THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 7, 2022 Page 11 Malden musician joins barrier-breaking performance at Symphony Hall on Jan. 23 N ew England–based Me2/ (“me, too”), a classical music organization created for musicians living with mental illnesses and the people who support them, will bring together 100 of its regional players for “Stigma-Free at Symphony Hall,” a concert for audience members with mental illnesses and their allies that is open to all. The concert, which will be performed on January 23 at Boston’s Symphony Hall, marks Me2/’s 10th year and is free to all. Reservations can be made at bso.org/events/ me2-orchestra. The players will come from Me2/ outposts in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and include Malden musician Victoria Wang playing the violin. Some players will share onstage personal stories of navigating their illness, and their musical journeys. Me2/ Cofounder/Executive Director Caroline Whiddon says a more welcoming approach to people with mental illness is timely, considering psychological impacts of the pandemic and the broader conversation it raised about acknowledging mental health needs in America. Whiddon said half of Me2/’s musicians live with a diagnosis: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, depression, addiction or anxiety. “From a social justice and inclusion standpoint,” she said. “It’s powerful for audience members to be free of traditional expectations at a classical music concert, and to see people like themselves on stage.” Whiddon said the group works to create stigma-free zones in its own rehearsals, backstage and at other gatherings, so offering the same for audience members was a natural step. She notes that some people living with mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, PTSD or addiction, might have anxiety about the expectations around attending classical music performances. “We plan to make everyone comfortable at this performance by taking the pressure off the experience of attending a concert,” Whiddon said. “Our philosophy is ‘come any way you can,’ ‘be who you are’ and ‘do what you need to do while SYMPHONY HALL| SEE PAGE 17 Northeast Metro Tech School Building Project Zoom Meetings planned for Jan. 12 and 19 Key vote on funding across 12-member district, including Malden, Revere and Saugus, set for Jan. 25 A bove is an artist's rendering of the proposed new school building. Leading up to a Tuesday, January 25 Special Election regarding funding for the proposed new school, the Northeast Metro Tech Building Project Committee is hosting three virtual Zoom meetings where details will be explained to all who attend. Anyone from the 12 school districts who send students to Northeast Metro Tech may attend, receive information and have questions answered by members of the committee. Voters from Malden, Revere and Saugus (in The Advocate readership area) are encouraged to attend. Learn more about the Northeast Metro Tech Construction Project at any of the upcoming info sessions on Wednesdays, January 12 and January 19 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. (The first one was held on January 5. Event details are at facebook.com/ NewNEMT/events. Take the Malden Courthouse Arts & Culture Survey! M embers of the Malden community are invited to take a short survey on the future of the Malden District Courthouse on Summer Street, which is slated to become a Center for Arts & Culture for the whole community to enjoy. This past year a Malden Center for Arts & Culture Steering Committee made up of diverse community members representing local arts and culture organizations has been meeting to craft a vision for the building’s future. Uses might include theater, dance and music performances, studio and maker spaces, classrooms and coworking amenities, youth programming, galleries and cultural programming. A short survey is now available in seven languages so that Maldonians can share their ideas. To take the survey, visit mapc. ma/maldenculturesurvey. For more information, contact Malden Senior Planner Evan Spetrini at espetrini@cityofmalden. org or Ward 3 Councillor Amanda Linehan at alinehan@cityofmalden.org.
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