[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.