This summer Renovare presented a new program entitled “Summer Bird.” The title for this concert comes from a song lyric found in the animated film ‘The Prince of Egypt,’ and was the inspiration for our theme of hope that wove a common thread through each piece of music we chose to share.

Performing "Summer Bird" with our summer intern Mara Harrington at the Mansfield Correctional Camp. — *Performing ‘Summer Bird’ with our summer intern Mara Harrington at the Mansfield Correctional Camp.*

We performed the concert at four different correctional facilities and took portions of it to a homeless shelter, hospital, and summer camp for children in the inner city. At more than one of the correctional facilities someone came up to us after the concert and commented on the theme of hope. One audience member said that the lyric that inspired the concert’s title - “Hope feels like the summer bird too quickly flown away” - could not be more accurate because hope really is fleeting in their current place of incarceration.

During the opening song of the concert concert, we asked our audience to take a moment and write down on an index card what hope means to them - how they define hope, and how they practice hope. We received more than 200 index cards, with so many thoughtful and inspiring thoughts. Here are just a few of those responses:

“Hope means to me… there’s always tomorrow, there’s sunsets and sunrises. To never give up on your dreams. Hope is laughter. Hope is joy. Hope is peace. Hope is living a little bit more than yesterday” - resident at the Northeast Reintegration Center
“What is hope? It is that which allows a soul to remain intact when left to the ravages of the storm that is life, and gives strength to carry others through to the other side of their hell. How do I practice/find hope? By understanding that the worst of this world is as short lived as a wink in comparison to the eternity that is ahead of all of us.” - resident at the Grafton Correctional Institution
“Hope is what allows us to push on, when the senses we rely on present evidence to the contrary. It is why I leave my bed, why I better myself, why I invest in those around me. So tomorrow might be better than today.” - resident at the Grafton Correctional Institution
“Hope is light (love) - the opposite of despair (darkness). You show [and] I can feel hope (love) in your music. I look for hope in other people, especially children, where I see Christ’s light (love).” - resident at the Mansfield Correctional Camp
“H.O.P.E. Hold On Pain Ends” - resident at the Mansfield Correctional Institution
“Hope = drive. It’s what drives me to never give up. To never lose faith that God has more planned for me. That this is not the end but the beginning of something special. What gives me hope is that Jesus sends His angels in here to show us that we are not forgotten but thought about continuously with love - thank you.” - resident at Mansfield Correctional Institution
“Hope is a spark in the heart of a better tomorrow. It takes something very special to spark this hope and this spark can die leaving you in absolute darkness with no future sight of tomorrow. With a 27 to life sentence I must try to kindle this spark everyday to push on for another one. How do I practice hope? Prayer, speaking with family, attending positive activities (such as your concert). Thank you so much for allowing us to attend your concert! And in helping the spark from dying out.” - resident at Mansfield Correctional Institution

At one point during the concert we also invited our guests to join us in an activity to exercise bilateral stimulation. We asked our audiences to close their eyes and put their arms across their chest. Then as we began playing music we invited audience members to lightly tap their arms in an alternating fashion to the beat of the music. We’ve learned and experienced for ourselves that bilateral stimulation is a tool for helping one process memories and emotions, and heard powerfully from audience members about what that experience was like for them.

Audience members from our "Summer Bird" Concert.

“Summer Bird took me through all the appropriate emotions for this season. Rush, anticipation, peace, delight, excitement, and inspiration. Through the music, and the interactions, it was a beautiful way to connect with my inner feelings, in the presence of community.”
- Alyana Gonzalez (Heartstrings member)

For our last performance of Summer Bird, we invited members of the public to experience this concert in the comfortable setting of Six Shooter Coffee. We gave each audience member an index card with thoughts about hope that had been written by a currently incarcerated audience member of one of our prior Summer Bird concerts. Sharing those cards with people who might not otherwise have had a connection with an incarcerated person is just one of the ways we sought to be a bridge between siloed communities.