An Exhilarating Concert Week!
What a week! Between May 8th and 11th Renovare performed The Hope that Unites Us: Stories from the Streets at:
the Cosgrove Center - Cleveland’s largest day drop-in center for people experiencing homelessness
Bloom Bakery downtown
the East Cleveland Public Library’s Greg L. Reese Performing Arts Center
This original program intertwined the music from Ludwig van Beethoven, Anthony Showalter, Jessie Montgomery, J.S Bach, William Grant Still, Béla Bartók, and George Walker with the stories of Ronald, Nate, Mildred, and Edgar. Each of these individuals are either experiencing homelessness in Cleveland currently or have at some point in their past.
We interviewed our storytellers in January and February. After reflecting on their experiences, we carefully selected music to reflect and augment their stories. The completed program lasted just under an hour, at times focusing on either narrative or music, and at other times presenting spoken and musical elements simultaneously. Following the second two performances we were joined by staff members from the Cosgrove Center for a discussion on homelessness in Cleveland. Audience members eagerly engaged with us, with questions ranging from our artistic process for creating the program to how they could get involved to help address homelessness.
How did our audiences respond? Of the almost 60 audience members who turned in their survey after a performance, 100% of them said they would recommend a Renovare performance to a friend. Below is a small sample of their comments, which were similarly filled with positive feedback:
“A powerful experience.”
“This was the most engaging and thought-provoking quartet concert I have ever been to. Very inspiring!”
“It was illuminating to hear much variety among the background of each person. I thought the event was very humanizing of the homeless people and I think it's important for everyone to hear.”
“I loved the intertwining of the stories overlaid over the music, but also that there were moments where it was just music or just the story. The performance was beautiful. Thank you!”
“We all get busy with our own lives, so it is good to be reminded of the things that others are going through.”
“I did not realize how close somebody can be to homelessness, and how fast it can happen to someone with just one life situation.”
It was truly a joy to present these concerts, and it was encouraging to have them received so well! What an honor for us that people both enjoyed the concerts on an artistic level, and that they helped people to see their neighbors in a new light.
We look forward to sharing The Hope that Unites Us: Stories from the Streets and other innovative programs again in the future! Check back this summer for 2019-2020 performance dates on our calendar page.
Thank you to everyone who helped make these performances a success! Whether you attended a concert, helped us set up, hosted a performance, or offered advice along the way, we truly couldn’t do this work without the support of our community.
This project was supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts, and in partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Music, Bloom Bakery, and the Cosgrove Center, a Catholic Charities organization.
