For internationally acclaimed composer and pianist Eric Genuis, music has become more than a performance. It has become a way to reach people who are often overlooked.
Over the years, Genuis has brought his Concerts for Hope program to prisons, rehabilitation centers, veterans’ hospitals, homeless shelters and other facilities across North America, performing for audiences who rarely have access to live music.
In September, that mission will bring him to Westchester, where he will perform two public concerts while also visiting correctional facilities, including Rikers Island. Westchester audiences will have two opportunities to see Genuis perform: Sept. 15 at St. Augustine Church in Ossining and Sept. 17 at Transfiguration Parish in Tarrytown. The concerts are open to the public.
“I made the decision to perform whenever asked,” Genuis said. “One day I was invited to perform in a prison. During the performance, the men responded so powerfully that their reaction could not be ignored. After the concert, I realized there were hundreds of thousands of inmates throughout the country, and I had not given them a second thought. I felt very pulled internally to make this the focus of my work.”
Genuis began studying piano as a child and quickly discovered a love for composing.
“I regarded the piano as a world within itself with endless possibilities of beauty,” he said. “I still very much feel like a child discovering the endless possibilities of music.”
Today, his performances blend original compositions with storytelling and audience interaction. Rather than simply entertaining, Genuis hopes each concert reminds listeners of their own worth.
“The goal is to elevate their humanity,” he said. “Music seems to go right to the soul. I want them to feel again, to bring them alive again and remind them of their dignity.”
Some of his most memorable experiences have taken place inside correctional facilities. Genuis recalled performing for a young man on death row in Texas who had withdrawn from nearly everyone around him.
“At my concert, this young man was brought to life,” he said. “He laughed, cried and became engaged. If I do nothing else with my career, this alone makes everything worth it.”
Another concert for teenagers serving adult prison sentences left a lasting impression when one young inmate, hearing a violin performed live for the first time, stood up in tears and asked why he had never experienced that sound before.
The impact of those performances is reflected in the letters Genuis has received from incarcerated men and women across the country. One Mississippi inmate wrote that attending a Concerts for Hope performance had changed his outlook after years of feeling consumed by prison life.
“I was on the edge of darkness,” the inmate wrote. “Your music overwhelmed me. I had tears of beauty come from my eyes. I cannot remember the last time I cried. You made me see that there is still beauty in this world. You changed my life. Prison puts a dark stain on your soul. You made that stain a little lighter.”
Those experiences have shaped Genuis’ understanding of compassion and redemption.
“I am constantly reminded of the deepest level of suffering that is out there,” he said. “This work has made me reflect on what it means to truly go the extra mile for other people.”
He believes communities can make a difference through simple acts of friendship and presence.
“When you realize you’re dealing with people who feel defeated, the greatest gift you can give them is your friendship,” Genuis said. He encourages people to volunteer at nursing homes, veterans’ facilities or homeless shelters, noting that meaningful change often begins with small acts of kindness.
Although much of his work takes place behind prison walls, Genuis hopes his public concerts carry the same message.
“There are many people in this world who are easily forgotten,” he said. “The goal is to play for as many hurting and forgotten people as possible and to encourage others that music and beauty can bring hope and uplift humanity.”
