The Art of Healing: For Tracie

She didn’t even make it through an entire song. Wandering around a Barnes and Nobles bookstore, listening to the song that was playing over the speaker system, Tracie knew she was a fan for life. But who was this group? There was something magical about the way these voices blended and wove together to create the type of music that was bringing goose bumps to her goose bumps. That’s when she first discovered the Canadian Tenors. What she didn’t know at that time, though, was just how important The Canadian Tenors’ music would become to her.

The youngest of two, Tracie is close to her family. In December 2009, her mother was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer, and dove headfirst into the world of chemotherapy and radiation. Fortunately, her mother is only one more test away from getting the all clear. Her father has been experiencing a slow decline in his health over the past few years, taking longer and longer to bounce back from any health issues. Just as her mother was recovering in late June 2010, Tracie received news she had been dreading; her father had fallen and been seriously injured.

Before she headed to the hospital, she saw her iPod out of the corner of her eye and tossed it into her bag.  Who knew how long she would have to wait while they determined just what had happened to her dad.

While she was waiting in the emergency room, she sent a text to her friend Theresia, who was the first Canadian Tenors fan she had connected with online.  In fact, they had met in person at a Canadian Tenors concert in Carefree, AZ, only a week before her dad’s accident. If that wasn’t The Tenors’ bringing people together, then what was?

While she was putting her phone back into her purse after sending the message, she felt the cool metal of her iPod and decided to pull it out. Putting the iPod on shuffle, the first song that happened to play was “Hallelujah”, by The Canadian Tenors. That melody – that tune – had the ability to bring Tracie to tears each and every time she heard it, and this was no exception.

Through the ups-and-downs of her father’s surgery, his stay in ICU, her mother’s car accident, and the stress of dealing with it all while her brother had to work out of town, Tracie somehow forgot to take care of herself. One day, she decided to put some music on in the background while trying to get some things done around her home. Needing the comfort that she always felt while listening to their music, she chose her Tenors’ playlist

For whatever reason, listening to their voices was the catalyst for Tracie to finally break down and release the fear, anxiety, and stress she had locked inside herself for the last month. Without warning, she found herself curled into a ball on the floor next to her bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Tracie has always loved music, but no other music has ever evoked the reaction that The Canadian Tenors did on that particular day. No other artists have inspired her to want to give back somehow – to find a way to say thank you for what they have done for her.

In a sense, The Canadian Tenors have given her “herself” back. Over the past two years, she had managed to lose and keep off 70 pounds.  She was finally starting to discover a sense of worth about herself, which she had been lacking for many years.  But with the health scares that her parents had gone through, she managed to lose who she was.

Through the Tenors and their music, she has started to discover the good in life again. She’s back to being able to appreciate the joy that comes from their music. She’s excited about the prospects of being able to support the Tenors in their efforts through Voices for Bulembu. Most of all she’s grateful for the healing that The Canadian Tenors’ music has brought to her.

Tracie and her friend (and blog author), Theresia with the Canadian Tenors in Carefree, Arizona

The Art of Healing: For Corry

Your mother is someone on whom you can trust. No matter how old you get, you’ll always be your mother’s daughter. This was true for Corry. Her mother was the one she could always count on, even when her impulsive streak took over, leading her down a path that could spell trouble. Her mother was the one she depended on for so much as she faced life’s ups-and-downs. Then her mother died, and Corry lost herself.

Her grief wouldn’t end there. She would lose her father, a brother and two sisters. She would face hard times as a business owner and as a surrogate mother to her nephew. Corry humbly says that, in comparison to some others, her life hasn’t been all that hard, but she has grieved, and she has become intimately acquainted with pain.

Corry’s relationship with her nephew, Maikel began to change when he told her about a performance he had seen on Oprah. He introduced her to the Canadian Tenors, who appeared on the show in January with another Canadian, Celine Dion. As Corry describes it, she was completely in love with them at first sight! She and her nephew now had a common interest, something to enjoy together.

Just three months after they watched the Tenors’ performance on Oprah, the two, who live in the Netherlands, were off to see the Tenors perform live. Corry says she was struck by how their personalities resonate through their voices, blending together to create a magical ambiance. As of this writing, she and her nephew have seen the Tenors in concert five times and will see them an additional four more times before the year is out with tickets to shows in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, New York, and Toronto. Did I mention they live in Holland?

Corry delights in the moments she gets to talk to Clifton, Fraser, Remigio and Victor after each performance. She believes their music has brought joy back to her life, and for that reason, this successful entrepreneur is willing to do whatever she can to support the Tenors in their rise to success.

To start, Corry has organized a Canadian Tenors Fan Day, which will take place in Almere, Holland on Saturday, October 23, 2010. The event, which will be held at Het Plein, will last from 12:00 pm until 7:00 pm, and is a fundraiser to help support the Bulembu Foundation, the charity for which the Tenors are ambassadors through Voices for Bulembu. Corry has been touched by the stories she has heard of the plight the citizens of Bulembu have faced as often told by the Tenors. As she says, “We know we can’t turn back time in Bulembu, but if everybody gives just one dollar, they will overcome their crisis.”

It is her hope that as Bulembu gets back to where it belongs, as a self-sustaining community, similar projects for other towns can begin. Corry’s mission is two-fold: Help the Canadian Tenors and support the vision of restoring the town of Bulembu.

She wants to open up the world to the music of the Canadian Tenors so the world can know the joy she has experienced. More exposure and success for them means more exposure and resources for Bulembu. As more resources are made available to Bulembu, they will be able to experience greater joy in their lives as well, also, in part because of the Canadian Tenors.

"Corry Puts with Fraser Walters and Victor Micallef of the Canadian Tenors"

The Art of Healing: For Debbie

Most episodes of Oprah’s hit TV show garner a lot of conversation. But this one particular episode still has people talking, nearly a year later. It’s the one where the Canadian Tenors are surprised in the middle of their hit song, “Hallelujah” with an on-stage visit by their idol, Celine Dion. The first remark most people make is of the stunning sounds that come from the four voices that make up the Tenors. Next are of the absolutely adorable reactions, especially of Fraser and Remigio when they finally realize Celine is standing right next to them. You just can’t help but smile.

Smiles were desperately what Debbie needed as she watched that episode back in early February. She and her husband had been living the American dream as upper-middle class citizens in Boston, reaping the benefits of hard work and enjoying what they needed and at times, what they wanted. But long before the mortgage industry went bust and the recession took over the headlines on the nightly news, Debbie and her husband, who worked as a mortgage consultant at the time, found themselves in a financial bind. Her husband eventually lost his job when his company closed. The couple has since depleted their savings just to survive and cover every day expenses. While both are now employed, their combined salaries still don’t provide enough to keep them free from financial worry.

Since discovering the Canadian Tenors, Debbie says she has found great joy in times when joy has been lacking. She is thankful for the life she has with her husband, daughter and extended family, but finds herself overwhelmed, as many people are, with wondering how to make ends meet on a daily basis. The stress of a chokingly tight budget has gotten in the way of enjoying life. But she makes it a point to play one or both of the Tenors CD’s every day, knowing she’ll find a brief respite, an opportunity to relax and be carried away by the beauty of the blended voices. For a much-needed belly laugh, she returns to the Oprah episode and replays Remigio’s reaction to Celine’s surprise visit. For relaxing entertainment, she watches their PBS DVD, relishing in the camaraderie and familial interaction of the brothers with voices.

Debbie describes their music as soothing, soulful, emotional. She is especially touched by the combination of tenderness and power in Fraser’s voice, the pure emotion and handsome expression he brings to each piece he sings, Victor’s heartwarming smile, and the ability they all have to take her away from the pressure, anxiety and doubt. Debbie knows the music of the Canadian Tenors won’t change her current circumstances. But what she finds in each of their voices, their individual skills and achievements, their affable and genuine nature makes her feel at home and nourished, reminding her that her circumstances are temporary but music is everlasting.

The Art of Healing: For Pam

It’s never easy watching someone die. First there was the diagnosis of stage four-lung cancer. As if that wasn’t hard enough, Pam and her family learned that her mother’s cancer had already metastasized and spread to her brain. Lynda was diagnosed in May 2009 and passed away in February 2010.

Lynda endured radiation treatments that seemed almost as deadly as the disease itself, reactions to medications, seizures and a horrific fall that landed her in the hospital for weeks with three broken ribs. Pam spent many long days and nights at the hospital watching and waiting, hoping for a miracle that wouldn’t come this side of heaven. But Pam found comfort in the music of the Canadian Tenors.

Pam had seen the Tenors in an intimate outdoor concert last summer not long after her mother’s diagnosis. She’d already heard of the Tenors through radio airplay of their hit song, “I Only Know How to Love”. Lynda was also a fan but because of the intense treatment she had already begun, was unable to attend the concert. Keeping a promise to her mother, Pam brought home two Tenors CD’s, one for herself and one for her mother. The music of the Canadian Tenors was something they shared together in Lynda’s final months; the music Pam believes provided her mother with peace during her illness.

Pam says she found solace and stillness from the Tenors music as well.  She would listen to their music at the end of a long day or night at the hospital and simply allow the music to provide an escape, even if only temporarily, from the stress associated with her mother’s illness. Pam felt helpless watching her mother suffer and ultimately lose the battle but the gentle, angelic sounds of the four voices of Clifton, Remigio, Fraser and Victor provided a tranquility she could find nowhere else.

Listening to the music of the Tenors since her mother’s passing still provides Pam with peace and calm and even great joy. Pam will listen for hours and remember the time she shared with her mother. The memories of the common bond they had in their love of the Tenors music and the happiness her mother felt when she received the CD of the Tenors is an irreplaceable gift for Pam. Knowing she was able to provide that source of pleasure for her mother in her final months soothes Pam and gives her great delight in moments of sadness.

(Pam’s mother, Lynda)

The Art of Healing: For Monique

For the first four years of her life, Monique didn’t speak. She didn’t speak because she couldn’t hear. But she went undiagnosed until a teacher suggested her parents consider hearing loss as the culprit. It was then that her parents decided to send little Monique away to a special school. She needed help they couldn’t give her.

With hearing aids, she could hear, but barely. She had to learn to read lips. She had to learn to speak. She learned to “feel” music through the rhythmic sensations that resonated through the floor. All Monique knew was that she was away from her family. She returned home each weekend but it was only long enough to whet her appetite for more. Her sisters had a family. She had… no one.

Feeling unloved and unlovable, Monique sheltered herself from friends until she met the man who would become her husband, Rene. They met when she was just 16 but he was committed to loving her for who she was despite her limitations. This was going to take some getting used to. By the time she was 18, she was bed-ridden with depression; torn over this new-found unconditional love and a history that suggested she wasn’t worth such a fairy tale ending. Add to the confusion, new technology and upgrades to hearing aids that made discovering new sounds possible yet frightening.

Monique and Rene, who live in the Netherlands, added two children to their family. Her depression worsened. She was unable to leave her home because of the anxiety she felt due to her hearing impairment. She was unable to work, to sustain relationships outside of her marriage, unable to care for her children. Rene continued to stand by her side as she began therapy for her depression. For Monique, it was a long, agonizing process of coming out of her shell.

Only three years ago did she finally have the willpower to step outside of her home and do volunteer work to help people with mental challenges. As she helped others, she continued to heal. In March 2010, a colleague where she volunteered gave her a CD of a group called the Canadian Tenors. Monique took the CD home, pressed play and sat at her table to grab a bite to eat.

Without warning, her body began to shake uncontrollably as tears streamed down her cheeks. She trembled as she listened to the voices but couldn’t fully hear the words emanating from the speakers. She listened to the song again and again. And slowly, the words became clearer. The four different voices were now distinct. The instruments were vibrant and melodious. And for the first time in her life, she could feel the music. Only this time, the music didn’t start from her feet. It started at the center of her being and spread through her entire soul.

The words of the song, “Home I’ll Be” have a special meaning for Monique. She has discovered that she is now indeed Home. No other voices have touched her and helped her heal from her depression like that of the Canadian Tenors. No other music and voices has helped her to feel music in the same way – with pure, unadulterated emotion. No other music has inspired her to reach beyond her comfort zone to a world outside of her home to attend concerts in London and Vancouver, vacation in Italy, and to do volunteer work for Bulembu, for which the Canadian Tenors are ambassadors through Voices for Bulembu.

For Monique, music has brought her to a place of healing that, although not yet complete, is a place of comfort; a place she can call home.

What is the Art of your Healing?