On Friday, October 24, 2025, chamber music briefly overpowered the noise of Rikers. For a moment, the scuffling of sneakers, the shouts, the clanging of officers’ keys, and the alarms that define the soundscape of the Rose M. Singer Center—the women’s facility known as “Rosie’s” on Rikers Island—were replaced by four string instruments played with precision and care.

That evening, students from JIE’s Music Humanities class and other music-curious residents of Rosie’s gathered in what is usually gymnasium, now briefly transformed into a concert hall. The Palindrome Quartet—a student ensemble from Columbia’s Music Performance Program, featuring Liyu Chen (violin), Yuli Choi (violin), Tejas Tirthapura (viola), and Andrew Chun (cello)—had come straight from campus, still buzzing with midterm stress and clutching half-eaten Chef Mike’s sandwiches. Their program, curated by their coach, Ms. Muneko Otani, was brought to Rikers through the collaboration of Professor Magdalena Baczewska, director of the MPP, and Professor Audrey Amsellem, who teaches the course. Professor Amsellem oversaw every detail, from the placement of the chairs to the neatly folded programs laid out on each seat.

When the musicians finished tuning, officers, students, and residents filed in, and an air of anticipation settled over the room. One student entered shyly, hesitating before finding a seat. When I asked if she had ever been to “a show like this before,” her timid grin widened into a full smile as she replied, “Never before in my life!” Others echoed her excitement, calling the event a rare—and for many, first-time—experience.

An unexpected alarm delayed the arrival of several students, but the quartet responded with generosity and improvisation, taking requests from the audience and performing spontaneous renditions of songs by Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and beloved Disney classics. When the room finally filled, they began their formal set: six pieces ranging widely in style and emotion, from Ravel’s String Quartet in F major to Copland’s Hoe-Down and Ungar’s Ashokan Farewell. Before each performance, the musicians offered short introductions, guiding listeners on what to hear and imagine. Before Ravel’s piece, Liyu suggested, “Ravel is associated with impressionism—can you see this music as a painting?”

For the duration of the performance, we were suspended in a beautiful, tense, and intricate web of sound. Colors and shapes seemed to flash behind closed eyes—some evoking cobblestoned streets at sunset, others memories of loss or joy. Copland’s “Hoe-Down” brought laughter as students pantomimed clinking beer steins and linking arms. In contrast, Ungar’s Ashokan Farewell stirred reflections on home, while Piazzolla’s tango sparked conversations about love and the interplay of voices as relationships.

By the concert’s end, the space itself seemed transformed. The quartet had rendered it joyful, sharing their art with generosity and care. For a brief, unforgettable afternoon, the sounds of Rikers gave way to harmony.

Written by Avery Pratho, a student at Columbia University’s School of General Studies and a teaching assistant for JIE’s Music Humanities F25 on Rikers Island.