Fifty members of an Ohio orchestra recently performed a “Patriotic Pops” program before an unexpected audience: inmates at a local prison.
The June 30 performance was actually several years in the making, Lima Symphony Executive Director Elizabeth Brown Ellis told Fox News Digital in an email.
“The Lima Symphony launched the ‘Healing Through Music’ program in 2018,” she said. “The original goal was to bring the healing power of music to those struggling with addiction and mental illness.”
Psychologist says social media ‘sandfishing’ trend could be a ‘sign’ of a ‘worrying’ problem
Brown Ellis said the June 30 performance marks the first time a full orchestra has been allowed to perform in an Ohio prison, and possibly the first in the entire United States.
The orchestra originally performed at area hospitals and shelters and is based in Lima, Ohio.
Elizabeth Brown Ellis, standing right, told Fox News Digital that the prison orchestra performance had been years in the making. (Modmedia)
Shortly after the Healing Through Music program began, the chaplain at Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution (AOCI) contacted Brown Ellis and asked him to bring the program to the prison.
Allen Oakwood Correctional Facility is a mixed-security prison in Lima that houses about 1,400 male inmates. The prison complex is “basically two different facilities on one campus,” she said.
Ohio representatives make waves by naming official state fish
Brown-Ellis said that since 2018, members of the orchestra, though not the entire orchestra, have “performed dozens of times” at the facility.
“We started with a string quartet and now have a cello soloist, a holiday brass ensemble, and a woodwind group,” she says. “We purchased a 40-piece drum set and hold regular drum circles at both facilities to engage inmates in creative activities.”
The Prison Ship Martyrs Memorial is America’s “original” graveyard of unknown war heroes.
Shortly after the Lima Symphony began its prison visits, “we dreamed of bringing the whole orchestra to AOCI,” she said.
In February 2020, plans for a full orchestra “Patriotic Pops” began to take shape.‘ The “performance” was scheduled for July of that year, but the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled the plans.
Ambitious plans rekindled
Finally, more than three years later, the Lima Symphony and AOCI began discussing the performance again in October 2023. The plan was to bring together 50 musicians for a one-hour concert, she said.
“Our sound guy used equipment that was already in the prison and two inmates worked with him on the sound,” she said.
The Lima Symphony Orchestra has previously performed small shows at the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Facility, but the June 30 performance was the first time the full orchestra performed inside the prison. (Modmedia)
“The performance was, with a few notable exceptions, a repeat of the other two ‘Patriotic Pops’ programs that weekend,” she said.
The first song was called “Halls of Justice,” written by a musician named Kevin Kohler, a former AOCI inmate.
Kohler was up for parole in 2021 after serving 18 years of his sentence.
3 US cities for history buffs and patriotic travelers this summer
“On the third anniversary of Kevin’s parole, he returned as a guest to AOCI to hear the premiere of his own work,” Brown Ellis said.
The second difference, she said, is the choral accompaniment at the end of the program.
The Lima Symphony Orchestra “joined AOCI’s 100-member male choir to sing the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ accompanied by our orchestra.”
“We want people on the outside to see us as human beings. We love music just as much as they do. Music moves us and inspires us.”
One of the singers, Jeff Hawkins, reflected on the experience in a statement released by the Lima Symphony.
“We want people on the outside to see us as human beings. We love music just like they do. Music moves us and inspires us,” he said.
Making the concert happen “was no easy feat,” Brown-Ellis said, requiring “multiple levels of approval” from prison officials and the Ohio Department of Corrections.
At the end of the “Patriotic Pops” program, a choir of 100 prison men joined the Lima Symphony Orchestra to perform “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” (Modmedia)
“Each person had to undergo a background check and sign a media release form,” Brown-Ellis said.
“We also had to submit an inventory of everything that was being brought into the prison – all the sheet music, all the instruments, cases, etc. All of this was approved in advance.”
In addition, “numerous meetings were held to discuss the rules and procedures” surrounding the performance, and the Lima Symphony Orchestra had to follow “very strict guidelines” regarding filming and recording the performance.
Click here to sign up for our lifestyle newsletter
“While it was a lot of work on our part, I know it was the Ohio Department of Corrections (ODC) that really worked to make this historic event happen,” Brown-Ellis said.
Brown-Ellis said she is hopeful the Lima Symphony will be able to return to AOCI, but that it is not her decision to make. “We have already begun discussions about plans for next year, but the decision will be made by ODC officials,” she said.
In the meantime, the Lima Symphony Orchestra plans to continue performing with smaller ensembles, she said.
The hope is that in the future the orchestra will be allowed to return to the prison to perform again. (Modmedia)
“It is often said that [on how] “The inmates are lucky to have music in prison,” Brown-Ellis said.
She disagrees, saying, “We are the lucky ones.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
“Every musician who has performed at AOCI, whether they’ve played in a full orchestra or as part of an ensemble group, has told me how the experience has changed them. This is the most meaningful and important work we’ve ever done,” she said.
“The musicians are so gracious and so willing to listen,” Brown Ellis continued, and the inmates “welcome us into their homes, share their stories, and open up to us.”
The unusual prison performance required special permission from the Ohio Department of Corrections. (Modmedia)
“During performances, I often watch the men close their eyes, let themselves go with the music and be transported to another place and time,” she said.
For more lifestyle stories, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
“We gave them hope and peace, and they gave us that and more.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Allen Oakwood Correctional Facility for additional comment about this performance and future performances.
