SoundBowl & Symphony : Salvation Wellness and the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players

A Free Community Wellness Event

I’m so excited to announce an event that I’ve been dreaming about doing for years: a completely free, family-friendly wellness event that brings together live classical music and healing soundscapes, right here in Jersey City, NJ. Soundbowl & Symphony.

On September 27th at 2 PM in Provost Square, Salvation Wellness and the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players are collaborating for an afternoon of music, healing, and community. Whether you’re a regular at our studio, a music lover, or just curious, you’re invited.

How This All Started

Before I was a wellness practitioner, and before I opened Salvation Wellness, I was a classically trained cellist and singer. Music has always been a huge part of my life, and it has opened spaces inside of me that would be dormant if I had never been exposed to it. I’ve always believed in its ability to help us heal and feel better. For years, I’ve wanted to bring live classical music into a wellness context.

One day over lunch, I shared this idea with Sydney Jackson, who was the head of development at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at the time. He loved it and wanted to help make it happen. That conversation got the wheels turning. A few months later, Sydney introduced me to another NJSO powerhouse named Anne, who’s been an incredible partner in organizing this event and turning this dream into reality.

Soundbowl & Symphony : What You Need to Know

Date: September 27th
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: Provost Square
Cost: Free
Who’s invited: Everyone—this is a family-friendly community event.

You don’t need to know anything about meditation, or classical music to join us. Just bring an open mind and maybe a yoga mat or towel to sit on.

What Will Happen

The New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players and Salvation Wellness will play live meditative music right in Provost Square. during this time we will be doing gentle, silent, simple yoga stretches, and taking moments to just listen and relax. The music and movement will be woven together so you can really feel both in your body.

You can join in the movement, relax and meditate, or just sit enjoy the music—it’s up to you. The point is to give everyone a chance to experience how the profound impact of live music can help us  feel better, together.

Why We’re Doing This

I want to tell you about why this event is so close to my heart, and why it’s free and open to everyone. It goes back to some of my earliest memories—literally the first time I heard a cello.

I was 5 years old, sitting in an elementary school assembly where teachers played different instruments to introduce us to music. I remember hearing the flute, the violin, the saxophone, the trumpet, and the drums—each one interesting in its own way. But then I hear the cello. The feeling that rushed through me was both unlike anything I’d ever experienced and completely a part of me. It was as if my small body was recognizing the sound of the cello, like I was remembering it instead of hearing it for the first time. I was completely mesmerized. Time seemed to stop. Even now I can recall every detail from that moment—the smell of the auditorium, the texture of the floor boards, the shoes I was wearing. That sound stayed with me and became part of who I am. I had to wait until Iwas 7 to play. Which I did. The teacher playing, Mr. Buchannan, who would later become my cello teacher right up until high school.

Fast forward a few years later, when  I snuck into my mom’s bedroom late at night to watch TV on her old  13 inch, black and white set. I was 8. I was supposed to be asleep so I silently flipped the dial, not finding anything interesting until I landed on PBS—channel 13.  I heard cellos and an orchestra, things I recognized and loved,  but also something entirely new and scintillating : opera. It was Mozart’s The Magic Flute. I was instantly transfixed. The music felt magical and otherworldly, and I turned up the volume, completely forgetting I was supposed to be asleep.

Of course, my mom heard and came upstairs. She told me to go to bed, but I begged her to let me keep watching. Later she told me, “How do you tell your 8-year-old they can’t watch opera?” She let me stay up, and I was never the same. I became bigger.

Moments like these changed me. They taught me that music can reach places in us nothing else can. It can heal, inspire, and bring us together no matter who we are or where we come from.

That’s why I’m doing this—why Salvation Wellness is partnering with the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players, and why this event is open to everyone. Combining the two things that have healed me most—music and wellness—and sharing them with my community feels like the best way I can give back.

I hope you’ll come and experience it for yourself.

What to Bring

• A yoga mat or towel (if you want to join the movement practice)
• Comfortable clothes
• Water and sunscreen if it’s sunny
• Friends, family, or anyone you think would enjoy it

Help Us Spread the Word

If you know someone who could use a little break or who loves music, invite them. The more the merrier. Soundbowl & Symphony is about bringing people together and making wellness accessible to everyone.

Thank You

I’m grateful to Sydney, Anne, the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players, and everyone who’s helped bring this idea to life. I hope you’ll join us on September 27th at 2 PM in Provost Square. Let’s relax, enjoy great music, and take care of ourselves—together.

See you there,

Ceallaigh,  Owner of Salvation Wellness