String quartet brings music to inmates in Mississippi prison

PEARL, Miss. (AP) - A string quartet performed classical music, movie scores and hymns during a concert this week inside a Mississippi prison.

Two violinists, a viola player and a cellist from First Baptist Church of Jackson played for 68 inmates Tuesday at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.

'œMusic is a language that anyone from any country, any system, anyone can understand because it's the beauty that God gave us,'ť cellist Sarah Beth Mullen said a news release Thursday from the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Beth Masters, the department's director of the women's prison seminary, arranged the concert, which took place in the prison chapel.

'œI wanted to uplift them and give them some classical inspiration with a little bit of the free world,'ť Masters said.

In addition to hymns such as 'œAmazing Grace'ť and classical works by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, the musicians played selections from 'œThe Sound of Music," 'œRaiders of the Lost Ark'ť and 'œThe Lion King.'ť

One of the inmates, Torri Sanders, said she enjoyed the experience.

'œHaving that music poured into us - everything you put in is what's going to come out, and it's nothing but good,'ť Sanders said in the news release.