In Memoriam
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Brian F. Dallow, Music For All Seasons Co-Founder and Executive Director. Brian’s death on July 2, 2024, leaves us all devastated. Brian has led Music For All Seasons with his wife, Artistic Director Rena Fruchter, since the organization’s inception in 1991, and he remained active with the organization for thirty-three years.
Brian was a strong, creative, and brilliant leader who devoted his life to healing through music. He helped Music For All Seasons and all its programs to grow from an idea to a reality, working with many populations in five states.
Brian will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and colleagues. May his memory be a blessing.
Voices of Valor
Music For All Seasons’ groundbreaking initiative, Voices of Valor, has been operating since the spring of 2011. The program brings small groups of six to ten veterans together with two musician/facilitators and a psychology mentor for ninety minutes weekly over a period of eight weeks. During this time, they use their shared experiences to write lyrics to a group song, set it to music, and record it in a professional studio. The final session is a CD release party during which the finished product is presented for the friends and family of the participants.
The leaders work from a detailed curriculum that has been developed in conjunction with our consulting psychologist, Dr. Raymond Hanbury.
The pilot year and a second year of this program were generously underwritten by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Currently the program is supported by generous grants from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, PNC Bank, The Michael O’Donoghue Fund of The Orange County Community Foundation, and Johnson & Johnson.
Music For All Seasons is proud to have identified measurable results including: increased self-esteem, lower levels of anxiety and depression, a reduction in feelings of isolation, and a greater ability to interact comfortably with fellow participants and with civilians. Because the Voices of Valor program is achieving these results, Music For All Seasons is proud to contribute to the emotional well-being and social development of the participants, resulting in a revitalized veteran community.
