March 2021 Newslet t er

From The Board

Dear Friends,

It?s March, and the change in seasons is at our fingertips. What a different place the world is than it was just
one year ago.

While many things may have become unpredictable, people remain as innovative and resilient as ever. The
medical orchestra community is no different. In the past several months, we have enjoyed hearing about your
strategies for remaining connected and for continuing to make music while apart. From symphony orchestras
to family concerts, with amateurs and professionals, in local orchestras and in national ones, we have heard
story after story of music as a bridge and unifier, acting across our physical separations to encourage
continued community, even when we cannot be together.

In this issue, you?ll find two guides on how to record virtual performances, member spotlights on a musician
and an orchestra founder, numerous performances both solo and ensemble, a few orchestral introductions,
and two new sections: a message board and a contacts section for article contributors who wished to make
their information available to you, should you wish to reach out.

We are also thrilled to announce our inaugural conference in this issue, with virtual sessions being held
between May 15th and May 30th and presented by experts in medical orchestra administration and
programming, performance (including masterclasses), and research in music and medicine. Read on for more
details.

Our goal, as ever, is to connect our medical orchestra community. Please reach out with any ideas you might
have for resources to add to the website, thoughts about how to bring medical orchestras in better contact, or
submissions for this newsletter. We would love to hear from you. Please visit www.thenamo.org to learn more,
and get in touch at info@thenamo.org

Thank you for reading, and happy music-making to you and your orchestras!

Sincerely,
The NAMO Interim Board
 M u sic Du r in g COVID-19 w it h t h e Nor t h w est er n M edical
Or ch est r a: Br oadcast in g Zoom Con cer t s 101

The Northwestern Medical Orchestra (NMO) was founded in 2018 by medical students Bettina Cheung and Michael
Wang to bring live music performance to Northwestern University?s Chicago campus. In the past few years, our
ensemble of approximately 50 medical students, physicians, physical therapists, researchers, alumni, and staff have
performed two sets of concerts each year for both patient and community audiences. One of our member physicians
stated that NMO is their ?cure for burnout,? and another let us know that NMO has had a ?positive experience and
influence on [their] well-being? during the most ?demanding part of [their] medical training.? As such, when the
pandemic hit the U.S. (and medical workers particularly hard) last spring, we were left with an important challenge: how
do we continue to provide musical activities in a safe manner for our community when they are needed most?
Our solution: a chamber music program incorporating both masked, socially-distanced string groups, as well as virtual
collaboration by wind players using innovative new software. Our season culminated in a 2-hour virtual concert held as
a Zoom webinar, with over 270 audience members tuning in from around the globe, and we are aiming to replicate this
program and concert again this spring. We have included an outline below of how we structured our program and some
tips on practical implementation. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like more information:
nmorchestra@u.northwestern.edu.
Begin n in g of Season (2-3 m on t h s pr ior t o con cer t )
- Collect en sem ble det ails. Send out sign-up form to mailing lists and collect instrumentation, prior level of
experience, time since they last played in an ensemble, to better match musicians to suitable groups.
- Set gr ou ps an d r eh ear sals. Arrange groups and request repertoire and 5+ rehearsal dates be submitted, to
ensure adequate rehearsal before the concert.
- Hold vir t u al r eh ear sals. Purchase a subscription to Upbeat, a software which allows musicians to collaborate
virtually. Upbeat allows musicians to record their parts separately to a click track on a video call and then
assembles them for playback, so that musicians can listen, discuss, and more closely simulate a live rehearsal.
Other strategies include having musicians rehearse by playing along to a single unmuted musician on a Zoom
call.
Half w ay t h r ou gh Season
- Sch edu le coach in g session s for each group with Artistic Director/Principal Conductor. Many groups provided
feedback that time with Taichi Fukumura, our Principal Conductor helped them immensely with their musicality
Con cer t
- For a virtual concert over Zoom, you can pu r ch ase a w ebin ar licen se or r equ est on e f r om you r in st it u t ion , if
available. This feature is provisioned to a single user ?s account, but other users can be added as ?panelists? who
can appear in the broadcast. All other viewers cannot unmute their microphones or video unless a host/panelist
allows them to. We recommend using the function requiring audience registration for the webinar, as this allows
you to email a reminder to anyone who is interested in the concert and allows you to gauge possible audience
size. The webinar format also comes with practice mode, which we highly recommend to be tested on the
machine that will be used for the actual concert. Useful settings to be familiar with:
- ?Music mode? with original sound and no auto-leveling
- Microphone volume controls within Zoom
- ?Hide non-video participants? so the performances fill the screen (useful if you also have panelists signed
in to chime in only occasionally)
- Recording settings if you would like a copy of the concert
- How to remove viewers if they are disruptive in the chat function or how to disable the chat as a
contingency
- Recording settings if you would like a copy of the concert
Continued on next page »
(continued)
- Pr oper social dist an cin g and room capacity guidelines can be followed by broadcasting from an auditorium,
ensuring everyone is masked at all times, and that only one chamber performance group is in the room at a time.
We recommend a set-up with at least two additional people in the room for controlling the concert broadcast.
- One person playing the videos from any pre-recorded performances and controlling the
microphone/camera for the live groups (muted between set changes and during the pre-recorded videos)
- Another person emceeing and introducing pieces from a separate computer/microphone to allow time for
the other host to make smooth transitions between pre-recorded videos and the live camera/microphone.
If you have enough, sandwiching videos between live performances allows more time for set changes
- Other help outside the room for directing groups during set changes
- Equ ipm en t su ggest ion s
- Main broadcast machine (with the webinar license and camera/microphone) with Ethernet for the most
stable internet connection during the concert
- An external microphone such as a Blue Yeti for higher quality sound and the ability to control gain
instantly on the microphone
- A camera or HD webcamIn addition to this concert,
we were able to put together a series of Zoom
seminars led by our Principal Conductor on the
History of the Symphony as well as organize virtual
music volunteering in our hospital network in
collaboration with a volunteer organization. We
had a very successful and enjoyable season
making music in creative ways during the
pandemic and are very happy to trade suggestions
with anyone planning to do the same! We invite
you to visit our website, Facebook page, or send us
an email nmorchestra@u.northwestern.edu.

Nebr ask a M edical Or ch est r a Holds Vir t u al M ast er class Ser ies

Like many medical orchestras, Nebraska Medical Orchestra has been unable to rehearse during the pandemic.
Socially distanced rehearsals ended in early winter, with the spike in cases. NMO Conductor, Matthew Brooks,
DMA, was able to put together a 7-week panel of virtual masterclasses from January through February on many
performance topics of interest to musicians in the orchestra. Presenters and topics have included:

- Megan Lanz, DMA, flautist and faculty member at Colorado State University, presenting on mindfulness for
musicians
- Cellist Cole Randolph, cellist and recent Detroit Symphony African American Orchestra Fellow with dual
degrees in mathematics and performance, presenting on math in music
- Raquel Samoya, DMA, trumpeter, assistant professor of University of North Texas, and member of Seraph
Brass, presenting on brass technique
- MU1 Bryce Nakaoka, french hornist with the U.S. Coast Guard, presenting on rehearsing and performing in
chamber ensembles
- Elisabeth Shafer, DMA, trombone with Seraph Brass and faculty at the University of Akron on understanding
and shaping musical phrases
- Quinton Morris, DMA, violinist and associate professor at Seattle University on string technique
- Bridget Brazeau, Longwood Symphony Orchestra Executive Director, on serving the community through
music and medicine
 Collabor at in g Acr oss Gr eat Dist an ces: A Blu epr in t f or Recor din g You r Or ch est r a
When there are distances between people, we can
still participate in music together. Whether our
distances are from one side of the world to another,
or simply across town, there are ways to collaborate
and participate in making music. In March through
May of 2020, I formulated a plan for my Orchestra
and my Mariachi students that allowed them to play
together even though they were not physically in the
same room. Some ideas I thought up myself, but
most techniques I borrowed, researched, and
learned. With a lot of time and planning, I created a
strategy to be able to have my students be successful
in recording a performance together. In the internet
ensemble project I did with my students I did both
audio and video but for the sake of brevity I will only
speak about the audio recording aspects of this
process.
The steps to record are detailed below and can be
used for soloists with accompaniment, small
ensembles, and large ensembles alike. What I will
attempt to do in this article is to give some
information about the process that I went through
and give some tips that might help you create your
own recordings. For this process I used Garageband,
which is an app already available on any Apple device
and that can be downloaded on Windows devices if
desired.
The Materials:
- A r ecor din g plat f or m , also k n ow n as a
Digit al Au dio Wor k st at ion (DAW). I used
GarageBand but Soundtrap, or Audacity are
perfectly acceptable DAW?s.
- A click -t r ack for each piece or song that you
play or sing. Clicks tracks can be made in your
DAW. If you have an accompanist or a
drummer in your ensemble, then you can
have them record the piano track or the drum
track as your click track for students.
- Access to instruments at home (optional). This
helped as a demonstration tool for my
students to show them that this can be done,
and it was a lot of fun.
- On lin e plat f or m t o dist r ibu t e in f or m at ion .
I used Google Classroom to give
announcements, information, instructions,
PDF?s, recordings, and much more to my
students to help them along the way.
- Clou d ser vice. I used Google Drive so
students could share their audio or video
recordings with me.
- Recor din g devices f or par t icipan t s. My
students had access to Chromebooks, which
have adequate audio/video recording capacity.
I told students they could use better quality
recording devices if they had them, but the
Chromebook works fine.
- In st r u m en t s, m u sic, an d ear bu ds or
h eadph on es f or par t icipan t s. The earbuds
or headphones allow students to listen to the
click track while they record, so that the
recording doesn?t pick up the sound of the
click track. Do not play the click track out loud
without headphones during recording.
- On lin e plat f or m t o dist r ibu t e in f or m at ion. I
used Google Classroom to give
announcements, information, instructions,
PDF?s, recordings, and much more to my
students to help them along the way.
- Clou d ser vice. I used Google Drive so
students could share their audio or video
recordings with me.
- Recor din g devices f or par t icipan t s. My
students had access to Chromebooks, which
have adequate audio/video recording capacity.
I told students they could use better quality
recording devices if they had them, but the
Chromebook works fine.
- In st r u m en t s, m u sic, an d ear bu ds or
h eadph on es f or par t icipan t s. The earbuds
or headphones allow students to listen to the
click track while they record, so that the
recording doesn?t pick up the sound of the
click track. Do not play the click track out loud
without headphones during recording.
Continued on next page »
(continued)
The Process:
1. Ch oose you r m u sic. Consider time constraints. If you normally do 4 pieces/songs for a concert, consider only doing
2 pieces virtually, especially if you?ve never done it before.
2. Cr eat e a click -t r ack with points of reference and notes for players. If you want an example of a click track please
email me at bnoser@lps.org I would be happy to share with you.
A. Include clicks for big beat s at the least. I generally have beat 1 always be kick drum and the other big beats
be snare drum hits.
B. Know your t em po in BPM , so you can tell your DAW what that number is.
C. Extend your drum part for as many measures as there are in the piece.
D. Cr eat e a poin t of r ef er en ce. You need this for everyone to start at the same time. For example, try clapping
once after 8 counts. Even if students don?t come in for 20 measures, everyone must have the same point of
reference, which means some may be recording silence for a few measures.
E. Cr eat e a st ar t in g poin t . Do the same thing as you did with the point of reference, but give students time to
pick up their instrument and get into playing position, then count them in.
F. Say r eh ear sal m ar k in gs. It is helpful to note these markings out loud before they happen, as it keeps
players on track. For example, say ?Rehearsal A? the beat before it occurs.
G. Cr eat e t em po ch an ges, if n ecessar y. You may need to change tempos as called for in your music. Most
DAWs have a function to alter your tempo quickly or over time. Some situations like a ritardando or
accelerando may call for weak beats to be included. If you have fermatas or grand pauses, you must extend
the drum track/add snare beats or add extra measures.
H. Su pplem en t t h e en din g. Have students continue their recording for about 7 to 8 more seconds at the end
in silence.
3. Get t h e m u sic t o st u den t s. Do students have the sheet music in hard copy already? Great! If they don?t have the
music in hard copy, you have to consider PDFs. The sheet music must be in public domain, or you must have
permission from the publishers to have PDFs.
4. Give st u den t s in st r u ct ion s an d let t h em r ecor d. Let them know how you want them to submit recordings to you.
Do they use Google Drive? Dropbox? Give them a recording due date, but don?t be too hasty, especially if you get
limited time in rehearsing with them. If they already know the music and just need to practice and record with the
click-track, then the turnaround time can be a little quicker. If students have never practiced with a click-track, then
they need time to do so.
5. In ser t r ecor din gs in t o you r DAW. Once you have all the recordings, drag them and the click track (for reference)
into the DAW. Each student should have a different line.
6. Lin e u p you r r ecor din gs. Make sure similar instrument sounds and visual waves line up. The more students that
you have recording, the harder this is to line up.
7. Lin e u p sect ion s by part and by ensemble. If they don?t line up, split the regions to adjust them. Be aware that
anything you cut up or move may disrupt something later in the recording.
A. Listen to similar sections to make sure they line up.
B. Listen to the entire ensemble to make sure they line up.
C. If everything lines up, save your project as an .mp3, .wav, .m4a, etc. and share with students and families as
you see fit.

That?s it?

It sounds like a lot, but creating a virtual musical experience is a lot of fun. Learning about ensemble in a time when we can?t
play in the same room is an amazing thing. If you have any questions, or you want to relate your virtual ensemble
experience, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to email me at bnoser@lps.org. Thank you and I hope that you
and your family are staying healthy.

Brett Noser, Lincoln NE

Lincoln High - Music Department Chair, Orchestra, IB Music, Music Tech
Los Mariachis de la Ciudad Estrella - Director
NMEA - Director of Orchestra Affairs
 The NAMO Member Spot light Series: Shining a Light on NAMO Members
Do you know an exceptional medical musician, conductor, or board member? We would love to tell
the world about them in our featured member spotlights! Click here to fill out an interest form

Ferol Carytsas Akila Venkataramany

3rd Year MD/PhD Student

The National Association of Medical Orchestras Spotlight
Series shines a light on member stories and
contributions. In this video we learn about Ferol
Carytsas, Lecturer and Undergraduate Curriculum
Coordinator, founder of the University of Florida Health
Music Ensemble, and violist at the University of Florida
Center for Arts and Medicine. In this interview, she
speaks to NAMO interim board member Mary Perkinson
about how she came to be at the intersection of arts and
health, founding her institution?s ensemble, her role in
the National Organization for Arts in Health, and making
time for making music.
https://youtu.be/tIO5hivb8Wk
The Ohio State University Professional School Orchestra
How did you f ir st get in volved in playin g m u sic,
an d w h at oppor t u n it ies h ave you pu r su ed?
My elementary school offered choices between
orchestra and band in the fourth grade, and,
having had previous exposure to Indian classical
music, I excitedly chose to learn the violin. As I
continued to play in my school district?s orchestra,
I also pursued private lessons. The skills I was able
to learn from individual instruction helped me join
a local orchestra and one of Ohio?s regional
orchestras. Additionally, my high school put on a
musical every year, so I had opportunities to play
in the pit for Aida (Elton John) and Crazy for You
(Gershwin). During college I was unfortunately
unable to find an orchestra that accepted

non-music majors, so I used those four years to maintain my skills and to try learning new pieces on my own.

How h ave you k ept st ayin g in volved in m u sic w h ile in m edical sch ool?
Medical school strengthened my relationship with music; in order to manage the stresses of studying and
training for a dual degree program, I turned to classical music and my violin as sources of enjoyment and relief.
In addition to listening to more pieces and educating myself about their history, I have been a musician in the
Professional School Orchestra at OSU for the last three years (and an executive board member for two years)
and the National Virtual Medical Orchestra since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continued on next page »
(continued)
Wh at ben ef it s do you t h in k m u sic h as in t h e f ield of m edicin e?
I view music and the arts as fundamental ways for healthcare students/professionals to replenish their
compassion and dedication toward such a demanding career. Music is just one creative outlet where individuals
can completely disconnect from the stresses of school and work and direct their attention toward an activity that
fulfills them. Furthermore, music and the arts are healing not just for those in healthcare, but for patients and their
families as well. Everyone (medical musicians, staff, patients, etc.) in the healthcare setting can benefit from
music?s ability to change a stressful and highly emotional atmosphere into a space of comfort and relaxation.

Wh y did you join t h e OSU Pr of ession al Sch ool Or ch est r a?

Since I missed playing in an orchestra for four years during college, I was extremely excited to join the OSU
Professional School Orchestra so that I could be a member of an ensemble again. Aside from actually rehearsing
with the group and taking breaks from my MSTP training, I have appreciated that the orchestra is uniquely
composed of students from OSU?s health professional, law, and graduate schools. I quickly recognized that we
members shared the same reason for joining the group: we simply wanted to play and enjoy music together. This
sincerity has made my experience in the ensemble even more special, and I have really enjoyed getting to know
students I would have otherwise never met.

Wh at h as been you r exper ien ce per f or m in g w it h t h e Nat ion al Vir t u al M edical Or ch est r a?
The National Virtual Medical Orchestra (NVMO) has been an unexpected, but extremely welcome, opportunity
while the Professional School Orchestra?s rehearsals are suspended during the pandemic. The pieces we have
played each month in the NVMO have been spread across different time periods and genres within classical music,
and this has allowed me to maintain my playing skills and grow as a musician. I have especially appreciated the
experience of navigating the virtual orchestra format in order to play as an ensemble with medical musicians
across the country. The process of setting up a recording device, listening to an audio track, and playing my
individual part has illuminated the aspects of in-person rehearsals that I took for granted, but I am grateful for our
ability to use technology to bridge gaps and continue sharing music in these difficult times.

Vir t u al Per f or m an ces

The pandemic may have stopped in-person performance, but it hasn?t stopped medical orchestras from
making music. Here are a variety of selections from orchestras across the country for your listening (and
sharing) pleasure. Please share your performances with us!
Click here to fill out an interest form

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Orchestra is pleased to present a virtual recording of G.F.
Handel?s Hallelujah Chorus, created by its members from their homes and released in early February.
Conductor Mark Bernat coordinated and directed this effort, and his son David Bernat compiled and
edited the performances from many musicians and singers in the orchestra. Bernat and his children,
also musicians, have also been hosting virtual performances out of his home in the At Home Concert
Series for Project Art, a department promoting healing through art at the University of Iowa Hospitals
and Clinics, and of which the medical orchestra is a part. The UIHCO strives to connect to patients,
families, and visitors through music and consists of faculty and staff at the University of Iowa.

https://uihc.org/home-concert-series
Hallelu jah at Hom e
 Vir t u al Per f or m an ces

A Tr ibu t e t o t h e Qu ar an t in ed Bost on Hope M u sic Pr oject

VCU Health Orchestra presents ?Homesick,? a Longwood Symphony Orchestra violin/viola

tribute to those separated from their loved ones player Dr. Lisa Wong has been deeply
during COVID. This perfoarmance features involved with the Boston Hope Music project,
Natalia O?Brien, M.M.; Dr. Chris Chou, M.D.; and
using music to help heal those recovering
Tiffany Tsay, medical student.
from COVID-19 at the Boston Hope field
https://youtu.be/5KURdBs7Lyg hospital. The project was featured in WGBH?s
Open Studio with Jared Bowen. WGBH's Open
Studio with Jared Bowen
Nat ion al Vir t u al M edical Since the field hospital has closed, the Boston
Or ch est r a Per f or m an ce Hope Music project continues to find new
ways to heal and provide solace through
The National Virtual Medical Orchestra music. Their newest venture, in collaboration
performs ?Merry Go Round? from the Studio with New England Conservatory, pairs
Ghibli film Howl?s Moving Castle. This
teaching artists with frontline healthcare
performance was conducted by Taichi
workers. Music Therapy Helps MGH Doctors
Fukumura, who was invited as a guest
Cope with COVID Trauma
conductor for NVMO?s November recording
cycle and is Artistic Director and Principal
Conductor of the Northwestern Medical
Orchestra. Taichi would like to point out,
?several members of this group are also part
of NAMO!?

https://youtu.be/fT7_kKzdxd4

Du r h am M edical Or ch est r a Dr. Lisa Wong, viola (left) along with medical
colleagues perform outside of a Boston hospital
Per f or m an ce

VCU Health Orchestra presents ?Homesick,? a tribute to those separated from their loved ones
during COVID. This performance features Natalia O?Brien, M.M.; Dr. Chris Chou, M.D.; and
Tiffany Tsay, medical student.

https://youtu.be/5KURdBs7Lyg
 Music and Ment al Healt h
Dr. Julie Reimann, a cellist with Longwood
Symphony and a dermatopathologist,
created an online performance exploring the
connection between Music and Mental
Health with her piano cello duo, Duo Amie.
The performance can be viewed here.
Photo attached to email titled ?Duo Amie?: Dr.
Julie Reimann, cello, and Ellyses Kuan, piano
Ar t s-in -M edicin e Edu cat ion al Ser ies f or
Doct or s (AiM ES f or M Ds)
February 25 - April 15, Thursdays @ noon EST
Join us for an innovative way to gain new
knowledge, learn to apply the arts to your
medical practice, and give yourself a
creativity break in this 8-week workshop
series. Hear from arts-in-healthcare experts,
discuss works of art, listen to musical
performances, and walk away feeling
refreshed. Your future diagnostic, critical
thinking, and communication skills will thank
you!
Discounts for American Epilepsy Society
members and junior investigatorsRegister
today: http://bit.ly/LSOaimes
(see next page for more details)
Message Board
Vir t u al Bedside Con cer t s
Co-founded by Longwood Symphony violinist and
student at Harvard Medical School, Enchi ChangThe
Virtual Bedside Concerts (VBC) program brings live,
interactive virtual music concerts to hospitalized
patients or nursing home residents to address the
pandemic of loneliness and isolation arising from
COVID-19. The program was established by Harvard
Medical School students in early 2020 to harness the
therapeutic aspects of the performing arts through
videoconferencing software, bringing musicians to
the COVID-19 healthcare effort in an interdisciplinary
manner and uniting families and friends around the
world with their loved ones in a shared experience.
Healthcare institutions submit requests for specific
time slots during which they would like a musician,
and the VBC program then matches a musician to
that time slot depending on availability and
preferences. Performances are conducted via Zoom
through either a hospital-provided tablet or a
patient's own smart device. Performances are open
to a variety of genres ? from pop, rock, to classical
music. Given that isolation and loneliness are not
unique to but have been highlighted by the COVID-19
pandemic, we anticipate that this program will
continue beyond the current pandemic to connect
individuals worldwide to alleviate loneliness through
these virtual concerts. If you are interested in having
Virtual Bedside Concerts at your healthcare
institution or volunteering as a musician, please fill
out this brief form, and we will be in touch! If you
have any questions, feel free to email
virtualbedsideconcerts@gmail.com anytime!
 Orchest ra Feat ures

Greet ings from The Medical College of W isconsin Orchest ra

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Orchestra was established in January 2019 by Paul McCusker, MCW
post-doctoral fellow and conductor emeritus. The Medical College of Wisconsin is a private medical school and
graduate school of sciences, with its main campus headquartered in the vibrant city of Milwaukee, WI along the
shores of Lake Michigan. The Orchestra rapidly established itself as a full ensemble of strings, winds, and
percussion. Nearly every member is a student, staff, or faculty member at MCW or one of its affiliate medical
institutions. The Orchestra was fortunate to welcome its current conductor, Dr. Alexander Mandl of the
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, in the spring of 2020.
To date, the MCW Orchestra performed in five live concerts until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. These
past performances featured selections from a variety of musical genres, including concertos, symphony
movements, movie soundtracks, and holiday classics. All performances are free admission; however, the
Orchestra has provided the opportunity for attendees to contribute free-will donations to a featured local charity
at each concert. Past featured charities have included Children?s Wisconsin, the Ronald McDonald House, the
Wauwatosa Rotary Foundation, Meta House, an organization empowering women to overcome substance abuse
disorder, and Blessings in a Backpack-Waukesha, a nonprofit that provides meals to food-insecure school-age
children over weekends and school breaks.
Since its inception, the MCW Orchestra has proudly demonstrated that music can be a lifelong pursuit, even if
you are a physician or a scientist! Bringing a variety of musical experiences and talents to the table, our
musicians have experienced a variety of benefits from their time in the Orchestra, including a creative outlet and
stress relief in the midst of a demanding schedule, the satisfaction of practice time translating into polished
pieces, an ability to express themselves and process what is going on in their lives and the world around them,
the chance to explore different genres of music and tackle new technical challenges in a group setting,
opportunities to make meet new people and establish friendships across departments and age groups, the joy of
performing for coworkers, family, friends & the community, and participating in a life-long joyful and
mood-lifting activity.
Even though the extraordinary times surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have kept the Orchestra from
rehearsing in person these past months, music still plays a key role in the lives of all its members. When the 2020
holiday season approached, the Orchestra felt that the (virtual) show must go on! The MCW Orchestra was proud
to release a virtual video performance of "Gloria" by Antonio Vivaldi just before Christmas. To bring this
performance to life, each person recorded his/her instrumental part while playing along with a video of our
conductor. Similarly, members of the MCW student a cappella group Chordae Harmonae recorded and
submitted their vocal parts in collaboration with the Orchestra.?With the?help of cellist Brian Smith, PhD and
bassoonist Lynn Lewandowski, MS, these individual sound recordings were assembled into a complete?video
performance, ornamented by pictures of the musicians and singers performing and showing off their best
festive outfits.?We hope you enjoy this performance included in the NAMO March Newsletter!

Continued on next page »

 (continued)

While our country and state ushers in the advent

of COVID-19 vaccines, the MCW Orchestra looks
forward to a brighter future in 2021. We continue
to seek out enthusiastic new members of any
musical abilities to join us at any time. As our
ensemble finds ways to share the joy of music
with our community in the months to come, we
invite you to attend our upcoming virtual and
in-person performances. For the latest updates
regarding these events, visit our Facebook and
Instagram pages or contact us via email
(orchestra@mcw.edu). To learn more information,
contact orchestra committee member Karina
Bursch (kbursch@mcw.edu) or conductor Dr.
Alexander Mandl?(sascha@saschamandl.com ).

You can watch the performance here.

The Ohio St at e Universit y Professional School Orchest ra

The Professional School Orchestra (PSO), as it is known today, was established in 2016 as a part of
the student section of the OSU College of Medicine (OSUCOM) Humanism in Medicine initiative.
Initially founded in 2009 as Music in Meiling (a building at OSU), the group has experienced two
growth phases during its history. The first of these expansions occurred in 2012 when a group of
medical students decided that rather than having a chamber ensemble, a full orchestra would
better fit the needs of students and increase the presence of the group on the medical center
campus. Through the help of Dr. Linda Stone, the group?s faculty advisor and a retired family
medicine physician, the OSU College of Medicine Orchestra was founded. Through collaborations
with the OSU School of Music, the group also secured its first conductor, Dr. Laura Hill. The OSU
College of Medicine Orchestra persisted for several years until the executive board (made up
entirely of students) decided to expand the organization to include other graduate and professional
students on OSU?s campus. This set in motion a series of events that ultimately led to the
rebranding of the group as the OSU Professional School Orchestra (PSO), a title it retains to this day.
Although the PSO remains primarily comprised of medical students, it has seen increased
participation from veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, law, dentistry, nursing, and
master ?s/PhD graduate students. The PSO is fortunate to receive financial support directly from the
College of Medicine as well as from the alumni society through the Linda C. Stone, MD Program for
Humanism and the Arts in Medicine.
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Currently, the PSO is co-conducted by Alexander Gonzalez and Brent Levine, two doctoral
conducting students in the School of Music. Historically, the group has also been conducted by
members of the orchestra with previous conducting experience. Before the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, the group performed two concerts per semester: a midday concert heavily attended by
students and medical center employees, and an evening concert often attended by family
members. Some of its best received performances have involved playing film score arrangements
to clips of the movies on a screen overhead (which can be pictured in the above image). In addition,
the PSO has collaborated annually with the appropriately named Ultrasound a cappella group,
which is similarly composed of medical students and often gives performances across the medical
center throughout the academic year. Although usually unaccompanied, Ultrasound has joined the
PSO to perform holiday classics at the Winter concerts each year. Previous pieces have included the
Hallelujah Chorus, selections from a Charlie Brown Christmas, Sleigh Ride, and a medley of classic
holiday carols.
When asked to reflect on his time in the PSO, Dr. Bryce St. Clair (optometry) said, ?I joined the PSO
(then called the Medical School Orchestra) as a creative outlet to meet professional students and
make music. After four years of commitment to the organization, I have made friends, professional
references, and fellow ?band nerds,?who I still keep in contact with to this day. When life in
professional school gets stressful with studying, practicals, and national boards, PSO was always
available for me to see friendly faces, let off some steam, and refurbish my mental health.?
More recent initiatives of the PSO have involved continued expansion of the group?s presence
across central Ohio as well as on the national stage as the medical orchestra movement continues
to develop. This has included performances at Nationwide Children?s Hospital as well as
involvement in commissioning bodies for new medical orchestra repertoire, most recently in
collaboration with the Durham Medical Orchestra. A handful of musicians from the group have also
participated in the widely celebrated National Virtual Medical Orchestra, which was born from the
COVID-19 pandemic; PSO participants include Akila Venkataramany (violin), Lauren Roby (viola), and
Matt Lordo (euphonium, also a NAMO board member). Additionally, during the pandemic, the PSO
began sending weekly playlists of classical music to continue the tradition of sharing music. It also
transitioned to a temporary virtual format, and the members have completed three virtual
recordings to date, including Ohio State?s alma mater ?Carmen Ohio? and two movements from
Tchaikovsky?s The Nutcracker Suite. The PSO eagerly looks forward to the time when everyone can
safely gather to make music in person once again!
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