Look for the Helpers: cancelled

When Mr. Rogers was a boy, his mother would often comfort him when he was scared from the tragedies he would see on the news. In her wisdom, she would say, “Always look for the helpers… If you look for the helpers, you’ll know that there’s hope.”

This concert is inspired by that perspective. As we continue to reel from the repercussions of the Marshall fire — which left several of our choir and community members without homes — and as we still navigate the global tragedy that the COVID-19 pandemic has incurred, our concert serves as a source of solace and comfort. We sing to celebrate the healthcare workers who cared for the sick. We sing to honor the families and friends we have relied on as an emotional ballast. And we sing to remember that we are not alone in whatever physical and mental health struggles we may endure. In the end, we are reminded that we are surrounded by a world of helpers.

From an original arrangement of Mr. Rogers’ own Won’t You Be My Neighbor? to the soothing a cappella composition I Will Not Leave You Comfortless by William Byrd, we explore the hope found in the helpers. Additional highlights that speak to this theme include the moving Ubi Caritas et Amor by Maurice Duruflé, The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre, and Still With Thee by Elaine Hagenberg featuring text by Harriet Beecher Stowe.