PHYSICIANS HEAL SELVES, OTHERS WITH MUSIC
Comments Off Serenade for HOPE benefits H.O.P.E. for Haiti Outreach
Rochester, NY – Stephen Lurie, M.D., Ph.D., founded the Rochester Medical Chamber Orchestra in the fall of 2008 in order to create a vehicle for musically-inclined physicians, scientists and medical staff, residents and students to come together to play music.
“Music is a great stress reliever in general,” says the Director of Assessment of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, who was inspired by Boston’s Longwood Symphony Orchestra. “Playing music also brings people together across the spectrum of age and position, and literally creates a sense of harmony in a profession that is often full of stress.”
For its nearly 45 members, the orchestra is much more than music therapy. Like Lurie, who studied clarinet for several years at Eastman School’s preparatory department, most were serious amateurs before pursuing careers in medicine. Directed by well-known conductor, David Harman, the orchestra has presented two ambitious and well-received concerts. The third will take place Wednesday, May 12 at 5 p.m. the Flaum Atrium of the University of Rochester School of Medicine.
Entitled Serenade for HOPE, the program features Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music, based on the words of William Shakespeare. The piece highlights the newly-formed Medical Center Chorus, which, like the orchestra, is comprised of people from the medical center community, all of whom have extensive experience in vocal performance. This 17-voice ensemble will also perform three songs based on Elizabethan text, and the orchestra will play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral Symphony) as well.
In addition, the upcoming concert will debut a new mission for the Rochester Medical Chamber Orchestra: to support local health-related, non-profit organizations. May’s event is a partnership with H.O.P.E. (Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa), a Rochester-based organization that is actively providing relief to Haiti.
“We dedicate this concert to the Haitian people,” says H.O.P.E. Executive Director Dr. Rose-Marie Chierici, Ph.D., a native of Haiti and a professor of Anthropology at SUNY Geneseo who co-founded the organization 14 years ago. “The recent earthquake has made our work even more vital.”
Admission to the May 12th concert is free, but donations to H.O.P.E. will be welcome.
