Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords to Pay Tribute to 9/11 Heroes [VIDEO]

I was 11 years old, filing into my 7th-grade pre-Algebra class in New Orleans, when I started hearing the rumors.

The teacher was more adamant than normal that we stop talking, harshly reprimanding girls talking about a plane crash — "a really bad one," I remember them saying. We had early dismissal, which we were excited about. All of the teachers and staff members were on edge as they led the entire student body into the school's church.

The pastor went on for an eternity about vague ideas concerning life and people, good and evil, big ideas that could not register in our ignorance. It felt like he was preparing us for something — something he couldn't tell us about.

I walked home from school. My mom shushed me loudly before I could say a word as I walked into the living room. She sat on the edge of the sofa, wide-eyed, bracing herself as if to jump up and run. I recognized the buildings from our choir's trip to Carnegie Hall. The voices coming from the television said it wasn't an accident.

A decade later everyone remembers exactly where they were when they heard the news. Some froze in front of television sets for hours, shaken and disconnected. Some filmed helplessly as firefighters rushed past them into the wreckage. Others dashed down 87 floors' worth of stairs and escaped into the light.

Ten years to mourn, to get angry, to rebuild, to heal, to forgive. The whole world moved on in different ways. In our corner of the world, right in our back yard, one group has moved toward creating peace within themselves and their community.

Walking up the sidewalk toward the hall behind St. Francis Church in Middletown, the distinct sound of over a hundred voices flawlessly harmonizing drifts out through the open doors, competing with the sound of resonating church bells. It's the Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords, and they're rehearsing for a very special event on Sunday.

The singing cuts off abruptly, the music director, Gina Fredericks of Middlefield, pointing out flaws I hardly could have detected. They’re not professionals and they’re not getting paid. They are preparing for a tribute concert for the heroes of 9/11.

“Frightening... devastating,” chorus member Diane Abdul of Middletown says of the attacks.

Abdul was getting ready to volunteer that fateful Tuesday morning. She caught the end of a news report and, like most, did not yet realize the magnitude of the situation.

“Someone at Farm Hill School, her husband was in the tower,” she recalls. “There’s just no words to explain.”

The chorus has been performing for over two decades and now boasts nearly 100 members.

“They’re the most gracious people you’ll ever meet,” says founder and chairwoman Joyce Ghent.

“We started with nothing,” Ghent explains, as she lists a handful of impressive venues where the chorus has performed in the past, including Walt Disney World, Montreal, Washington, D.C., and even the Vatican.

Ghent had an idea not just for a memorial concert, but a means to honor and pay tribute to the women and men who help protect America every day.

The 10th Anniversary Tribute to the Heroes of 9/11 concert will be held at The Bushnell in Hartford at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11. Middlesex Hospital is sponsoring the concert and has also graciously agreed to pay for 200 tickets for special guests.

Bagpipers have also volunteered to play at the event. In fact, Ghent has managed to organize the entire event without paying a single individual. Everyone involved is a volunteer, even security personnel at The Bushnell will volunteer their time.

As a result, every dollar raised from ticket sales will be donated to the Connecticut Firefighter/EMS and Police Benevolent Fund.

Tickets are $23 and can be purchased by calling The Bushnell Box Office at 860-987-5900.

“I felt the group was strong enough to give back to those who have fallen and served us,” says Ghent.

She also remembers hearing the news 10 years ago.

“I was in Italy at the time with my husband. We walked into a little shop with the Vatican tour guide and there was a TV mounted on the wall and there was the World Trade Center with a huge fireball,” she remembers.

Ghent says the man standing next to her in the shop was an American who worked at the World Trade Center.  

She recalls the reactions from the Italian people around her.

“A woman in tears at the post office in Venice asked the tour guide to translate to me, ‘Tell her how sorry we are.’ Signs in different towns read ‘God Bless America. Your grief is our pain.’”

Louise Russo and Jeannette Scianna, both Vocal Chords members for the last two decades, recall the terrible day.

“We just stopped, the whole day just stopped,” says Scianna, whose friend lost her brother in the attack.

Russo said she heard the news while visiting Lino’s Market in Durham.

“We were still there when the second one came in. It’s going to be very emotional,” says Russo, who is worried about getting choked up throughout the concert.

Harry C. Geiger, a retired career firefighter from the Wallingford Fire Department, heard on the radio that a plane had struck the north tower.

“Then the second plane hit,” Geiger recalls. “Being a firefighter, you’re directly affected by that loss of life. They’re like brothers. A lot of guys probably knew guys down there. Being a Navy veteran, I feel for everyone in harm’s way.”

Fast forward to today. Geiger is in awe of what he and his fellow chorus members are about to do.

“Absolutely awesome — that’s the only word I can use,” he says of the upcoming concert. “It gives you goose pimples. This is a big venue.”

"The whole world was watching,” singer Diane Melluzzo recollects. “It was very surreal. You really didn’t want to believe what you were hearing. It was very devastating. How dare someone do this? How did they get away with this?

"Ten years later, all these people who lost their lives unnecessarily -- I don’t think we ever want anyone to forget. You want to pay tribute to everyone who lost their lives. We also want to honor the living and this great country. For all of us, it’s a great honor to be able to do this and say thank you."

Chorus member Cameron Bailey remembers the horror of 9/11. “The TV was on and they said, ‘A plane has just run into the World Trade Center building.’ We watched and, all of a sudden, there was a second. This whole event that happened ten years ago has changed the world as we see it. This country was violated.”

Fire departments from Middletown, Portland, Hartford, East Hampton, South District, Cromwell, Westfield and Middlefield are expected in attendance at the concert.

The Middletown, Portland and Connecticut State police departments are also expected to attend.

Special guests include Vincent G. Capece, Jr., President and CEO of Middlesex Hospital, former Channel 3 News anchor Jessica Schneider and Jim Masters from PBS. 

For more information visit the Vocal Chords Web site.

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