[Houston Chronicle] Houston doctors part of collaboration that raises $7 million+ for COVID relief

Texas Medical Center Orchestra may not have been able to celebrate the culmination of its 20th-anniversary season as planned, but it received a finale far more meaningful than founder and artistic director Libi Lebel could have imagined.

In light of the devastating cancellations in the arts caused by the coronavirus, the orchestra was invited to participate in a virtual performance of Diane Warren’s Oscar-nominated hit “I’m Standing With You.” Through the project, the heartwarming song from the faith-based film “Breakthrough,” which shares a message that inspires gratitude, unity and healing, gained new life as the COVID-19 relief anthem.

The global collaboration, which features more than 170 musical artists from six continents, was led by the iconic songwriter alongside director Gev Miron and composer Sharon Farber, who arranged the work for a full orchestra. Since its premiere on May 22, the music video has accumulated nearly 53,000 views on YouTube and has raised more than $7 million in support of the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, with Google offering a 2:1 match on donations up to $5 million. Read more in the Houston Chronicle Preview section.

[VIDEO] Bach Double Violin Concerto - a tribute to healthcare workers with Joshua Bell

Thank you to Joshua Bell for featuring these amazing healthcare heroes and violinists in your latest video! Bravo to our concertmaster, Grace Liao, for a wonderful performance!

From Joshua Bell:

Thank you to the truly incredible and heroic healthcare workers who continue to keep us safe amidst this pandemic.

And to the violinists in this video -- Catherine, Siobhan, Abbey, Grace, Evan, Georgiana, Liaht, Lori, Jasper, and Mark-- I greatly appreciate the work you do and loved having this opportunity to make some music with you.

Repertoire: Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV 1043: Movement I by J.S. Bach

Participants featured:

Catherine Lee Chen, MD, MPH

Siobhan Deshauer, MD (aka ViolinMD)

Abbey Hafen, RN, BSN

Grace Lee, MD

Evan Liang, MD

Georgiana Marusca, MD

Liaht Slobodkin, EMT

Lori Sykes, RN, BSN

Jasper Yung, DO

Mark Weatherall, MD

Produced by Park Avenue Artists

Shaan Ramaprasad (video)

David Lai (audio)

Gloria Breck (musician coordinator)

Houston docs in National Virtual Medical Orchestra find healing through music

America’s medical musicians unite like never before, vastly expanding their patient rosters to mend spirits around the world with healing harmonies in John Masko’s latest venture.

Last May, the music director of the Providence Medical Orchestra — which shuttered its operations in March due to the pandemic — founded the National Virtual Medical Orchestra, bringing together 50 doctors, nurses, first responders and medical students from 15 medical orchestras across the country.

Four participating musicians — violinist Grace Lee, M.D.; violist and medical student Laura Michie; oboist Anne Anderson, M.D.; and trumpet player Andrew Roseborrough, DMA — are members of Houston’s Texas Medical Center Orchestra, which was established by Russian-born conductor Libi Lebel in 2000.

On July 30, the ensemble will release its second program on social media that will showcase Johannes Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture,” a boisterous medley of student drinking songs that the composer wrote as a sarcastic gesture of appreciation for an honorary doctorate that the University of Breslau awarded him. The video, produced by Christopher Bill, follows the orchestra’s successful debut last month, featuring a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 4.”

Read the full article on the Houston Chronicle website.