August 15, 2019
Hello,
What a treat it was for us to host the World Doctors Orchestra this week as part of our Arts and Resilience Series. The series provides the opportunity for members of the medical school community to spend an hour listening to and learning from a variety of great artists.
The World Doctors Orchestra was founded in 2008, by Dr. Stefan N. Willich, professor of medicine at the Charite University Medical Center in Berlin, a violinist who serves as conductor. Several times a year, over 100 physician-musicians from all over the world perform concerts that benefit a specific medical project.
We are very proud to note that McGovern Medical School has wonderful representation in the orchestra. Dr. Henry Wang, professor of emergency medicine, is a violinist in the orchestra, and two alumni, Grace Liao Lee and her husband, Charlie Lee, are orchestra members.
Tuesday’s performance featured Dr. Willich and quartet members Sing-Yi Feng, associate professor of pediatric emergency medicine and toxicologist from UT Southwestern; Grace Liao Lee, assistant professor of dermatology at Baylor College of Medicine and a pediatric dermatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital; Annina Vischer, a cardiologist at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, and a specialist in cardiomyopathy and hypertension; and Jennifer Miles, an internist and pediatrician from New Orleans. The quartet performed the first and second movements from Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 12, also known as the “American” quartet.
We are honored that McGovern Medical School was included in the orchestra’s Houston debut. The full orchestra will perform for free Friday, Aug. 16 at 5 p.m. in the Crain Garden at Houston Methodist’s Dunn Tower, with works by Copland and Brahms, featuring a special presentation by pianist Mei Rui, DMA, a researcher in the neurosciences at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The orchestra also will perform Saturday evening Aug. 17 at Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall, Shepherd School of Music. For more information and tickets, please see the website.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Wang for introducing the medical school to the World Doctors Orchestra and for bringing these wonderful musicians to campus.
Our next installation of the Arts and Resilience series will be Sept. 19 with pianist and musical director Mark Vogel. Hope to see you there.
Warm regards,
Barbara
P.S. Please join me in wishing Dr. Richard Andrassy a happy birthday and congratulating him on serving 25 years as our Chair of Surgery—a remarkable milestone.
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