Fall 'Music for the Soul' Concert

Our ‘Music for the Soul’ ensemble had their third performance this past Saturday!

Musicians of ‘Music for the Soul’ setting up before their performance.

‘Music for the Soul’ is our string program at the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC), the women’s prison in downtown Cleveland, that began back in March of 2022. Every Wednesday morning we are at NERC working with residents as they learn to play violin, viola, or cello. These ladies work so hard to learn these very difficult instruments and it is a joy to be with them each week!

This past June we started a new cohort of women, so while some were giving their third performance, for others it was their first time performing on these instruments. It’s really exciting to see the progress that each of them have made, and especially the strides that have been taken by those women who have played for over a year now. It’s also amazing to see the ways the “veteran” players are taking the newer members under their wings and helping them on their way. Women who just a year or so ago knew nothing about these instruments are now finding themselves confident guides for others.

Lalia and Rebecca of Renovare Music, with our volunteer extraordinaire Anna, and a cellist for whom this was her last concert before going home.

Their performance last month was a beautiful celebration of their hard work, as family members and other women at the prison gathered to enjoy their music and cheer for them. In our debrief together after their performance they reflected on how enjoyable it was to share their music with others, even though some had been nervous to perform. One woman shared with us that her kids remarked to her husband on their drive home about how good it was to see her happy and excited about something. What a gift it is to journey with these women each week.