My husband was a wonderful and complex man. He was an engineer, having graduated from this university with his BSc in engineering. He was a fine woodworker, first by hobby and then by profession. He combined these skills with his musical ability as he built and played a harpsichord. One of his favourite pieces was Les Barricades Mystérieuses by Couperin.
But for most of our married life, Chris struggled with anxiety. Using his analytical engineering mind, he did everything he could to overcome his illness: he tracked his medications, charted his moods, altered his habits, and sought advice from physicians and mental health professions. For the most part, he functioned very well — so well that his friends and acquaintances were unaware of his illness.
On September 15, 2015, Chris died by suicide.
In the days following Chris’ death, I vowed to make a difference. I knew that, in some way, I would help raise the level of discussion of the prevalence of suicide, bring awareness to the many organizations already working to prevent this tragedy, bring hope to those whose world is becoming a bit darker each day, and support families living with a loved one at risk or who may have died by suicide.
But what could I do? All I can do is sing and make music.
And then I knew. With help from my talented musical friends throughout the country, and with the commitment of dedicated friends on campus, this Saturday, September 10, the internationally-recognized World Suicide Prevention Day, the Mysterious Barricades Cross-Canada Concert for Suicide Awareness, Prevention and Hope will take place.
As the sun rises in St John’s Newfoundland, the music will begin. Some of Newfoundland’s finest professionally trained musicians and performers will volunteer their time and talents to perform a concert that will be free for all to attend. The goal of this concert is simply to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental illness and our need, as a society, to openly discuss and support measures for suicide prevention.
As the concert in St John’s draws to a close, the music in Halifax will begin. Some of Nova Scotia’s finest classical singers and musicians will perform a free concert. There, as at other venues, mental health professionals will be present to offer support.
As that concert ends, the one in Sackville New Brunswick will begin. From there, the music moves to Montreal, to Ottawa, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon. From 4:30 to 6:00 PM, there will be a free concert here at Convocation Hall. All are invited and encouraged to attend. The music will then continue in Vancouver, and finally, as the sun sets over the west coast of Canada, the final concert in Victoria will draw to a close.
In all there will be 18 hours of music in 13 concerts across the country. It will all be livestreamed on the Internet; it will all be entirely free. (See the top of this post for a feed of the livestream.) Further details can be found at www.mysteriousbarricades.org.
Our organizing team is deeply indebted to the many people with ties to the U of A who are committed to making this event happen. We are grateful to the individuals from IST who are volunteering to produce and live-stream the entire 18-hour event, and we thank their leaders who have encouraged their involvement. We thank the audio and video technicians who will ensure that the concert at Convocation Hall will be seen across the country. We are grateful to those within the Office of the Dean of Students who will not only be present to offer support during the concert at Convocation Hall, but who have also reached out to their colleagues across the country to ensure that similar support will be present at all the other concerts. And we thank the performers, many whom have ties to the U of A, for giving their time and talents to bring hope to us all through their music.
We also thank our politicians on the municipal, provincial and federal government levels for agreeing to attend our event in Edmonton. In standing alongside us, they acknowledge the fact that they, as our leaders, recognize the need for more open discussion surrounding suicide awareness and prevention, which will assist in the lessening of stigma surrounding suicide and mental health. We hope that the addition of their input in the realm of politics will draw attention to the need for more funding to assist those working in the mental health arena, as well as funding to create more support for those struggling with this ‘cancer of the mind’, and resources for friends and family who are standing by those struggling with mental health issues.
We encourage everyone to attend our concert at Convocation Hall and live-stream the event. It is about the music; it is about hope. It is about recognizing and acknowledging the need; it is about making a difference in lives across Canada.
Elizabeth Turnbull — Voice Instructor and Director of the Opera Workshop, Department of Music, Faculty of Arts
Elizabeth Turnbull is an Instructor of Voice and Director of Opera Workshop in the U of A’s Department of Music. A mezzo-soprano, she continues to perform in operas across North America and Europe. She is also President of the Mysterious Barricades Concert Society which was initiated after a personal tragedy spurred her to action.