BOSTON — Music is considered a universal language.
The Berklee College for Music in Boston created a program to give more people a chance to celebrate their musical talents.
The “Music Inclusion Ensemble” is made up of musicians who have a wide range of physical and neurological disabilities.
“I was born without a right hand,” said Adrian Anantawan, an associate professor at Berklee who plays the violin. “I was fortunate enough to have an adaptation made for my small hand to hold the bow and I have been playing ever since.”
Anantawan, who has played at major venues around the world, created the ensemble.
“I thought for me, my path forward as a musician would also be as an advocate for other musicians with disabilities, particularly young people.”
Creating the ensemble seemed like the natural way to fulfill that goal.
“Music was a way for me to express myself by the way I sounded versus how I looked because I do have a visible disability.”
Now musicians like Adam Mandela Walton get the chance to play with their peers.
“My instrument that I play is the cello. I have profound autism and epilepsy. I’m also a music savant.”
The ensemble gives musicians like Mandela Walton a chance to celebrate music, and themselves.
“This is the first time playing with people like me. I love to play on stage in front of big audiences. It makes me very happy.”
That happiness is contagious within the group as they experience a new sense of community.
Anantawan added, “The power of that type of community is a sense of belonging, of being able to understand that our differences are actually an asset and can contribute to something that sounds beautiful and creates harmony in the end. It’s very much the opposite of thinking about disability as something that’s missing or something’s wrong with you.”
The ensemble is preparing for their biggest performance yet, headlining a concert at the Berklee Performance Center on April 12th.
The venue seats more the 1,200 guests.
Tara Allen, who plays bass clarinet and is the manager of the school’s neurodiversity program, hopes the concert changes some minds as the audience members leave the show.
“I hope they take away that disabled performance styles are something that are unique and to be cherished, and also something that’s very like natural part of humanity.”
Time is short before the big show, so rehearsal is key these days. The musicians know it will all be worth it in the end.
“Its not only an honor, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to have a specific and different voice be heard,” said viola player and arranger Connor Valcy.
“Being a blind classical musician isn’t sort of easy or expected, but I really love music,” added violinist Julia LaGrande.
Administrators at Berklee says this ensemble is a unique model and they want to spread the word so groups can be formed at other schools.
The concert is free, but tickets are required.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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