Paths To Dignity - Violin Concerto Reading Rehearsal: 1. Our Stories

Lucas Richman’s “Concerto for Violin: Paths to Dignity” reflects upon the lives affected by homelessness by translating to music the stories of unsheltered individuals and the community’s moral responsibility to those individuals. While the concerto has been performed in North Carolina, Michigan and Tennessee, this reading rehearsal constitutes the first time the conductor has led the work from the podium with violin soloist, Mitchell Newman, for whom the work was written.

Concerto for Violin: Paths To Dignity
by Lucas Richman
1. Our Stories

Mitchell Newman, violin
Lucas Richman, conductor
Bangor Symphony Orchestra

Lucas Richman’s “Concerto for Violin: Paths to Dignity” is presented in four movements which share a common thread of a seven-note motive, D-B-G-G-B-F-D (DIGNITY), woven throughout the piece in various forms. The solo violinist serves in the capacity of an observer who ultimately leads the community towards the mutual goal of restoring humanity and dignity to those affected by being unsheltered in our society today.

The first movement, “Our Stories,” has various instruments representing the unsheltered by playing a musical iteration of the phrase, “This is my story,” to which the violinist replies, “I hear you, I see you.” The individuals join in a chorus and response while the violinist guides the sheltered audience to increased awareness of the issue they can no longer ignore.

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The Paths To Dignity Project was created by conductor/composer Lucas Richman and violinist Mitchell Newman for the purpose of forging relationships between homeless advocacy agencies and cultural presenting organizations. The PTD Project is built on a two-part concept, with Lucas Richman's “Concerto for Violin: Paths to Dignity” serving as the musical centerpiece to a series of community engagement activities which begin in the days and weeks prior to the piece's performance and continue afterwards as an established interactive program.

The intention is to bring the PTD Project to cities across the United States as a means by which to inform, educate, and inspire as well as mitigate fear when it comes to discussing the ever-growing issues of unsheltered living. The hope is that the PTD Project might ultimately help facilitate assistance for the unsheltered and, when appropriate, serve as a guide towards reintegration into society.

For more information, please visit www.pathstodignity.com.