100 PRISON CONCERTS. ELEVEN YEARS.
100 PRISON CONCERTS. ELEVEN YEARS. AND SO MANY PEOPLE TO THANK.
On December 9, 2026, at MCI–Shirley in Massachusetts, Looking at the Stars Foundation will present its 100th classical music concert inside a prison.
It will be part of our three-concert BACH BEHIND BARS tour, December 8–10, featuring the extraordinary Canadian pianist Tony Yike Yang.
When I founded Looking at the Stars in Canada in December 2015, I had a simple idea: bring the experience of a great concert hall to people who, for whatever reason, could not enter one.
I had no idea where this journey would take us.
Eleven years later, we have presented 127 concerts to more than 10,000 people in Canada, Lithuania, Ukraine, and the United States—in prisons, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and communities of refugees and people affected by war.
But somewhere along the way, I came to understand something important.
We were not simply bringing classical music into prisons. We were bringing dignity, human connection, and hope.
And now, as we approach our 100th prison concert, I want to say something that is much more important to me than celebrating a number.
Thank you.
First, to my dearest friends who have been beside me from the very beginning: a remarkable pianist Lukas Geniušas Founding Artist, Peter J Lambert, our Board Member; Mychol Scully, our Technical Director; S. Gordon Harwood – Artist, our Board Member, who helped turn an improbable idea into reality. Your friendship, loyalty, and belief in this mission have meant more to me than I can adequately express.
To Hon. Bob Rae our first Board Chairman, who lent his name, wisdom, and encouragement to a cause that was far from conventional—my deepest gratitude.
To Maestro Gidon Kremer, our Honorary Chairman, who lent his name, his unique talent and his precious time to our mission – my profound appreciation.
To the management and staff of correctional institutions in Canada, Lithuania, and the United States: thank you for opening your doors, trusting us, and allowing something unusual and deeply human to happen within your walls.
To every musician who has shared their extraordinary gift with our audiences: thank you for bringing not only your artistry, but your hearts.
To every piano provider, piano technician, and piano mover: thank you for helping us accomplish what sometimes seemed impossible—bringing concert-quality grand pianos into places where they were never expected to be heard.
To our private supporters, whose generosity has sustained this mission since its beginning: none of this would have been possible without you.
And finally, to those who matter most.
To my prison audiences.
You have taught me more about humanity, dignity, suffering, forgiveness, and hope than I could ever have imagined.
I have watched you listen in extraordinary silence. I have heard your questions, shared your laughter, read your letters, and witnessed moments of emotion that no words can adequately describe.
You have reminded me, again and again, that a human being is always more than the worst thing he or she has done.
You have given meaning to everything we do.
After one of our concerts in Minnesota, an incarcerated man said:
“I was in pure heaven. I had left this place.”
I cannot imagine a greater reward for our work.
As we prepare for our next three concerts in Massachusetts, I feel not so much pride as profound gratitude.
And I hope we will have the strength, the friends, and the means to continue.
Because dignity and hope belong to everyone.
With gratitude,
Dmitri Kanovich
Founder, Looking at the Stars Foundation
BACH BEHIND BARS — December 8–10, 2026
Bridgewater State Hospital · MCI–Shirley · Old Colony Correctional Center
