Three years ago, Brian Palmer was a homeless man struggling to overcome drug addiction. All he owned was a bag containing some clothes, a blanket, and a pillow. He sought assistance at a recovery center at the heart of Skid Row. One activity that helped him through the tough time was singing. As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a professional singer; he was a member of the church choir and appeared in musicals at school. In 2015, he encountered the Urban Voices Project. This led him to Street Symphony, a group of professional musicians, which works with homeless, mentally ill, and incarcerated(监禁的) populations.
In February, Palmer began taking voice lessons from Scott Graff, a member of Street Symphony. Graff said, "I gave Brian some tips on singing technique, and he taught me life lessons. I got the better end of the deal."
A few days after Thanksgiving, Palmer sang "The People That Walked in Darkness" in a musical workshop. Five string players accompanied him; a few dozen members of the workshop were in attendance. Before performing, Palmer shared with the audience some thoughts about the music. "When I came here three years ago, I didn't know where my life was going to take me," he said. "l just knew that I needed to change, and that I needed help. When I was walking through my life in addiction, and the darkness and the hell I had created for myself, it was like the phoenix (凤凰) coming out of the darkness and seeing the light. "
Palmer then sang the song. After his performance, Graff commented, "Palmer performed well for one who has been studying singing technique for less than a year. More importantly, he made the text sound as though it had been taken from his own life. "
"That was really empowering," Palmer told the audience afterward. He explained what had been going through his mind as he sang. "An act of love," he said, looking out at familiar faces in front of him. "One act of love, I know for sure, is listening."
