Shared by Nancy Mazonson

Music can unify people across many boundaries and cultures. This holiday season, Parkinson's Family Support Tremble Clefs partnered with the Bridges outreach program of the Back Bay Chorale to perform two songs in their A Boston Christmas concert at the Old South Church in Copley Square!

Before performing, the Tremble Clefs, a chorus made up of people with Parkinson's disease and their care partners, and the Back Bay Chorale rehearsed together. These rehearsals were inspiring and full of laughter, music making, joy, mutual support, and friendship. These feelings and the connection between the two choral groups was clear to everyone in the Old South Church: the audience was moved and the Tremble Clefs received a standing ovation!

Singing in such a magnificent setting with our new friends and the 900 person audience validated our belief – which is also confirmed by the research – that arts engagement and connection with a community can build resilience for people with Parkinson's disease. Through their involvement in singing, the Tremble Clefs are helping redefine what it means to live with a chronic disease.

On Christmas morning, we were excited to see that the Boston Globe featured the partnership between the Tremble Clefs and the Back Bay Chorale on their front page!

Scott Allen Jarrett, the Back Bay Chorale's Conductor, shared his feelings about the partnership this holiday season: "Yes, it's a season of giving but it's also a season of finding our common humanity, making those deeper connections with others." We couldn't agree more and are so happy to have joined together to connect the members of the Tremble Clefs with the members of the Back Bay Chorale.

Nancy Mazonson, MS, OTR/L, has directed the Parkinson's Family Support program of JF&CS since its inception in September 2006. The program is a leading resource in Greater Boston with its unique programs, including Parkinson's Dance, adult child and care partner support groups, a women's group, and the Tremble Clefs chorus. Prior to her work at JF&CS, Nancy worked extensively as an occupational therapist in inpatient and community-based rehabilitation settings, specializing in helping people with degenerative neurological conditions. She speaks frequently in Greater Boston about the ways in which quality of life with Parkinson's disease can be improved.