The concert of sacred and classical music «Love Never Fails» was organized on September 23, 2023 in the concert hall of the parish house of the French ancient church in Bern. (Eglise française de Berne) and was dedicated to the 4th anniversary of the memory of Andrey. About 100 people attended the concert.

Guests were warmly welcomed in the foyer of the concert hall for an apero meal with traditional favorite treats (Olivier salad in baskets, pancakes with meat, mushrooms, coffee, tea, sweet treats). After the meal, the doors of the hall opened and guests were invited to the concert.

The concert program included three parts:

Introductory part: Performance by music students

Part 1: Sacred Music
• Spiritual Quintet: Hierodiacon Pior, Ilona Shostak, Maryna Zolotnytska, Irina Haldobina, Solonko Kateryna.
«Cherubim Hymn», old melody; Mother of God Hymn; «Trisagion», Denisova I.
• Choir of the Holy Trinity Church, the city of Bern, choir director Tatjana Buntschu
«The Only Begotten Son”, composer Turchaninov P.I.; «Our Father», composer N.N. Kedrov;
«It is worthy» composer D.S. Bortnyansky.

Part 2: Classical Music
• Ekaterina Königsfeld, solo performance, soprano. Piano part - Roman Komissarov. Winners and prizewinners of numerous international competitions.
S.V. Rachmaninoff, in the words of G. Galina, «It is good here»; PI. Tchaikovsky, on the words of A. Tolstoy: «The soul flew quietly through the high heaven.»
• Ilona Shostak, solo performance, soprano. Graduate of the Lviv Conservatory, student of the postgraduate program for further education at the Basel Academy of Music. Piano part - Stella Timenova.
J. S. Bach-Guno «Ave Maria»; PI. Tchaikovsky «Tell me what is in the shadow of the branches»; P. Mascagni Romance Suzel from the opera «L'amico Fritz».
• Valeriia Korkka, solo performance, Renaissance lute. Master's student of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, graduate of the St. Petersburg Institute of Culture in the class of classical guitar, has experience in performing with various ensembles of early music.
J.H. Kapsberger (1580-1651) Toccata 1; Toccata 6; Henry Purcell (1659-1695) «Music for a While».
• Stella Timenova, solo performance, piano. Graduate of the Sofia and Bern Conservatories, winner of international competitions, debut of a solo concert with the Basel Symphony Orchestra in 2009, followed by a variety of concert activities in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Bulgaria and other European countries.
A. N. Scriabin, Etude, Opus 2 № 1; S. V. Rachmaninoff, Elegy, piano piece from the cycle «Fantasy Plays», Opus 3; F. Liszt «The one you are from heaven».
• Evgenia Asanova, solo performance, mezzo-soprano. Laureate of international competitions, guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, soloist of the Bern Opera. Piano part - Stella Timenova.
V. A. Mozart, Aria from the Solemn Mass; S. V. Rachmaninoff, Romanticism «Oh, don't be sad»; R. Wagner «Angel» from the poem cycle by Matilda Vezendonk.

At the end of the concert, all artists were presented with bouquets of flowers to great applause from the audience.

In the period August-November 2023, a course of fine arts with 8 classes for children was held. Under the guidance of the artist and teacher, Maria, the children got acquainted with various materials and techniques of painting, drawing, graphics, modelling. The children mastered new skills and touched the world of fine arts. 😊

On June 7, 2023, a master class in floristry was held. The head of the master class, our volunteer and great flower lover, Dorofey told all participants (a group of 10 people) about how flower arrangements are created, and then each participant tried to create her own flower arrangement.

Someone made a decoration for the icon, and someone made an ikebana for home comfort. And the creative process itself gave the participants a positive, excellent mood and joy. Each participant created his/her own unique flower ensemble to bring home and please their loved ones ☀️

On June 3, 2023, a master class of fine arts «Trinity. Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Nerl.» Despite the saturation of the composition with complex elements, the children successfully coped and were very satisfied. Smiles and joy accompanied the creative process, preceding the joyful atmosphere of the Feast of the Holy Trinity 🙏

On March 25, 2023, a master class of fine arts «Easter Drawing» was held for children living in Basel. The master class was conducted by the artist Maria.

Each of the participating children (8 children aged 6-14 years) drew his own Easter drawing under the professional and sensitive guidance of the artist, using various techniques (quarecolor, gouache, cotton swabs and fan brush). The children worked with enthusiasm, the air smelled of spring and the approaching Easter joy🙏

Master class «Gift to Mom» in the style of «Autumn Motif» was held for children as part of a one-day pilgrimage program in Vevey.

In the cozy atmosphere of the refectory room of the ancient church of St. Barbara at a large table are comfortably accommodated by all participants (20 children). Under the guidance of a professional florist Maria, children were invited to make a postcard-application from a floral autumn set as a gift for their mother.

From the first minute of the master class, children actively joined and began to create their own unique works. At the end of the workshop, the doors opened and the mothers were invited inside.

It was very touching to watch every child give a postcard made with his own hands to his mother. There was a joyful atmosphere in the air, it smelled of smiles and love ❤️

On July 16, 2022, a master class was organized for children as part of a one-day trip to the Alps. The master class began with a discussion of the idea: why can clover be considered as a symbol of the Holy Trinity? According to legend, St. Patrick explained the concept of the Holy Trinity to people with the help of a trafoil: «Just as three leaves of clover can grow from one stem, so God can be one in three persons.»

From the discussion of the idea, we moved on to the practical part, where each participant was asked to draw their clover with oil pastel on watercolor paper. Host of the master class, Christina told the children about the technique of drawing clover and everyone began to create, inspired by the beauty of the surrounding alpine nature.

In conclusion, the children were invited to make a mini-presentation about their clover for the whole group, which also aroused great interest.

On July 16, 2022, sports activities were organized for children as part of a one-day trip to the Alps. All participants (20 children) were divided into 4 teams (clever one team, two, three and four) with a volunteer leader to pass the «fun pit stop» route on a specially equipped sports playground. A distinctive feature of the program participant was bandana clover, which the children received before the start of the competition. As a task, it was necessary to go through all sections of the route (5 points in total).

After their successful completion, each participant received a self-adhesive smiley and attached it to a pit stop card. Children enthusiastically joined the game and quickly began to collect the necessary number of smileys for a gift.

There was a cheerful sports atmosphere on the court, and pleasant surprise gifts were waiting for the guys at the finish line.