On March 12, three days into a national lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19, Italian journalist David Allegranti posted a video of people singing from the open windows of their apartments in the town of Siena.
The video went viral, and more videos of Italians and others singing to relieve the stress of quarantine were posted.
Robin Noble, French language teacher at James Hart School in Homewood, was inspired.
On Wednesday, March 18, Noble posted a message in a local Facebook group called Moms & Dads of Homewood-Flossmoor, suggesting H-F follow suit in performances conducted online.
She said she has seen many local school concerts over the years and has been impressed with the talent on display.
“We have so many talented musicians and singers,” she posted. “In light of the charming serenades in Italy, France, etc., what if there was a nightly FB performance in our community?”
HoFlo Serenades was born.
First up on Thursday night was Heather Hoefle, fifth grade band teacher at Hart, who performed a duet with her husband, Andy — she played flute; he played euphonium — of “Lullaby for the World,” a piece she composed for the occasion.
She said the idea for the melody came to her after seeing Noble’s post.
“I immediately imagined the melody of this lullaby, at a time when the whole world needs soothing,” she said. “I volunteered my husband without him realizing it, so I appreciate him being a good sport.”
The second night, Noble posted a video of Crystal Lesimple on harp, with sleeping kitty in the foreground, performing “Chorale” by Linda Wood.
The most common word in the comments was “beautiful,” while others called the performance “magical,” “fabulous” and “soothing.” There were also expressions of appreciation for the peaceful kitty.
The Saturday night video was of Laila Malak’s performing at open mic night at Petterino’s restaurant.
On Sunday, Anna Simmons shared her performance of “Art is Calling for Me” from “The Enchantress,” by Victor Herbert.
Monday night the Chris Denman family performed a percussion piece composed by their daughter, Casey, using found instruments from the kitchen.
On Tuesday night, Liam Nelson offered a performance of “When HF Goes Marching In.”
“I think the response had been great so far,” Noble said. “I have performances waiting their turn, and some people have reached out to let me know that there are videos forthcoming. I’ll share them as long as I have videos to share.”