A Bangor composer is helping local homeless people write songs about their experiences
Two Bangor musicians developed a new project that attempts to bring together two things not often seen together: homelessness and classical music.
The project, called Paths to Dignity, began after Mitchell Newman, a violinist and concertmaster for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, asked the symphony orchestra's composer Lucas Richman to arrange a concerto with the theme of homelessness.
"Our slogan for the project is to bring dignity, humanity and awareness to those experiencing homelessness, but we found that it does just that for everybody who's involved," Newman said. "Everybody has a story."
The project was developed as Bangor struggles to solve its growing homelessness crisis and assist a population that often grapples with untreated mental health disorders and active substance use. It also presents a rare creative outlet to people often focused on meeting their immediate needs.
Richman's concerto is broken into four parts entitled "Our Stories," "Fever Dreams/Move," "Shelter For My Child" and "Finding Home." Each is meant to tell different stories of those who are homeless.
Richman also added lyrics to the piece's refrain: "This is me, hear my story, I deserve to be heard. This is me, don't ignore me, hear my every word."
The Bangor Symphony Orchestra premiered the original concerto in April. It offered free tickets to the concerto to people who are homeless, a service the symphony orchestra will continue for future performances, according to Executive Director Renia Shterenberg.
After creating the concerto, Richman and Newman said they knew they wanted to do something more with the music that would assist and engage with the community the music was written about.
"We realized very quickly that the piece should not just be a piece that is played in a concert hall where rich people attend and say, 'Oh, isn't that sad,' and then they go home and step over the homeless person on the way to the parking lot," Richman said.
The musicians decided to offer music programs at various organizations that serve people who are homeless. Most recently, Richman led a four-week songwriting workshop at the Health Equity Alliance Resource and Testing Center in Bangor where people who are homeless can relax, socialize or receive medical care, among other resources.
In the weekly classes, Richman had attendees share what they were feeling with the goal of creating music that echoed their emotions and experiences.
Josh D'Alessio, executive director of the Bangor Health Equity Alliance, said people who participated in Richman's songwriting class at the community center felt listened to — a novel feeling for a population so often shunned by the general public.
In those classes, Richman found the participants were especially sensitive, thoughtful and willing to share their perspective on life.
"Music is a very human endeavor," Richman said. "It's a way of telling stories. It's a healthy way to express sentiments that can't be expressed with words and to understand one another."
The pair have brought the concerto to numerous states, including Michigan, Tennessee and North Carolina, where they also led outreach projects through organizations that serve the local homeless community. The musicians plan to bring the project to Colorado, Indiana and Minnesota next.
They want to continue using the concerto and accompanying programs as an approachable way to create understanding and break down stigmas surrounding homelessness, mental health disorders and substance use.
"Music is the uniting force that helps begin conversations, forges relationships and eradicate the fear of engaging with the unsheltered," Richman said. "It reminds us that we're all people together, we're one community."
