On May 9th the Ikigai Institute was invited to the Zuera Penitentiary Center. A musical event in which the jazz of the Conservatory of Music of Aragon and the workshop and choir of the Center merged to delight the inmates in a very different environment to which they are accustomed.

At 5:00 p.m., the hall began to fill up with inmates from different modules and guests. In the first, musicians from the Conservatory played jazz classics such as “Satin Doll” by D. Ellington and “Spain” by C. Corea, transforming the initial uncertainty into a welcoming atmosphere.

A highlight was the performance of one of the Choi sisters, who organized the event, transporting the audience to Korean culture with their ritual fan dance. Afterwards, the 30 participants of the center’s singing workshop and choir, known as “Zufarienses por accidente”, filled the stage with exciting performances, including a personalized version of “Ave Maria” and the popular song “Color Esperanza” by Diego Torres, in which the inmates joined in from their seats with enthusiasm.

As a final touch, the Conservatory, the workshop and the choir joined together to perform “Resistiré” by Duo Dinamico, turning the theater into a unison choir that moved many of those present to tears.
In recent days, Pope Francis has visited the Montorio prison in Verona, and recalled that “we all have the right to hope, beyond every story and every mistake or failure”. The Prison Ministry of Zaragoza coordinated this event, which was so well received by the inmates.

Instituto Ikigai was invited as an organization that works on the reintegration of people in prison through science-based spiritual counseling that combines communication strategies and care solutions. This training is developed at the European level with the ESCAPE project in which it is still in the development phase.

If you want to know more about ESCAPE, click here!