FORT WORTH, Texas — A musically talented Fort Worth family has been performing short string quartet concerts throughout their neighborhood.
Brian Perry is a bass player for the Dallas Symphony and his wife Kathryn plays violin for the Fort Worth Symphony. Their daughter Madeline, 11, plays the violin, too, and Margaret, 7, plays cello.
“It’s been nice for us to find things we can do together,” Kathryn Perry said.
The shows started when Kathryn sent out an email asking if families with young kids would want nursery rhymes played, but the concerts quickly grew. They’ve now done about 15 of them throughout their Mistletoe Heights neighborhood.
“Every time we go somewhere, then someone posts something and someone else in the neighborhood reached out to us,” Brian Perry said.
For the couple dozen neighbors spaced out and gathered on grass and porches, the 15-minute show is the highlight of the week.
“People are trying to find their way through this until we can all get back together and do what we’re used to doing,” Brian said. “Hopefully we give people a little bit of joy and uplifting music, something to look forward to.”
It’s not just the music that makes the concert special. It’s that it comes from friends a few doors down.
“It creates a sense of community and it’s a way for us to connect with each other,” Kathryn said. “I think it’s something that transcends language.”
The family says it’s also their way of saying thank you to neighbors for all the times of picking up kids from school or practices and thank you to the healthcare workers and first responders.
“it’s easier to play to say thank you than to come up with the right words,” Kathryn said.
“We just want to keep doing it because it seems to be such a rewarding thing for us and for our neighbors,” Brian said.
For Madeline and Margaret, it’s a way to say hello to classmates who have also been cooped up for a month.
“They’ve enjoyed getting to play for their friends and do little air hugs from a distance,” Kathryn said.
The family says weather permitting, they’ll continue to travel from block to block, doing what they can to make life apart feel at least a little more united.
“Someone at one of the concerts the other night was saying music is good for the soul,” Kathryn said.
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