Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs with young inmates behind bars

On Sunday, a half dozen members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performed with 10 young musicians at an unlikely concert hall: the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago.

The young performers, all inmates, had just completed a week-long musical workshop at the detention centre and were performing original compositions written with the help of the professional musicians.

The workshops were a collaborative effort between CSO's Citizen Musician initiative and the London-based organization Music in Prisons, which specializes in musical programming for incarcerated youths and adults.

"This is a wonderful beginning for you and for us," the symphony's musical director, Riccardo Muti, 71, told the group at the conclusion of the 45-minute performance. "You will join society with the sense of harmony you learned here."

The participating youths prepared a performance "in the form of a quasi-symphony that charts four important phases of life: 'Early Days,' 'Turning Point,' 'My Life Now' and 'Hopes and Dreams,'" CitizenMusician.org reported.

Organizers of the concert told the teens' proud parents that each family would be receiving a CD of the performance.

"Oh my God, this is so special," one overwhelmed mother said after hearing the news.

"This project has sent ripples of positivity round the jail. We are so happy that you’ve been here and staff have been really enthusiastic and supportive because something constructive has been happening for the lads. It made it really easy to get things done; people were pleased to help as they saw what you were doing was really positive," a uniformed staff member at the detention centre said of the Music in Prisons initiative.