Decoda continues their residency with Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme, CT this week with a five-day songwriting workshop at Cheshire Correctional Institute, a maximum security facility in Cheshire, CT. Following up on their successful songwriting project at Cheshire in Fall 2023, four musicians (Brad Balliett, bassoon; Catherine Gregory, flute; David Kaplan, piano; and guest vocalist Majel Connery) will facilitate the creation of brand new music composed by the incarcerated participants. The project culminates in a prison-wide performance on Friday, July 12th. 

This songwriting project is particularly special to this community as the first creative musical program of its kind, and gives participants the opportunity to be creative and forge connections within the prison community. The theme of the songwriting project (chosen by the participants) is 'Heavy Pain', and will provide a creative outlet to discuss the painful experience of incarceration.