Spotlight on Tuckamore Festival & Fort Amherst Healthcare
Nothing goes together like music and friends. And thanks to a new partnership between the Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival and Fort Amherst Healthcare, seniors living in St. John's are getting a healthy heaping of both.
It all started when a Tuckamore board member reached out to Mike Powell, President of Fort Amherst Healthcare, about the potential of establishing a partnership. With a deep connection to the local classical music scene (his sister was involved with Tuckamore and he's a previous treasurer with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra), he was quick to jump on board.
"We're always trying to find high quality performers to come in and spend time with our residents. It's easy to find, I would say, traditional music. But we've got people who also love jazz, and we've got people who love classical music, and we've got sort of all walks," he says.
Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves of Duo Concertante performed for residents over the fall.
The partnership, which started during the summer of 2023, sees musicians with the Tuckamore Festival (who are paid for their time) perform classical music for residents at several seniors living facilities managed by Fort Amherst Healhtcare. So far, these performances have taken place at Bishops Gardens and Westbury Estates and have featured Tuckamore's Young Artist trio, an alumni group, and Duo Concertante (featuring Tuckamore's Artistic Directors Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves).
Powell says the partnership is a great way to help spread the joy of classical music and provide a unique experience for residents, while fostering a sense of community.
"The performances have been, obviously, really high calibre...And we've seen firsthand how responsive people are to classical music especially," he says.
Timothy Steeves and Nancy Dahn of Duo Concertante performed a selection of classical tunes for residents at a living facility managed by Fort Amherst Healthcare.
"The residents love it...and we're always trying to find new ways to build community. That's a big part of what we do. And sometimes you don't realize how much you have in common with the person next to you until you're exposed to stuff like this and you realize that you both love Brahms or whatever the case is. We've definitely seen some new friendships kind of pick up as people found out that they loved some of the same classical music as the people that they're sharing meals with or playing cards with. So that's kind of a neat way that it helps foster community as well."
In addition to contributing to Tuckamore's outreach efforts, which is one of their four main tenets, the partnership is "an opportunity to increase beauty and bring music into their (the residents’) lives," says Tuckamore's Executive Director, Lynette Stoyles. And it's a wonderful opportunity for the performers, too, she adds.
"It's important to give back and to make that part of a musician's life. And by starting that at the young artist level and moving it straight through, it kind of reaffirms the importance of that," she says.
"It's a really lovely partnership...walking in and just seeing the residents and seeing the interchange between the artists and the residents is quite beautiful."
Powell says the partnership is a great asset that contributes to residents' lives in more ways than one.
"There are lots of people who find it calming and they enjoy that. There's lots of people who are classical music lovers and it brings something special to them as well. And Tuckamore have been wonderful to deal with," he says.
"I think it's been a great opportunity for young performers through Tuckamore to come out and to play. There are clinical benefits to our residents and social benefits that come from it. It's also a bit of fun. So a big thanks to Tuckamore for doing such a great job at arranging and coordinating the performances."