The Rhode Island Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Conductor Dr. Robert Franzblau, performed a variety of musical arrangements created by composers who lived with mental health issues.  FHR consumers, staff, and family members generously volunteered to introduce each piece stating a Myth/Fact about mental illness, and delivering a brief biography of the artist and his/her relationship with mental illness.  Guests enjoyed a wide array of moving compositions selected from a variety of musical genres.  From Gustav Holst’s Moorside March, to the familiar melodies of Porgy and Bess and Strike Up the Band by George Gershwin, there were selections to please a diverse range of musical preferences.  Guests listening to the dynamic score of Slava! may have been surprised to learn that its composer, Leonard Bernstein, like Holst and Gershwin, lived the better part of his adult life with major depression. 

 

 

Fellowship Health Resources selected Myth & Music as the perfect venue to pay tribute to Craig S. Stenning, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals.  FHR President and CEO Joseph F. Dziobek, along with Jeremiah R. of FHR’s Ocean State Outreach program, presented Craig with the OPUS Award in recognition of his Outstanding Performance and Unparalleled Service on behalf of individuals living with behavioral health disorders.  Craig is a seasoned leader in the field of substance use treatment and mental health.  He founded the CODAC Treatment Centers in 1971 and led the nonprofit for 28 years as President/CEO before entering state government in 2000 to serve as Rhode Island’s first executive director of Behavioral Healthcare Services.  The Rhode Island Senate confirmed Craig’s current position as the permanent director of the RI Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals on March 11, 2009.  FHR President and CEO Joe Dziobek thanked Craig for his dedication to reducing the stigma of mental illness and substance use, and for the inspiration he has offered to countless consumers and providers of behavioral health services throughout his lengthy career.

 

Many people believe that mental illness is rare and unlikely to affect them or their loved ones, when in fact, mental illness is a very real concern for the one in five Americans diagnosed each year.  Mental illnesses do not discriminate.  Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Clinical Depression, Panic Disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, among other mental illnesses, are equal opportunity maladies, striking without regard to race, socio-economic status, or culture.  It is important to understand that just like any other illness, treatment for mental illness requires the combined effort of the affected person, physicians, therapists, family, and other supports.  With these supports in place, people with mental illnesses can, and do, recover and lead active, productive lives.  This fact was evident not only in the talented artists whose compositions were performed so deftly by the Rhode Island Wind Ensemble, but also in the eloquent introductions to each piece offered by Fellowship Health Resources’ consumers at this year’s Third Annual Myth & Music Celebration.