Social Justice
"This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." — Leonard Bernstein
Music is a powerful medium for social change. It empowers communities to come together and unite behind issues that affect them. Riverview Chamber Players program and perform music that amplifies these themes and provides comfort and hope.
Music Director Rebecca Strauss firmly believes in music’s intrinsic power to heal. Riverview Chamber Players is devoted to performing music at the intersection of wellness and social justice and serving those in need.
Among the groups or causes we believe deserve more attention:
victims and survivors of gun violence
hunger and food insecurity
environmental sustainability and climate change
LGBTQIA+ rights
Victims and survivors of domestic violence
Harmony & Hope: Responding to Violence with Music
Director Rebecca Strauss designed and produced Harmony & Hope: Responding to Violence with Music as an annual performance and community event to support families of homicide victims, remember the lives of those lost to violence, and stand together against gun and street violence. Performances interweave classical chamber music, gospel music, and personal stories about the impact of violence.
By providing a bridge between communities and races, these moving events connect us to our common humanity, offer a respite from pain, and provide a renewed sense of gratitude and joy for life.
Harmony & Hope is for the families of Legacy Lives On and so many others who have experienced unimaginable grief and loss. Because of COVID-19 and the need to follow physical distancing protocols, small-scale offerings of healing music will continue in a variety of forms including therapeutic music for members of Legacy Lives On and the Just-In Time Initiative.
Watch an Excerpt from the First Annual Harmony & Hope in 2016:
Watch Harmony & Hope Highlights from Previous Years:
"I have never experienced such highs and lows in a performance because it was all so genuine. You could tell people left feeling uplifted and hopeful." — Adrienne Robinson
"It was a moving, heartfelt and healing event. I found myself fluctuating between the deep feelings of loss and sadness and then bearing witness to heroic examples of resilience and growth from those most impacted by violence.... it was a true gift to all of us who had the privilege to be there."— Allen Spivack
"Acknowledging a family's loss brings us a step closer to brotherhood and sisterhood." — Julie Shearer
Pop-up Food Pantry Concerts
Supporting Musicians & Serving the Community
As we navigate an unprecedented time in a difficult pandemic, our lives are turned upside down and we continue to struggle to figure out how to help those in deep financial, mental, and physical distress. From a safe social distance, Riverview Chamber Players is performing outdoor pop-up chamber music concerts near food pantry lines in Greater Boston towns hit hard by COVID-19. We serve those who ordinarily lack access to classical chamber music, with the goal of providing comfort and healing.
Concerts sponsored by the Friends of Riverview Chamber Players.
"The music Riverview Chamber Players perform at the Allston Brighton Food Pantry is part of the overall display of unconditional love that our church community creates on each distribution day."
—Richard Stroshane, Church Administrator, Brighton-Allston Congregational Church
"Playing at the food pantry concerts has been the most meaningful activity of this pandemic for me. I am quite sure the receivers of these musical performances are appreciative, so it is a win-win situation. The importance of these pop-up concerts cannot be over-stated. Live music heals!"
—Margaret Phillips, bassoonist
"Playing at the RCP was honestly one of the most uplifting experiences of my summer! To have the opportunity to play live music for our local community brings nothing but joy. Folks coming together in our common humanity, bonding through shared experience (in this case music and sunshine), with no need for words... whether playing or listening, everyone is nourished. I can’t wait to return!"
—Jenny Stirling, violinist
These programs are made possible by your generous donations.
Please click here to make a donation via Paypal, or Venmo @Rebecca-Strauss-12