A moment of deep dialogue, through the strings of a violin, between a young musician and a child born eight days ago who needs to stay in an incubator. It is a small and unique concert that takes place in the Neonatology department of the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, which leaves everyone amazed, listening in silence. SAMIRA AREKAT Yousef’s mum "Music is beautiful and it's very important for children because its delicacy helps them on their healing journey." MARTINO COLOMBO Italian Musician "That moment, with the baby, was very intimate. And it was only due to the baby. I'm very happy to have done it because I have several friends who had to face this moment in Italy and I know what it means: it's a very difficult thing to deal with, which is why I'm happy to have been able to help them here". Sr LUCIA CORRADIN Nursing director "Caritas Baby Hospital" Bethlehem "It was interesting to see how these children's breathing became more normal: the children who were restless, who were nervous at first, relaxed and fell asleep. They awakened the mother's womb in their heart, in their mind. This return to the womb of the mother means to be protected, cared for, loved". The hospital's aisles resonate with Christmas music: a different morning for its little patients but also for the musicians of this young orchestra, who come from different countries, and who have found a special stage in Bethlehem. The Caritas Baby Hospital, with its 74 beds, neonatology wards and paediatric neonatal intensive care unit, is, in fact, the only paediatric hospital in the West Bank. Without distinction of people or religion, it takes in all the children, from those who are born prematurely to young 14 years old kids. PAOLO OLMI Director “Young Musicians European Orchestra” "When we first came here in 2011, the Archbishop of Ravenna presented this initiative and said 'you have a big responsibility to go and make music in Bethlehem for Christmas, and this is the role that the angels had in the story of the Nativity. Because the angels, as it is written in the Gospel, sang "Peace on Earth...", we play: so we really feel this role. And we also know - we saw it, we knew it - that our songs, our Christmas music, bring people together in every culture." Then the magic of music moves to Effetà, the structure that in Bethlehem takes care of deaf-mute children. The meeting with the musicians immediately turns into a great game, with the children busy "listening" to musical instruments in a very special way... SANCHO ALMENDRAL Spanish Musician "They have their own way of hearing: they don't have the ability to hear the waves in their ears but the waves have the power to transmit themselves everywhere. They can almost hear from their hands. In the end, I experienced what we do with all the children in the world: innocence and spontaneity among human beings: the problem is that we don't have this contact as often as we should. That's the real problem." Read More