First tribute

The first, and so far only, video produced was a tribute to Jeffrey Holbrook, 55, of Alliance, who died March 27. He was among the first Stark County residents to succumb to COVID-19.

Sing Stark reached out to Holbrook’s family, who provided his obituary and a few photos. Holbrook is the father of Canton Repository reporter Jessica Holbrook.

P.J. Chavez, one of Sing Stark’s music directors, volunteered to perform the tribute. He is also director of liturgical services and music for the chapel at Walsh University, and said he has friends with loved ones who have COVID-19.

“It’s a harsh reality that we’re living in, but, you know, maybe in some way music is transforming and it’s healing and there’s a way that music can help bring peace to a family like Mr. Holbrook’s, a family that’s lost someone to COVID,” Chavez said. “If we can help in that way, boy, I’m on board.”

Chavez said he didn’t know many details of Holbrook’s life when he recorded the tribute, which was posted to Sing Stark’s Facebook page on July 24. He chose to perform Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

“It’s a depressing, it’s sort of a sad, melancholy song, but it’s also uplifting, it’s joyful at the same time,” Chavez said. It was a fitting choice.

“It made me cry,” Kimberly Holbrook said. “Touched my heart. That’s one of Jeff ’s favorite songs. He loved Leonard Cohen.”

That someone who didn’t know her husband took the time to remember him in song, validated his existence and his family’s loss, she said.

Grieving someone who has died from COVID-19 is made more difficult by the politicization of the pandemic and by the stigma that the deceased person’s family might also be infected, she explained.

“I think this is a hard one for people to wrap their minds around,” Kimberly Holbrook said.

Recruiting artists

Olson said she has been contacting Sing Stark directors and singers to see if they want to be part of Memorial for Stark, and she hopes to do a series of remembrance videos.

Chavez said performing Jeffrey Holbrook’s tribute was “one of the greatest honors of my life, for sure.”

Since the video posted, he has learned more about Jeffrey through social media from Holbrook’s family and acquaintances.

“He was an outstanding man,” Chavez said. “He was for his community and he put others before himself, so many times.”

Chavez said he hopes other musicians will use their talents to help the community grieve and heal.

“I look at myself and I have hard days and I have stressful days, but I’ll tell you what, if there’s ever a time that I’m feeling down and at my lowest — and I have to imagine families who have someone struggling with COVID right now, they’re at low points, oh my gosh — it’s so incredibly therapeutic to hear a song or play a song,” Chavez said. “I mean nothing lifts my spirits more than sitting down and playing the piano.”