Symphony of Soul is experiencing a high pitch of activity and dancing to a fast rhythm right now!

At a recent visit with the teenagers of the Williamson County Juvenile Detention Center, I had that powerful experience of music breaking open the room.  As I stood before 50 or so teenagers sitting crisply in their army fatigues and watching me with suspicion and curiosity, I could see the question racing in their minds, "Who is this woman and why is she here?"  I knew these kids were the product of broken homes where violence, abuse and neglect are part of the "normal" daily experience.  With love, trust and consistency being rare commodities in the lives of these wounded souls, I understood why they sat there with walls around their hearts and closed expressions on their faces. 

But as soon as music entered the room, the dynamics changed.  After I finished singing the African American spiritual "Motherless Child", eyes brightened, faces softened and hands shot up.  "Miss Leslie, may I get up and sing something, too?"  It became a talent fest as several of the kids got up to sing.  Amidst cheers and high fives and laughter, I could feel their defenses falling away.  In those precious moments, they were no longer wounded teenagers defending themselves against the world.  During our time together, we forgot that we were separate.  We forgot our differences.  We were all Children of God together in the same room, opening our hearts and sharing our humanity and our love of music.  For me, it was a taste of Heaven.

I marvel at the power of music to bring people together and I know, from first-hand experience, that the breaking open of hearts and rooms and softening of defenses happens all the time at Symphony of Soul performances.  Just ask the wonderful musicians on our roster.  They all have heartwarming stories to share about their experiences of performing for our fragile clients.  As they will readily tell you, Symphony of Soul is certainly not for the faint of heart.  We are serving very fragile audiences, most of them caught in the grip of some of the darkest human struggles possible - people who are dying in hospice, lost in the throes of Alzheimer's, wrestling with drug and alcohol addiction, struggling with cancer, or toughing it out on the streets.

It is because of your support, my friends, that we are able to provide our services to these fragile clients.  In fact, I am thrilled to report that we have just received a generous donation from a family foundation based in Houston.   How inspiring to know that our friends outside of Austin are so supportive of our mission!  I am also delighted to share with you that the renowned composer, producer, arranger Gary Powell has joined our Advisory Board.  Not only is Gary helping me to put together my own upcoming CD, he is one of Austin's greatest treasures in the music scene.  We are also very fortunate to add the much beloved singer/songwriter Sara Hickman, the highly regarded jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton, and the sought-after Original Recipe Band to our roster of musicians.  We are buzzing along with the "Sugar & Spice" compilation CD and looking forward to celebrating with you at Antone's in September.

I thank you for your participation in the Symphony of Soul family.  It is because of you that our musicians are blasting down walls, opening up hearts and softening defenses.  It is your presence in the Symphony of Soul family that makes such experiences possible for our musicians and our clients.  It is your presence that is so deeply healing to a great many people, including me.