Music can help us heal, even though nobody’s quite sure why.

But that’s what it did for Erin Spencer, a Colorado Springs flutist and composer, who was so inspired by memorials and a vigil for the victims of the 2022 Club Q shooting that she composed a piece of classical music, “Somewhere Bluebirds Fly.”

“It was such a terrible event, but witnessing the queer community come together in the wake of the shooting showed me how much strength and resilience we have as a community,” she said. “I was inspired by ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’ I used motifs and melodies from that piece to tell the queer community’s story.”

Similarly, Fort Collins cellist Becky Kutz Osterberg wanted a piece of music that would represent her, a person who has dealt with almost lifelong depression, and be a way to help destigmatize the mood disorder and help others who might be suffering or help people understand what it’s like to live with depression.

She commissioned Colorado composer Dylan Fixmer, who created “Concerto for Electric Cello,” a classical piece in three movements: “No Light at the End of the Tunnel”; “It’s Just Me, But Who Am I”; and “Out of the Darkness.”

“It’s something that for many years I felt like I had to hide. I had shame and insecurity around it,” Osterberg said. “I was not the kind of person someone might look at and think anything was going on internally. I wanted to create hope and solidarity for those struggling and also create a community where we can destigmatize it and talk about it in the same way they talk about a fractured ankle.”

The world premieres of “Somewhere Bluebirds Fly” and “Concerto for Electric Cello,” with Osterberg on electric cello, will be part of “The Human Equation,” a concert by the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs devoted to bringing mental health and the healing power of music into the spotlight. Performances are Saturday and Sunday at Ent Center for the Arts.

“Depression is a human emotion we all experience, but when it’s debilitating, and you can’t function or you don’t want to exist anymore, not everyone experiences that or the feelings of disjointedness,” Osterberg said. “Dylan has written the piece in such a way, with a lot of effects to change the sound with the electric cello intentionally, to get those emotions across.”

The concert also includes composer Jocelyn Morlock’s 2016 piece, “My Name is Amanda Todd,” inspired by the 15-year-old Todd who died by suicide in 2012 after suffering cyber abuse, harassment and bullying at school; and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major. Schubert, who composed numerous pieces of upbeat music, struggled with depression throughout his life.

“On the surface, it looks like a serious statement, but on the other hand, there’s a lot of hope here,” said Thomas Wilson, music director for the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs. “We’re always there to uplift people, and that’s the goal here.”

More and more, research shows the benefit of classical music and other well-organized musical genres on mental health. Nobody knows quite yet why this happens, Wilson says.

He defines organized music as having a sense of architecture. The composer has a building plan and gives it form or structure that is usually apparent to the listener. Our minds recognize and respond to these forms, he says.

“When we listen to music, it has a way of ordering the electrical impulses in our mind,” Wilson said. “The order in the music provides order in the brain. If students listen to well-organized music before taking tests, they tend to do better. There is a natural connection between music and our innermost selves throughout our brains. So when people come to a concert, they’re not just doing something to have fun. It’s making them happier and healthier.”

And it also benefits us to not hide that we deal with difficult emotions or mood disorders. Instead of tamping it down, it’s healthier to explore and find ways to deal with it, like through music.

“Mental health and dealing with tragedy and loss, working through things, these things are swept under the rug,” Wilson said. “You’re supposed to keep a stiff upper lip and keep going, and all of us have done that at one time or another. But it doesn’t mean we’re OK. So why not talk about it? Why not acknowledge our shared humanity?”

IF YOU GO

What: “The Human Equation,” by Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, with music director Thomas Wilson, featuring cellist Becky Kutz Osterberg

When: 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.

Price: $17.75-$40.50; 719-255-8181, chamberorchestraofthesprings.org, entcenterforthearts.org