03/21/2026
🎼 Grace Notes 🎼
“There is comfort and connection in the strings of a harp.” Meet Rev. Matthew von Behrens, chaplain at Porter Medical Center and Helen Porter Rehabilitation & Nursing.
~~~
My harp has 40 strings, weighs 70 pounds and stands more than five feet tall. But it would be hard to measure the harp’s impact on my life and the lives of people I’ve met who’ve found solace in it.
My professional life began a long way from New England and even farther from harp: My first job was making radiator hoses for Goodyear in Lincoln, Nebraska. I spent 26 years with the company, moving up through the ranks. But as the years went by, something in my soul stirred. I felt called to do more with my life.
I prayed about the future, seeking guidance. Then one day, I had a mystical experience: I knew I was meant to learn the harp and use it in volunteer work. A week later, I bought one.
I’d never done anything musical before. I took 10 lessons, practiced and started volunteering in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices.
That decision eventually led to my career as a chaplain. I have a background in religious studies: I went to a seminary college before working for Goodyear. As I got requests to play the harp in health care settings, I realized a new door was opening. I went back to school to get a formal seminary degree.
The harp became one of the tools I use in my chaplaincy – like a physician with a specialty. The right prayer at the right time for the right person can make a huge difference, and the same is true for music.
Music also crosses boundaries where words might trip you up – especially in intimate moments like birth or the end of life. I’ve played in both of those settings, and many others.
I’m not a concert-level musician, and I don’t read music. I memorize songs. But for what I do, it works. There’s something about a harp that reaches people emotionally. People connect with it at a deep level.
It’s a privilege to be there at turning points in people’s lives and to contribute something positive and uplifting. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?
~~~
The Mosaic Project is a collection of short stories about the people of University of Vermont Health. These are your coworkers, caregivers, neighbors, family members, friends – each with unique life experiences that are part of the vibrant mosaic of who we are.
