Beauty & Melody in Sandusky, Ohio

By Shigeyo Henriquez

We spent the week of September 20th in Sandusky, Ohio. It was sunny and warm; we were lucky to have such nice weather in the middle of September.

I visited the same schools and communities 6 months before with Agatsuma. I am back and glad to see the familiar faces again. The students, teachers and community people are just as I remembered—hospitable, thoughtful and appreciative.

This time they were introduced to Chinese culture. Unfortunately, we don’t have an official interpreter this time. Li Yan, one of the musicians, stepped up and started to explain in English. It is amazing how well she speaks English.

The workshop starts with a slide show of the city, Chengdu, and Sichuan Province, where the musicians are from. They introduce each of the instruments and artists. The students are all tuned into the images and fascinated by the instruments that they have never seen before. Some students have a chance to try some of the instruments. The faces of the students are filled with curiosity and amazement.

Eric Watts, choir director at Port Clinton HS, tries Gu Zheng or Chinese zither with the help of Li Yan (left) and Yang Lu.

Visiting the Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie.

Michael made moon cakes for the group to celebrate the Chinese Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Before their concert at the beautiful Sandusky State Theatre.