A Message From the Members of Hartley’s Legacy
 

Daniel Kim:
 

            First and foremost, thank you to everyone who attended or supported our very first benefit concert!

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            When we first thought of the idea to hold a benefit concert, I remember being very unsure—almost skeptical—about organizing such a large event. Hartley’s Legacy was still a relatively young group, and neither Iris, Joanna, nor I had any experience in coordinating a concert. I wasn’t sure how we could get in contact with the victims of the tragedy or how we could even get enough performers to have a concert.

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            Yet for the past two months, it has been a long, but very exciting journey. So many people encouraged and supported us, especially our friends, who made it possible for us to hold such an amazing concert by performing alongside of us. Whenever things seemed to fall apart, another, better door always opened.

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            The day of the concert was also a stressful, but memorable day. The dress rehearsal seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of the audience. I had been afraid that not enough people would be in the audience, but close to a hundred people were in front of me then. My hands were shaking, and let me say, talking in front of everyone was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done. Yet as the concert began to progress, I found myself getting more at-ease, and I remember smiling as I listened to my friends’ wonderful performances. Soon, as all the performers played the last note of Let It Go, I remember feeling relieved that it was over, but also so excited that it had ended on such a high note (pun intended!).

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            In the end, we were able to raise over $2,200, which was way over what we were hoping for! The feedback we received from the audience members, as well as the community, was amazing as well, and it only encouraged us to look for more ways to help those in need.

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            So whether you sponsored the event, performed in the concert, or simply joined us today, we truly appreciate all your support. It was a great blessing to hold this benefit concert, and we hope that, through this concert, we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by the Sewol Ferry Tragedy!

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Sincerely,

Daniel Kim

June 29, 2014

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Iris Kwak:

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           So I’d like to start off by thanking everyone from those who performed, to the people who attended, and to the people who sponsored our benefit concert!

           When we had the meeting where the idea of a benefit concert came up, to be honest, I felt a little excited yet nauseous about the idea. I knew doing the concert itself was a great thing and it would be for such a good cause because of how close-to-home it was but having that much responsibility for such a big event got me terrified. I thought of all the pressure, the labor, the time; it all scared me. I thought of every possible ‘what if’ like ‘what if no one comes’ or ‘what if no one lets is use their facility’.

            But when we actually started planning, I found it not to be as scary as I thought it to be. Yes, we had a lot of work to do. But knowing what it was for made it all so worth it. Through this experience, we’ve had many disappointments but an even more fantastic thing happened. We’ve had so many people encourage us and, without them, this concert would not have taken place.

            The day of the concert finally came. As I was at the dress rehearsal, after each of my groups had a run through, I couldn’t help but freak out a little; thinking ‘oh my god did I not practice enough?’ and I was desperately hoping to stop time for awhile to just practice and calm down but no such luck and before I realized it, I was in my itchy, yet absolutely beautiful, blue dress in front of the piano, about to open up the concert. But as the concert went by, I couldn’t help but feel so proud and think, ‘wow Daniel, Joanna and I actually pulled this off’. As I listened to each of the performers, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself from two months ago, having a nervous breakdown about the performances. And I knew we definitely did an absolutely wonderful job when I found that we raised over $2,200! I was going to be happy if we raised $1,000 so you can imagine my surprise and excitement. As I read some of the post it’s, I could see everyone in the audience loved the concert almost as much as I did.

            So again, thank you to everyone who made this concert possible. This was an amazing experience and I truly hope that the power of music helped make a difference in these kids lives.

Sincerely,

Iris Kwak

June 30, 2014

 

 

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Joanna Kim:

           Thank you so much to all who supported the Hartley’s Legacy Benefit Concert, whether it be by just attending the concert, making a donation, or sponsoring us.  All of your support was greatly appreciated and there is no way we could’ve had such a successful concert without you.  Also, thank you so much for all of your thoughts and comments that were written on the post it notes.  Many of them brought a smile to our faces, and all your feedback is greatly valued.  The concert went far beyond my expectations, and it is only with your help that we could’ve achieved such great outcomes.

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           I still remember starting to organize the event.  First, we had to find performers for the concert.  Emails were sent back and forth, trying to find out who could make it and what songs everyone would be doing.  Then, we had to figure out where we would be performing.  Visits were made, and requests were sent out to different venues, but in the end, the best help came from the most unexpected of places, and I don’t think I would change any part of the process.  In every step of the way, nothing went perfectly, but as the saying goes, all’s well that ends well.  Even after we figured out all of the performers and the venue, the toughest part, in my opinion, was yet to come—publicizing the event and getting people to come.  I recall wondering how many people would come, and even worrying about what we would do if no one showed up.  Even as tickets started to sell and people started to sponsor us, I was unsure of what the turnout would be at the concert.

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          However, on the day of the concert, I was in for a shock.  So many more people than I expected came out to encourage us and listen to our music, from grandparents to friends to people who had read about us in the newspaper.  And while it was a little more nerve wracking than normal, as we were hosting the concert, it was also incredibly uplifting to see that so many people had offered their time and money to a good cause.

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          It was such an amazing experience to be part of an event like this and I cannot thank all of those who supported us enough.

Sincerely,

Joanna Kim

June 29, 2014

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