Mental illness is something that affects just about everyone, either directly or indirectly, but we often refrain from discussing it. The stigma surrounding mental health is something Elizabeth Turnbull ('84 BMus), voice instructor in the Department of Music, wishes to change through the power of music.
In 2015, Turnbull lost her husband to mental illness. As the anniversary of his passing approached, she felt a desire to do something to lift her spirits and honour his memory. She knew almost instantly the only thing she wanted was to hear her friends make music. But with her friends spread across the country, it would be impossible to gather them all together for a performance. This complication led to inspiration for an 18 hour, 13 city concert. But the ideas didn't stop there.
Turnbull wanted a song to be played at all 13 concerts as a way of connecting them, so she chose Baroque composer François Couperin's Les Barricades Mystérieuses. She revealed this was one of her husband's favorite songs to play and that he had learned to play it without using any sheet music. However, after this song was chosen, Turnbull realized the name "Mysterious Barricades" was significant in terms of mental health.
For Turnbull, "mysterious barricades" symbolizes the indefinite grey area separating mental health from mental illness. It's what occurs in this grey area, where someone transitions from being healthy to unwell, that people are reluctant to talk about because they feel it somehow signifies failure. However, Turnbull believes that many of the negative connotations associated with mental illness stem from the language used to discuss it. For example, when we talk about suicide we often use "committed" as a descriptor, but we wouldn't say that someone "committed" a heart attack.
Turnbull strongly believes that mental illness should be dealt with in a similar fashion because it is just that: an illness. This is one of the many issues she hopes to address with the Mysterious Barricades concerts, through creating a safe and open environment where people feel free to talk about their mental health.
Turnbull received the Alumni Excellence Award this year for her work in initiating and directing this meaningful event. This is an award that she gladly accepts because it means her cause is receiving both recognition and validation. This September 10 - World Suicide Prevention Day - please contribute to creating a world open to discussing mental health.
Mysterious Barricades Concert
Date: Sunday, September 10
Time: 6:30-8 p.m.
Location: Convocation Hall, University of Alberta
Click here to register for Edmonton's Mysterious Barricades concert.
This article first appeared on Curious Arts.
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