Violinist using music to heal Mt. Airy hero organizes concert for flood victims

by LEN LEAR

When Richard Casimir, 41, was growing up in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western hemisphere, he began taking lessons on the violin and playing for his school orchestra, even though his father insisted “that we were crazy to spend our time playing music. That was for rich people.”

The odds that a boy from Haiti, where violins are almost as scarce as astronauts, could wind up as a professional classical musician were about as great as those of a newspaper editor playing center field for the Phillies. However, Richard is not a man you want to bet against. He has made a habit of defying the odds.

In 1976, the Boston Symphony Orchestra visited Haiti and heard Richard play, as well as other members of his Holy Trinity School orchestra. The professionals were so impressed that they invited the Haitian teens to perform at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts.

“When we went to Tanglewood, we were blown away,” said Casimir, who spoke little English back then. “It was a dream come true. There are so many people who would give anything to study with the best musicians in the world, and we were able to do it. This definitely encouraged us to work so much harder.”

In 1984, Casimir (whose last name is Polish, so he assumes there must be some Polish people somewhere in the family tree) came to the United States permanently to study at Temple University’s Esther Boyer School of Music. On Sunday evening, July 25, thanks to Casimir, who conceived and organized the event, members of several prestigious professional orchestras will come together at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Willow Grove for a musical event. The concert will benefit the victims of the devastating floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic two months ago that created a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions. Entire villages were destroyed, leaving more than 3,000 people dead and countless others sick, hungry and homeless. Natural disaster experts have warned of the possibility of famine and epidemic outbreaks if urgent assistance in medical care, food and medicine is not provided.

An organization called Batey Relief Alliance (BRA), in conjunction with Partners in Health and Habitat for Humanity, has been providing critical relief support to the affected populations. “The proceeds of this concert will enable us to bring more help and hope to the people of Haiti,” said Ulrick Gaillard, executive director of BRA.

In addition to his performing and charity work, Casimir teaches violin both in the Philadelphia school system at Houston and Henry Schools in Mt. Airy, and privately at the Academy of Community Music in Ft. Washington.

Casimir began with the idea of making a small gesture, a fundraiser by his young Suzuki students at the Academy of Community Music, but the project has since snowballed with an outpouring of interest and generosity from the music community.

The all-volunteer, all-star orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Ronald Matthews and Jean Raoul Perrault, will include members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Opera Company Orchestra, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Boston Symphony. The program will include works by J.S. Bach, Samuel Barber, Tchaikovsky, Werner Jeagerhuber, Ludovic Lamothe and Leroy Anderson. Twelve-year-old Caeli Smith, of Chestnut Hill, will be the soloist in the Mozart #4 D Major concerto.

The concert will begin Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The church is at 406 N. Easton Rd. in Willow Grove. Tickets are $25, sold at the door. For more information, contact brelcasimir@aol.com or call 215-247-8673.

Richard, who is single, has a brother, Magloire, who plays the viola and also teaches in the Philadelphia School District. Another brother, Sylvan, is a pharmacist in Boston, and his mother, Marie-Elianie, lives in Philadelphia. Richard has a nephew, Michael, 14, who studies violin at the Settlement Music School and is “absolutely incredible.” Casimir’s dad died three years ago.

Richard selected as his e-mail address brelcasimir@aol.com as a tribute to his favorite composer, the late Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel. “I have been inspired,” explained Casimir, “by his message of love overcoming adversity in his songs. For him, love was a matter of spiritual redemption, and I think that is a great message.”

Casimir previously lived in Northeast Philadelphia, which he found to be an unpleasant environment. On the other hand, he loves Mt. Airy, where he has lived for three years. “There is a wonderful feeling of neighborliness here,” he insisted, “that makes me feel welcome. People are inclusive here. Maybe it’s because they are well educated; I’m not sure. My students will recognize me on the street and say hello.  It makes me feel like I’m a part of the neighborhood.