The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Wednesday, February 12, 2003


Choir gets chance to have fun


On local stopover,

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Belarus youngsters

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get to go shopping

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By Kristen Garrett
Herald Staff Writer

What do talented, young people from Belarus do when they come to America?

In the case of the Krinichka Choir, they sing, shop and sleep.

Twenty-five singers in their teens and early 20s travel around the world singing to raise money for youth in their home country. During their current 21-day tour in the United States they stopped in Sharon.

Monday, the choir members had a chance to shop and visit the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum before giving a performance that night.

Tuesday, the young singers had a chance to sleep in, swim at the Buhl Club, go out to eat and have a party at Billy's Black and Gold.

Emilia Lhied, 16, said the choir got a very, very good welcome when the members arrived in Sharon Sunday night. Monday, Emilia went shopping. Shopping in the United States is very different because there aren't big malls in Belarus, she said.

Emilia, who was wearing a new shirt Tuesday that she purchased on sale, said clothing styles in Belarus are similar to the United States but are much more expensive. "Here we can buy it with sale, it is better," she said.

The choir stopped in the Shenango Valley after spending 11 days in New York City. During all of their travels, the young singers stay with host families.

Tanya Shurenkova, 15, said they got a letter Tuesday from their first host family in New York.

Fourteen families in the Shenango Valley welcomed the choir members into their homes.

Jennifer Abbott of Hermitage hosted a 21-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl. She said they spent the majority of time shopping and, of course, sleeping.

"Kids are kids, they like to sleep," she said.

Victor Novitsky, 18, said stopping in Sharon is a break for the choir. With only one performance, the singers had a chance to rest and have fun. In New York City the choir gave performances every day, sometimes twice a day, he said.

During his shopping excursion, Novitsky purchased a Pittsburgh Steelers jacket and a compact disc player.

"It was my dream so it's a wonderful day today," he said. Because CD players and CDs are very expensive in Belarus, many kids buy pirated music, he said.

Novitsky -- who has been in the choir for 12 years and was with the choir when it stopped in Sharon in 1997 -- said he enjoys singing folk music but listening to rock. In Belarus, many of the groups that are popular in the United States are also popular there, he said.

Ed Horodyski of Kinsman helped his sister, Helen Higgins, host two 17-year-old girls.

"They've been very wonderful kids, just fantastic in every way," he said. "They just love the things they don't have." He said fresh fruit was a favorite for the singers.

"You can't express how courteous they are, very professional in every way," Horodyski said.

Mrs. Abbott added that the singers are very mature for their age, something she attributes to the fact that they travel so much and have to be independent.

Choir director Natalia Sukhanova and her daughter, Inna, 20, work together on the road. Inna is a soloist and she translates for her mother, who speaks very little English.

The Krinichka Choir works with an international organization called Hope Express that helps the choir distribute their proceeds to needy children and children in orphanages in Belarus.

Carol Novosel of Sharon organized the host families and activities for the kids while they are in Sharon.



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