Gather Hear offers concerts in prisons,
both while on tour and in our home state of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts concerts are produced in partnership with The Boston College Prison Education Program (BCPEP) and supported by Mass Cultural Council.
“The concert made me feel peaceful and grounded. For about an hour I forgot I was in prison.”
Philosophy
We believe everyone deserves access to meaningful encounters with classical music.
Especially in prisons, we believe in the importance of affirming everyone’s humanity through music.
Concerts are educational, provide an opportunity to connect with our emotions and with each other, and offer moments of peace and solace.
History
December 2023: First ever Gather Hear prison concert at Bullock Correction Facility in Alabama, a medium-security men’s prison, in partnership with Alabama Prison Arts & Education Program (part of the Gather Hear Alabama tour)
September 2024: Presentations/performances at Long Creek Youth Development Center, a juvenile detention center in Portland, in partnership with Portland Ovations (part of the Gather Hear Maine tour)
March 2025: Concert at MCI-Shirley, a medium-security men’s prison in Massachusetts, in partnership with BCPEP
2025-2026 Season: More concerts in Massachusetts prisons are being planned in partnership with BCPEP
Audience response cards from our concert at MCI-Shirley. At all 2024-25 Gather Hear concerts, audience members were asked to fill out the cards while they listened. During the last selection on the program, notecards from the preceding concert were read out loud, symbolizing the inter-connectedness of us all across state lines, socioeconomic divisions, and prison walls.