Romel Joseph Day was proclaimed by Connecticut Governor, M. Jodi Rell at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut on June 6, 2010.
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Romel Joseph, the Executive Director of the New Victorian School in Port-au-Prince, was delivering a phone message on the third floor of the school when the deadly earthquake of January 12, 2010 hit. Mr. Joseph's legs and feet were pinned beneath the rubble for eighteen hours straight. Keeping track of time with a watch designed for the blind, he played one concerto every hour in his head and pretended that he was in a concert hall. A combination of this and prayer enabled him to survive until he was rescued by his employees and friends. While trapped, Mr. Joseph concluded that he must rebuild his school and continue teaching music as he had when it was destroyed by a fire exactly ten years previously, on January 12, 2000.[1]
Following the Governor's speech, a concert called "Song for Haiti" was performed, consisting of the Song for Haiti festival Choir and Orchestra. "Ave Verum Corpus" by Mozart, "Alleluia" by Randall Thompson and "Largo" from the New world Symphony by Antonín Dvořák were some of the main musical selections, ending with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Performers from the Hartford Chorale, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and other local music groups volunteered their time and talent for the cause. The event also featured performances by the Honors Brass Choir, the Modern Dance Ensemble, and the Hartt School Suzuki String Ensemble.[2] As the concert costs were paid for by sponsors, 100% of all ticket sales and donations were gifted to the New Victorian School.[3]