Our Team
Concetta Abbate
(She / They)
Concetta Abbate, the founder of Sound & Memory, is a violinist, vocalist and music composer who is intrinsically curious about how art makes meaning in the most complex parts of life & death. She is a NEDA certified Death Doula who has been in practice since she completed her training with Going With Grace in 2021. Over the years she has deepened her studies in grief work and supporting those facing loss.
She has had the distinguished honor of curating musical programs for the family and friends of a number of incredible public figures who have died. These include Jenni Crain (Visual Artist), Brian Keenan (Drummer of the Chamber’s Brothers), Robert Mundell (Nobel Prize Laureate) and Stefan Cavallo (NASA Test Pilot).
With 15+ years experience as a NYC freelance performer she has developed connections with an incredibly diverse community of musicians who are rich with talent and experience. She is skilled at putting together a wide variety of ensembles tailored to many types of events. These ensembles may include strings, brass, woodwinds, piano, guitar or singers.
Through her network of talent, Concetta creates programs of music that cross between many genres including, classical, jazz, popular music, contemporary new music, early music and various styles of folk.
As a composer she has written and recorded a number of original compositions for those who have died including works in dedication to Bean Haskell (Artist), Jacqueline William Beyrer (Writer/Painter) and Rebecca Jablon (Visual Artist).
Lilly Atlihan
Creative Programs and Communications Director
Lillianne Atlihan (they/she) is an acupuncturist, herbalist and interdisciplinary artist whose work is grounded in ritual and archaic lifeways. Their work in the healing arts is informed by 20 years of instruction and practice in contemplative and animist traditions including Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese metaphysics and European and Western Asian witching.
In their role at Sound and Memory, they collaborate with Concetta on grant writing, communications strategy, and workshop development and facilitation.
Pepper
Therapy Dog
Pepper (she/her) is a therapy dog on staff at Sound & Memory. She is a 60 pound blue merle Goldendoodle with a fluffy exterior and a big heart. Pepper graduated from training with the Good Dog Foundation with her official therapy dog certification in 2021. Pepper has provided therapy assistance in hospice, nursing homes, hospitals and schools working with elderly, disabled as well as young children.
About the Ensemble
The Sound & Memory ensemble provide personalized memorial offerings including live music, original music compositions and recordings. We explore innovative ways to incorporate music into contemporary rituals around both grief and death as tradition evolves over time. Our instrumentation includes woodwinds, strings, brass, vocalists, piano and guitar. Our belief is that music has the power to strengthen communities facing the loss of a loved one by evoking the legacy of that person's life.
For over ten years, we have worked to bring live music to universities, libraries, spaces of worship and other public spaces that explores inclusive, community-centered experiences of death, grief and mourning.