LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. – Chamber Music Lehigh Valley is all about bringing classical music to different parts of the community, and tonight it did just that.
As part of a new collaboration, a unique concert was played tonight in Lehigh County.
Chamber Music Lehigh Valley has been presenting concerts for almost 75 years.
“So Chamber Music Lehigh Valley is about reimagining what the stage, the classical stage, can look like here in the Lehigh Valley,” says Randy Ziegenfuss, President, Chamber Music Lehigh Valley.
Tonight, for the first time, that stage took shape at the Lehigh County Jail.
“We’ve never been contacted by an organization such as that, and we were eager to work with them and collaborate on this endeavor,” says Dr. Sara Jarosz, Deputy Warden of Treatment, Lehigh County Jail.
A string quartet performed a classical medley inside on the jail’s female housing unit.
“I think this has a therapeutic benefit, a treatment benefit. We are exposing them to something they may have never been exposed to on the outside,” says Dr. Jarosz.
For both the artists and the people listening, Friday night’s music was meaningful.
“When you see really talented artists just doing their thing, it just resonates with us as human beings, and so regardless of what that path is that brings us to that moment, I believe that they will see something new in themselves and hopefully in front of them,” says Ziegenfuss.
“This made my spirits go up. I think I’ll remember this for life,” said an audience member.