Talented musicians from across the country are coming together in Boston for a unique concert experience featuring artists with physical or mental disabilities.
The musicians are part of the Music Inclusion Ensemble, which was founded at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
“I have been playing violin for most of my life but as a blind violinist, I have often felt a bit at odds with the music scene around me,” said violinist Julia LaGrand.
Musicians with disabilities
The ensemble is now working to change that. “It’s really a celebration of how our differences come together to be able to create something beautiful,” said co-founder Adrian Anantawan.
Anantawan, a Berklee associate professor, has seen the ensemble grow from five musicians to more than 20 set to perform on April 12.
“When we’re centering disability identity, it’s not really an othering experience but really just a very specific universal lens into the human condition,” said Anantawan.
“It’s really a great step in the right direction of integrating disability fully into our culture,” said co-founder Gaelynn Lea. “Music is about creating and changing the landscape and thinking of new ways of doing things. So I think music is, like, the perfect medium for including people with disabilities and helping them to adapt because it just, like, that’s what creation is…encouraging you and then also just working with you to make things possible.”
Connor Valcy, who has autism, is the main arranger and composer for the show.
“It’s a big joy for the people to be around, to see not only their artistry but their passion for their own music,” said Valcy.
He said the audience can expect to hear, “pop, country, there’s going to be a lot of classical…it was really a joy getting to work on a lot of these pieces.”
Aim to break stereotypes
Dr. Rhoda Bernard, who founded the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, said these types of performances are key to breaking stereotypes.
“Regardless of who you are, what your background is, how you engage with the world, how you make music. There’s room for everybody in this concert,” said Bernard. “People have this idea that music only belongs to certain people who are so-called talented or who look or appear a certain way or who think or learn a certain way and that could not be further from the truth.”
LaGrand said she agrees. “I think it sends a really powerful message about what disability allows us to do, the incredible variety that we have in this ensemble of genres of music and of ways of approaching music I think is really exciting.”
“We’re all sort of working together with our various forms of disabilities, sort of trying to minimize the negative impacts or weaknesses and to come together and maximize as many strengths as possible,” said Anantawan.
“I think you walk away with the sense that there’s this ability to just be in the space fully with who you are and feel welcome as an audience member and as a musician and hopefully that you leave feeling like if this is possible, we can’t we do this every day?” said Lea.
The concert is at the Berklee Performance Center on April 12 at 7 p.m. Admission is free but you do need a ticket.
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