The Bethlen Gábor College Mixed Choir on a cultural tour
From 20 to 23 March 2023, cultural activities were organised for the Bethlen Gábor College Mixed Choir. The choir, conducted by Szabó Zsombor, presented a special show at several venues during the tour. The purpose of the tour was twofold: on the one hand, it was an artistic event, as wonderful songs were performed in several voices, providing a lasting experience for the audience, and on the other hand, it was a recruiting tour, we wanted to spread the word of our school far and wide, attracting people who wanted to learn here. For this reason, the target audience of the tour is the schools in the region of Sovata – Giurgeu basin – Gyimes. At the same time, we are convinced that the choir members had a lasting experience of singing in several places and of establishing contacts with students from other schools.
The Communitas Foundation contributed in part to the realisation of the event, through the present Cultural Grant. The costs of providing the travel were no small burden for our foundation, so we asked the Communitas Foundation for help in the framework of a cultural grant, which proved to be successful, as we received a grant of RON 2000 .
The purpose of the tour was community building, education and recruitment, and the choir took the reputation of our school to distant lands. The places where the tour took place were Kibéd, Sovata, Gyergyóújfalu, Gyergyóditró, Gyergyóremete, Gyimesközéplok, Gyimesfelsőlok, Hidegség and Gyimesbükk. In each of these locations, the choir created an artistic atmosphere, followed by community-building activities to introduce the students to the local communities.
The first day was held at the Mátyus István Elementary School in Kibéd and the Reformed Church in Sovata:
The second day took place in the Lázár István Culture House in Gheorghe and the St. Imre Church in Felszeg, Gheorghe-Ditro:
The third day’s stops were the St. Elisabeth of Arpad’s House Roman Catholic Theological Lyceum in Gyimesfelsőlok and the Hidegségi Primary School:
The last stop was the Dani Gergely Primary School in Gyimesbükk:
They greeted the gathering with soul-warming songs and spread the word about our school, introducing our learning opportunities and school life and activities.
Big congratulations and thanks to Szabó Zsombor, choirmaster, Bartha Melinda and Juhász Roland, class teachers, who enthusiastically organized and carried out this multi-day event. In many places, the hosts donated accommodation and meals, which also helped a lot in the organization of the event.
The 50 students who directly contributed to the implementation of the programme are the members of the choir. And indirectly, hundreds of stakeholders, the community of nearly 10 schools, were involved in the event.
The implementation of the programme will create links between schools, which we believe is very important throughout Transylvania, as it is also important for students to socialise and learn.
We believe that the outing will also have long-term results, as we will be able to maintain friendly relations with several Transylvanian schools in the future, and we hope that more students will choose Bethlen Gábor College for their further education. Last but not least, a multi-site cultural event has been organised, with only positive results, as art, culture, singing and community contribute to the spiritual building of all of us.
We would like to thank the Communitas Foundation for their contribution to this wonderful event!