Music fills church to commemorate one year since Chardon High School shooting

CHARDON, Ohio - Thousands turned out to the Church of St. Mary in Chardon just days after the deadly school shooting. On Tuesday, residents returned to the church for a night of uplifting songs.

The Chardon High School band and choir performed as the community approaches one year since the shooting that killed three teen boys.

“I think this was really an important evening for the kids. A lot of them were looking forward to it. I think they felt really good giving back to the community and we got a really good response from the community in return,” said Chardon band director Melissa Lichtler.

The concert performance lasted only 35 minutes. There were no speeches or sermons, just music.

“Music can say things that other times we can’t express,” said choir director Fritz Streiff.

“We tried to have several pieces that both honored those who had passed and also some pieces that were uplifting as we look to the future and try to overcome the challenges that have been before us,” he said.

The school’s band director said she wanted to provide inspirational music since she knows just how difficult Wednesday will be.

“That’s kind of what we’re hoping for and hopefully this will lead into what the kids are doing tomorrow and just give everybody a positive experience overall,” Lichtler said.

One of the songs features was titled “2/27/12” and was written by a Chardon High School graduate.