Far from the home I love: pianist Margaret Fingerhut's mammoth recital tour raises £88,000 for refugees, £1000 for each of the piano's keys

Margaret Fingerhut

In 2019, pianist Margaret Fingerhut started Far from the Home I Love, a fundraising recital tour aimed at raising money for refugees by performing concerts all over the UK. With her livestream concert on 5 June 2020, Margaret has now reached her target and raised £88,000 which represents £1000 for each of the piano's 88 keys.

For the livestream recital, Margaret joined forces with singer/songwriter Sam Slatcher, the Syrian viola player Raghad Haddad who now lives in Birmingham, violinist Peter Fisher and the Kurdish composer and oud player Arian Hu, now resident in Beijing, who had composed Memories of my land for Margaret to play during her concert tour.

The money raised has gone to City of Sanctuary UK, and the network of over 120 local groups around the country who are working across their communities to build a culture of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers. "The pandemic has hit many people hard," Margaret said, "but none more so than people seeking asylum, many of whom have not been able to access the internet or even buy adequate food for their young families, let alone toiletries. It’s a heart-breaking situation".

Visit Margaret Fingerhut's Far from the Home I Love page, download Margaret playing Arian Hu's Memories of my Land.