What We Do
"This performance makes me want to live again."
Unison Chamber Music Collective performs free, professional level chamber concerts at homeless shelters, prisons, and addiction recovery centers.
We offer our programming in a unique engagement based way that meets the audience where they are, allowing their voices to be heard and valued, and giving them access to the true healing powers of this art form.
We make it a priority to make sure each individual in our audience feels seen, and to this effort we visit each of our partnering venues monthly to cultivate this sense of community.
Our Programs
Concert Series
We put on monthly chamber music concerts at our partner facilities including prisons, shelters, and recovery centers in Michigan. We program music representative of the populations we serve including a diverse collection of works from Motzart to contemporary classical.
Commission Project
Each year we seek commissioned chamber music works from 18-30 year-old global majority student composers. We will premiere their pieces in our series, allowing the composers to interact with the audience members, and we will professionally record the work for the composer's use.
Field Trip Program
Our field trip program is a unique initiative where we bring members of our community from shelters and addiction centers to a concert hall. Many of the participants have said that it is only because of their experience with unison concerts that they felt comfortable attending a live concert in this way.
Our Purpose
Classical music has long been perceived as an exclusive art form, accessible primarily to privileged audiences within traditional concert halls.
This exclusivity has created significant disparities in access, leaving many communities disconnected from its transformative power. There is an urgent need to reimagine the role of classical music in society, breaking down cultural and systemic barriers that have limited its reach.
Unison addresses this gap by bringing high-quality performances to the incarcerated, unhoused, and those facing addiction. At our events, we emphasize inclusivity, representation, and engagement.
By fostering meaningful connections between performers and listeners, Unison is creating spaces where classical music is not just an elite art form, but a unifying medium for cultural exchange and shared humanity.
"This music reminds me of the music I listened to when I was a child to give me hope."