By Geraldine Brodnitzki

On the first day of the Norfolk Music Festival’s summer session, Director Paul Hawkshaw included in his announcements an invitation he had received by email from a parishioner of Norfolk’s Catholic church: “If any students would like to volunteer to play an instrument at the Immaculate Conception Church, they would be welcomed.” The next Sunday, two students showed up with their instruments: Mina Um, violin; and Weronika Balewski, flute. The musical interlude was a success, and students from Yale continued to show up Sunday after Sunday in varying configurations to play as the summer progressed.
On learning one Sunday that the large building near the church’s Klauer Hall housed Norfolk’s senior living center, Balewski asked if she and some of her friends could perform a concert there. With the cooperation of Fran Keeping, the manager at Meadowbrook, a date was selected and arrangements were made.
On the evening of July 29, Balewski and friends presented an hour of music in Meadowbrook’s community room. The selections included Mozart’s “Ave, Verum Corpus,” with Balewski on flute and a visiting seminarian at the church, Michael Ruminski, on piano. Ruminski, a graduate of the Hartt College of Music, joined forces with the Yale contingent for the evening. A piece by Karl and Franz Doppler for two flutes and piano followed, with Balewski joined by Cholong “Luna” Kang on her deep-toned, golden flute, while Daniel Baer’s fingers raced with amazing speed and musicality over the keys of the old spinet. Rachel Koeth and Leah Kohn then performed a bassoon duo. The concert ended with an aptly chosen “Dance of the Beetles” for flute and cello, with Balewski once again on flute and Jaci Wilkinson, a Yale employee, on cello.
The Meadowbrook residents were universally charmed by the poise and talent of the young performers and applauded them heartily.