Min Jin Lee, Laura Sung A Kim, and Katelyn Boram Lee

By J. Jacob Edel

Earlier this year, high school junior Min Jin Lee and sophomores Katelyn Boram Lee and Laura Sung A Kim, three international students from Korea attending Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass., performed and recorded a live benefit concert. The girls plan to donate all of the proceeds to Partners In Health's work in Haiti.

The concert and CD, titled "Music Loving People," features four classics including Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi and Mozart. So far, the girls said they have sold around two dozen CDs at $7 each, and with the ticket sales from their performance, they have raised $300 and counting.

The girl's aren't stopping there, however. The three teenagers said they are creating a new music club, the Philharmonic Benefit Concert Club at Dana Hall, to put on annual benefit concerts.

"By offering to all students with a passion for music the chance to perform and help others with their talent, we hope to embrace not only the Haitians but also the Dana Hall Community," said Min Jin. "I think the greatest thing about playing music is that I can share my talent and interest with those around me, and that it is another means for me to express myself and reach out to others."

Katelyn, who played the piano amongst the two violinists, said she was worried attendance would be slim, but enjoyed the crowd of friends and teachers that came to support the show.

"I think the girl's deserve a lot of recognition and I encourage them take what they've done and raise some more money," said David Schatz, a parent of a fellow Dana Hall student.

The idea behind the concert, the girls said, was to share their love for music while using their talents to raise money for those in need.

"I think the most fascinating thing about music is that it has a great power to move people's minds and feelings," said Laura Sung A Kim.

[posted April 2009]