30 • Dulcimer Players News
as I found out, in part thanks to UNESCO, too, that the Congress cou ld be held there. Social circles must be small in Moldova, for the General Secretary of UNESCO in Moldova, Constantin Rusnak, is a lso a composer and was the patron of the 5th World Congress. It also turned out he is a pretty good double bass player, as he joined in an impromptu jam session! The warmt h and friend liness of the Moldovans is something I will remember most about my trip. The local language is Romanian, and the second language, if any, seemed to be French. However, with signs and a bit of imagi nat ion (no thanks to the useless phrase book with not very many phrases in twelve Eastern European languages), I could get by. J had a couple of days to myself before the main event started, so I managed to orient myself and do a bit of exploring of the capital, C hisma u. The cou ntry is still very poor; in the city both private and public buildings were showing signs of long neglect, but building a nd restoration work are beginning. And some encouraging signs of modern life in a capital city were appearingfrom the internet cafe to the numerous exchange kiosks, and the artists' street market, Chisinau is building its future for the new millennium .
This seemed to be the year of the internet. Many of the new delegates had discovered the CWA via the in ternet. [ was so pleased to meet the people [ had gotten to know a little via email. Th is year's hit was the group "Dulcimer" from Mexico.
Attending their first co ngress, th ey had worked hard to get the five-member group plus o ne member's mother there. They gave the very first concert, and with their youthful exuberance (cries of Viva Mexico!) and their very danceable music they brought down the ho use. And despite their youth and inexperience, this group has worked hard to build a dulcimer society in Mexico and organize a dulcimer festival. The Mexican dulcimer or salferio is unusual in that it is played solely with me tal fingerpicks. The sound is quite distinctive, and carries well over other instruments.
Another internet friend was Tobias Jenny from Canada. Tobias was originally Swiss, and this heritage is what he explores in his music. With the Swiss A lphorn wh ich he constructed himself, and the hackb rett which he also made, he combines Swiss Alpine melodies in his unique sound. Another first for the congress was Menashe Sasoon, who played Persian santoor, and comes from I srael. The warm tone of the instrum ent, with such an Eastern feel due to the quarter tone tuning, was fasc inating to hear.
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was also pleased to meet again some of my friends from previous congresses. Tatiana Eletskaya is an elegant and soph isticated professor of tysmbal in Minsk. This time she came with her pupil, Galena, now a teacher, and her pupil, Zinaida, a sixteen-year-old student. Tatiana explained, rather aptly, "I am th e grandmother." They take dulcimer
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