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Coronavirus: Backyard violinist helps ‘de-stress’ Florida neighbors with daily concert

By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Coronavirus: Backyard violinist helps ‘de-stress’ Florida neighbors with daily concert A Florida woman is hitting the right notes with her neighbors, setting up in her backyard daily to play a concert with her electric violin. (Ri Butov/Pixabay)

By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A retired orchestra teacher is hitting the right notes with her neighbors by playing daily concerts with her electric violin from her Florida backyard.

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Roberta Palant, 67, of Boynton Beach, sends out positive vibes to residents in her neighborhood, who are mourning the deaths of three people due to the coronavirus, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Palant, who taught music at a middle school in Clarkstown, New York, before retiring, stands on her back porch and faces the street, playing a two-hour concert daily. She uses a small speaker and has a music stand set up near her barbecue grill.

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“Roberta’s music is inspirational,” Mona Lanzer, a neighbor, told the Sun-Sentinel. “It keeps us coming out every morning.”

Another neighbor, Ellie Allen, told the newspaper they were used to seeing Palant perform with the Orchestra Delray and the Sunrise Pops Orchestra. But that was before the pandemic. With community events canceled, Palant’s concerts are the next best thing.

“Music de-stresses us,” Allen told the Sun-Sentinel.

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Palant’s audience, clad in T-shirts and wearing face coverings, applaud after each musical selection.

Palant has brought her music to her neighbors’ homes on occasion. A friend had to celebrate her 57th birthday in quarantine last week, but Palant gave her something to smile about.

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“She thought it was going to be her worst birthday ever,” Palant told the Sun-Sentinel.

But a violin serenade of “Happy Birthday” lifted the woman’s spirits.

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Palant said she got her inspiration for her backyard concerts after she saw videos on social media. She began playing daily in early April and has not missed a day, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

“This is a pleasure for me to do, and it gives me an outlet as well,” Palant told the newspaper. “It brings me comfort that I can do something for my neighborhood."

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