This holiday season, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra gathered four string musicians and vocalist Brian Owens to perform an evening concert at the St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center in Clayton. The facility’s gymnasium was turned into an impromptu concert hall where about thirty juveniles ranging in ages from 13-17 years old were assembled.
“My job is to bring musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra into the community to perform for people who don’t have easy access to hear live concerts performed at Powell Hall by musicians of the Orchestra,” said Maureen Byrne, director of diversity and community affairs for the St. Louis Symphony, in her opening remarks. “My friends Ann Fink, Wendy Rosen, Leonid Gotman and Alvin McCall are here to play for you. You might like the music they play, or you might think it’s the lamest thing you’ve ever heard. You have the freedom to decide for yourself. Regardless of what you think, you’ll have this experience – and nobody can take that away from you.”
She then read a few remarks from Ron Boyer, a former prisoner who was introduced to the St. Louis Symphony through a similar program at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center 15 years ago. In his remarks, Boyer said he couldn’t believe that such talented musicians would take the time to play for a bunch of offenders in prison – and that the performance really had an impact on him. One of the musicians present to play for them also visited him while he was incarcerated. They connected after the performance and developed a friendship that they still maintain today.
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians have a history of visiting prisons and playing for offenders, but this concert marks their first year preforming at the Juvenile Detention Facility. The idea was sparked by Don Roth, a long-term volunteer of the center. Last spring Roth got in touch with Byrne.
“He told me about all of the work he’s been doing for decades and asked if the SLSO could help,” Byrne said. “He said to me, ‘These kids just grow up so differently, they don’t have these kinds of experiences, so would we come and play for them?’ I thought, ‘You know we have experience going into prisons, but I never thought about juvenile detention centers.’
Roth began volunteering at the center about 27 years ago. “I was in my 60s. I’ll be 90 in March,” Roth said. “I didn’t know what all I could do but, I would just go in and interact with the kids. It was a rewarding experience for me. I wanted to expose them to all of these experiences they’ve been denied access too.”
Kellie Landaker, assistant director of Programming for the center said they wanted to provide the experience of hearing the symphony to “to see what would turn lightbulbs on in their heads.”
“I think a lot of people have misconceptions about the detention center,” said Landaker. “We do different programs throughout the year, and some daily. A lot of times the children come to detention and they think no one cares about them. If you think nobody cares, why behave? [Through the programming] I really hope that they can just see how much people do care.”
The concert began with the young viewers slumped in a slightly uninterested posture. As the performance continued, there was a visible change in their body language.
As they heard the testimony from Ron Boyer, they perked up. When Owens sang – and the orchestra performed songs that they are familiar with – they began to show more interest in the concert. They clapped, snapped and sang along to the point where there was visible excitement on their faces. The applause grew louder at the end of each score.
A 16-year-old resident of detention center remarks about how much he enjoyed the performance. He says his favorite part was the performance of “Silent Night” and that seeing Brian Owens was one of his favorite parts.
“By bringing in Brian Owens and Alvin McCall, men of color, it helps the kids to see in to see what they can possibly accomplish,” said St. Louis Symphony Public Relations Manager Anthony Kiekow.
St. Louis County Juvenile Detention Center’s Director Cheryl Campbell says there is a need for more people from the community to engage with the young people in the facility.
Byrne hopes that the Symphony’s performance will set an example and motivate others to get involved.
“Maybe other individuals who have something they can share with these children can go in and inspire them,” Byrne said. “You never know. We still have a chance to inspire these kids and not write them off.”
