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NMO During COVID

NMO During COVID

In pre-Covid times, the NMO coordinated a large orchestras including various string and wind instruments, featuring pieces by Dvorak, Sibelius, Beethoven, Ravel, John Williams, and even our very own Northwestern physician, Aroop Kar!

Even though the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented the members of NMO to play in a large orchestra, the players continued to make music through their solo and chamber pieces, which they performed in Fall 2020 Virtual Concert (11/6/2020). Over 250 attendees have joined NMO’s first ever live-stream and pre-recorded performances over zoom, featuring various strings and wind instruments, and piano! Playing in a socially distanced manner with masks enabled NMO to continue to share music with friends, families, and wider medical community. After the first successful virtual concert, NMO coordinated Spring 2021 (4/30/2021) virtual concert, which even included voice players!

Collaboration with members of Durham Medical Orchestra

What happens when clarinetists from the Northwestern Medical Orchestra and Durham Medical Orchestra get together online? A festive rendition of the Russian Dance (Trepak) from The Nutcracker, of course! Thanks to Nick Bandarenko, MD, pathologist at Duke University, for collaborating with us!

Participation in National Virtual Medical Orchestra!

Some of our musicians have still made time to participate in the National Virtual Medical Orchestra in between studying anatomy and rounding on the wards. One of the pieces we’ve recorded was bittersweet for NMO members–we were rehearsing to share Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture with you at our Spring 2020 concert before we shut down our rehearsals due to COVID-19. We’re glad to share this wonderful piece with you in a safe, socially-distanced way! Can you spot them all?
 
Feinberg students performed a movement from Beethoven Symphony No. 4 with doctors, nurses, first responders and other medical students from 15 cities through the National Virtual Medical Orchestra as well!
 

Sharing music with patients and healthcare workers!

Outside of participating in a larger orchestra and wind ensembles, solo players have performed in Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and Northwestern Memorial Hospitals throughout the year to provide soothing musical experience for patients and healthcare workers.