Northwestern Medical Orchestra members are bound by more than just their studies — they’re united by their love of music.
“I thought that when I gave up making music and pursuing that as a career, I’d never have that space to do that in the way that I wanted to,” said NMO Publicity Manager Ania Holubecki, a second-year Ph.D. student in interdepartmental neuroscience. “The orchestra has provided me with that.“
NMO was founded in the spring of 2018 with the mission of supporting the welfare of the NU medical community through live musical performance. Comprised of NU graduate students, faculty and alumni, the orchestra prides itself on fostering well-being, community, diversity and programming.
NMO President and Co-Founder Bettina Cheung, an eighth-year M.D.-Ph.D. student, said the orchestra offers free performances to support equitable access to music. NMO often plays works of underrepresented composers, including Black and female composers, she said.
There are roughly 120 musicians in the orchestra — the most the group has ever had. While NMO prioritizes Feinberg students, it encourages anyone with a passion for music to join.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NMO hosted a series of virtual concerts and broadcasted performances over Zoom for those who didn’t feel comfortable attending the events in person.
“We thought that it was really important to keep providing a musical opportunity for the community,” Cheung said. “Especially because mental health became a serious issue during the pandemic.”
Although NMO has resumed in-person concerts, it continues to livestream performances for distant family and friends, expanding the group’s outreach in the community. NMO holds two concerts per season, in the fall and spring.
NMO also hosts an annual concert for patients at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, performing its usual program exclusively for the patients in the building.
“It’s a nice way to engage with the patients in a way that’s not related to their medical care and provide them with a way to, not forget about their medical care, but keep their mind off of things for a little bit and just be able to sit and enjoy,” Holubecki said.
NMO practices once a week on Tuesday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Milan Parikh, a second-year M.D.-Ph.D. student and vice president of NMO, said he enjoys rehearsals where he can perform at his best without stressing about his musical skills.
Parikh said the orchestra has also been a great source of community, academically and musically. He said he often helps first-year medical students in his section prepare for exams or gives them advice on school work.
“It’s always a highlight of my week to go to NMO for two hours a week and get to engage a very different part of my brain,” Parikh said. “It’s a time that I get to stop what I’m doing, whether it be science or math or research related, and place in music, which is a really great checkpoint for me.”
NMO is holding its first concert of the year on Dec. 6. Cheung said the orchestra will continue to be a place for students to connect with people inside and outside the healthcare setting.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Northwestern Medical Orchestra hosts virtual spring concert
— Seong-Jin Cho and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra dazzle with Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Kernis
— Bienen graduate students conduct Northwestern Symphony Orchestra holiday concert
