McLean Youth Harmony, a music club at McLean, held a classical music performance for the residents of Brightview McLean, a senior living center. Held on March 15, the performance lasted one hour and featured violin, bassoon, bass clarinet and piano performances.

“I enjoy how happy everybody looks when we’re playing. It’s a little nerve-wracking because everybody’s looking at me, but it makes me so happy when I see their faces when they’re listening,” senior and bass clarinetist Ginevra Saunders said. “They just look very relaxed and they’re enjoying themselves. That’s what I want to bring to them.”

Founded in 2019, Youth Harmony regularly performs in various kinds of settings for people in need.

“Youth Harmony’s mission is to spread music throughout the community,” Saunders said. “We usually go to senior living centers where we play different pieces for them, such as solos, duets and trios. We’ve done video performances during COVID-19, and we sent them to hospitals. Right now, we’re currently working on expanding to farmers markets to further our mission.”

At the end of the performance, performers held a Q&A session for senior residents to ask questions.

“We’ve always been doing Q&As,” Saunders said. “I want to wrap up by talking to the seniors and engaging with them because they’ve been sitting in silence and listening to us. I want to explain how we got into music, why we enjoy doing it and how it’s a pleasure for us to come here.”

Above all, Youth Harmony hopes to cheer up their audience.

“To be fair, there’s not a ton of joy to be found [retirement homes], because it’s where [residents are] spending the last couple years of their life,” senior and bassoonist Enrico Guertin said. “I enjoy playing in retirement homes; it’s really beneficial for everyone involved.”