Join a one-of-a-kind, FREE event on the Charles River Esplanade celebrating people with disabilities, music, and technology. Abilities: Amplified brings the community together for an energetic live concert alongside an interactive resource fair. Throughout the event, attendees can explore the fair’s booths to connect with local organizations, discover community support networks, and get hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology like wearable robots like those developed in the Harvard Biodesign Lab.
The main stage will serve as the heart of the celebration, showcasing a diverse mix of genres and performance styles. The on-stage lineup includes Lachi, a globally touring, award-winning recording artist performing upbeat pop and dance tracks, and a passionate advocate for Disability Culture; the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE) Jazz Trio, featuring a talented collaborative performance between faculty and students; and the event’s musical hosts and producers, Luigi’s Fishtank, who will bring a high-energy mix of rock, pop, and Latin music. Expect an unforgettable and inclusive show!
Bring a blanket, your dancing shoes, and your crew. Come celebrate the joy of music, the power of community, and the rhythms that bring us all together. Enjoy vendor fair featuring free empanadas for the first 120 people from Bocadillos, slushies, lawn games and other family friendly activities. We will have a limited number of free picnic blankets and stadium seating chairs we can loan out during the event!
CONCERT LINEUP
Lachi: Lachi is a globally touring artist, award-winning social entrepreneur, a PBS’ American Masters series host and active Governor of her GRAMMYs chapter board. Born legally blind, Lachi uses music, storytelling and film to amplify identity pride to promote Disability Culture and inclusion. Her U.N.-recognized organization RAMPD has collaborated with the GRAMMYs, Netflix, Tidal, SONY Pictures Television and more to bring opportunity, visibility and community to music professionals with disabilities, neurodivergence and other conditions.
The Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE) Jazz Trio: The Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education (BIAAE) Jazz Trio features teacher Stefan Winkler on bass and students Evan Taylor on piano and Adam Smith on drums. Evan and Adam are participants in the BIAAE’s Arts Education Programs for people with disabilities. The trio has been playing together for three years, and they perform regularly at private functions and public events in the Boston area.
Luigi’s Fishtank: Fishtank is a musical group that performs a dynamic mix of rock, pop, and Latin music formed in Boston in 2024. Building on their extensive busking experience and combining many music influences, the band regularly plays high-energy concerts across New England.
Plugged In | 3 Day Reign: At Plugged In Band Program, all students have the opportunity to participate in band classes, private lessons, workshops, and other musical programs. Plugged In gives musicians a venue to channel their creativity, work in a group, and improve their music skills while learning about the importance of social activism and inclusivity in a nurturing, noncompetitive, and supportive environment. Their goal is to bring students together and teach them how to be in a rock band and, more importantly, understand the importance of giving back to the community through music and philanthropy. 3 Day Reign’s band members have been rehearsing with Plugged In for years and represent all of our values, changing the world by creating music with each other and sharing it with all of us!
