In cooperation with the Garibay Center, last year we were able to offer a composition workshop at the highest level. Together with star producer Fernando Garibay our scholarship students dedicated themselves analytically as well as productively to the „Anatomy of a Hit“. The outcome were the songs „Hero“ and „Right now“. The feedback of Gardenia who is one of the participants in the workshop: „This was the best experience of my entire life.“
When purpose, creativity, and wellbeing coincide - only then you can make success happen. This is Fernando Garibay’s conviction who has been able to help world stars like Lady Gaga, Sting, and Britney Spears achieve big hits.
Our awardees have also been inspired and encouraged by Garibay to their very own artistic creativity. Scholarship student Jiahui describes the workshop as follows: „an incredible learning experience, really heartwarming and very inspiring.“ Nesrin goes even further and says: „This workshop has shown me the kind of person I really want to be.“
The compositions that were created during the cooperation with Garibay’s team are now supposed to serve a special purpose. Awardee and workshop participant Seraphim would like to dedicate the songs to Ukraine - his family’s home country. His application video for the workshop shows him still in times of peace in Majdan square in the warm evening light. Joyfully he speaks directly at the camera and tells us about his talents and interests. Within the last years, he had built and strengthened a connection to the home of his family: „We used to travel there more and more often. I feel connected to the culture and my roots there. Also, we have family there, aunts, uncles, everybody.“ Meanwhile the world has changed. Now he has to fear for his family and relatives in Kiev: „It’s a horrible war - people die, the country is set back centuries.“
While speaking you can feel his horror. „The first weeks were really bad for me. I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t sleep. I was constantly reading, watching the news, and communicating with my family in Kiev. Nobody knew what was going on and you still don’t really know.“ Regarding the question about a future perspective, he answers: „It will take a long time until this will be okay again.“ This makes him feel particularly sad because he used to see Ukraine and Russia as „brotherly states“. He even speaks the Russian language. But the peaceful co-existence between the two states has now been destroyed completely. „Both sides want each other’s death, and all of this just because of that one person, that one regime. The only positive side that can be seen is that the West now opposes and counters Putin’s politics of oppression. I’m hopeful that they understand now not to rely too much on authoritative states like that.“
„Dedicating our songs is meant to be a gesture. We want to express our support for the people. What they need now is emotional strength and love in order to get through this somehow. For me personally it is important to be able to contribute somehow.
Openness, self-reflection, and personal storytelling are aspirations that are very important to Garibay as well. In the beginning the workshop focussed on opening up and listening to one’s own personal feelings. Sometimes this also meant facing one’s very own fears. „Dare to suck“ is the producer’s casually spoken call for more courage in the creative process. In this way the group was able to dissolve blocks together. „The open atmosphere has encouraged our creativity and productivity. We were able to talk about everything und felt seen and understood.“
Furthermore, the aim was to grasp the power of the group and to build an organic band on the basis of mutual trust among the participants. „First you have to listen to yourself and understand yourself in order to then be able to find your part within the group.“ The goal is unity through the common purpose. On the way there are conflicts to be solved through open communication and mutual respect. „You simply have to be able to talk about problems. Everyone can see what happens if this is not possible“, says Seraphim in regards to the political developments in Russia and Ukraine. „Openness is the greatest weapon, the post powerful instrument of any citizen.“ Defining common goals is also going to play an important role in reconstructing bilateral relations: „After all this will have ended one will have to start from the beginning. And this won’t be possible if you only look at yourself. It requires brotherly love and solidarity. We have to help one another.“
The musical process was also about looking at the awardees’ different backgrounds and including them into the common project. This isn’t always an easy process. But, Seraphim concludes, „we have learned to be strong and that everything will end well. This is what you have to believe in and this is the prerequisite that it will be better some day.“
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