Joy! That’s what Helen H. hopes you experience when you hear her play. 

“I just love to play,” is what she said when asked why she plays the piano in the Salem Hospital lobby every Wednesday morning. “I’ve enjoyed playing piano all my life because I see the responses on people’s face who come to hear me.”

As a youngster, Helen, her siblings and dad played and sang at churches all over the Willamette Valley. “There were seven of us. My dad played guitar and we played and sang.”

Helen’s father, Erney, organized a mixed chorus in 1943 with 22 young men and women devoted to the music ministry. The chorus, Salem Singers, still performs today as a men’s chorus.

As a member of the Salem Singers, Helen performed throughout the Willamette Valley and as far away as Asia, including Hong Kong and Japan. Helen also played the organ in her St. Helens church for 15 years and now plays nightly at Lancaster Village.

Bringing joy and healing through music is always appreciated throughout the hospital. If you have a musical talent, please consider volunteering with us. Call Volunteer Services at 503-561-5277 to get started.