“We use music as a way of nurturing the whole person.”
This message is at the heart of This House of Peace, a work commissioned by PeaceHealth in 2008 to celebrate the opening of the new Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend and dedicated to PeaceHealth Caregivers. The text in the choral-orchestral work, which premiered at the Oregon Bach Festival in 2008 (OBF), weaves together the actual words of family members (sung by the soloist) whose loved ones were in Sacred Heart Hospital, with a lyric adapted from a Gaelic house blessing (sung by the chorus), serving as the Caregiver’s voice, prayerfully asking for guidance and strength in their efforts to be a healing presence for those they care for.
“I hope that This House of Peace resonates with those who have been cared for by our health care community, as well as those whose hands provide that care and healing,” composer Ralph Johnson said. “I hope the audience, in general, will come away with a deeper sense of understanding and compassion for the caregivers who serve—and the people who are served by—this community.
“This House of Peace speaks to the universal shared experiences we have as humans; our need to be loved and cared for and our desire to love and care for others,” Carleen McCornack, who previously worked for PeaceHealth and played a critical role in the piece’s commission, said.
For conductor Anton Armstrong, the section of the piece depicting the story of a young mother who stayed in the guest house while her baby was in the NICU, is incredibly poignant. Johnson integrates the mother’s words almost verbatim in the work: “My little girl was conceived under a bridge,” the soloist sings, representing the mother. “I have never lived in a house before that is clean all the time; where people talk nice to each other all the time; where the TV is not blaring all the time. I learned I can be here. I want this for my baby and I’m going to do it.”
“Just as the providers cared for that mother as a human being, we use music as a way of nurturing the whole person,” Armstrong said. “It can serve as a bridge between people who are very different. “Music that goes beyond excellent performance has a transformative power. Her story, this piece, has that.”
Of OBF co-founder, Royce Saltzman, Armstrong said, “He was always trying to see how this festival could be part of and serve the wider Eugene community. That was a major aspect of Royce’s being. He was a man of service.” The collaboration between OBF and PeaceHealth exemplifies Royce’s vision of creating community through music.
“We are thinking of and remembering Royce Salzman with admiration and gratitude, for without his kind, open heart and guidance, This House of Peace might never have come to be,” McCornack said.
Now fifteen years since its creation, This House of Peace remains relevant today. “The past few years have been—and continue to be—a challenging and terrible time for the doctors and nurses who have helped to bring us through the recent pandemic,” Johnson notes. “They are overworked and exhausted, and yet they continue to show up to serve us when we’re in need of care. I hope this piece and performance can serve as a modest but sincere “thank you” to them for their life-saving work.”
Composer Ralph Johnson has attended all performances of This House of Peace at OBF and will be present for the next showing on July 12, during the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy concert at Beall Concert Hall. Tickets are available at OregonBachFestival.org.