For months, strains of Mozart's Requiem and a chorus of melodic voices have been heard at Weill Cornell Medical College, as dozens of dedicated musicians gathered weekly to rehearse for the Music and Medicine Initiative's largest performance to date.
"Usually it's small bands or venues, but this year, we have about a hundred musicians including an orchestra and a choir," said third-year medical student and violinist Jenna Devare, student co-chair of Music and Medicine. She and her fellow musicians are preparing a performance of Mozart's Requiem, one of the composer's most famous works. To Devare, it's an honor to perform such a renowned piece in one of New York City's landmarks, St. Bartholomew's Church. "I am very thrilled," she said. "This has always been a dream of mine since I started here."
In its third year, the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Initiative's annual concert continues to raise funds for people in need. Last year, funds raised supported relief efforts in tsunami-battered Japan. In 2010, they helped underwrite medical aid and rebuilding efforts after the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. With a suggested donation of $25, this year's concert will benefit the Weill Cornell Community Clinic, a student-run free clinic that provides primary care, women's health and mental health services to underserved and uninsured New Yorkers.
"The Weill Cornell Community Clinic is always in need," said third-year medical student and trumpet player Tiffany Peng, student co-chair of Music and Medicine. "There are so many people who go there for services and the clinic is always looking to expand to take more patients and add services."
It's no small feat to gather such a large group of medical students, physicians and staff, who hail not just from Weill Cornell, but also from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Rockefeller University and the Juilliard School. Still, week after week, they juggled busy schedules to make time for music.
Founded by Dr. David A. Shapiro, clinical professor of psychiatry and chair of the Music and Medicine Initiative, and Dr. Richard Kogan, clinical professor of psychiatry and artistic director of the program, the Music and Medicine Initiative helps student-musicians find harmony by striking the right balance between music and their academic lives.
"The students approached me about a large-scale performance," said Shapiro. "As they did with the tributes to Haiti and Japan, they came up with this idea of a large benefit for not just the Weill Cornell community but for the community at large."
In an effort to allow even more money to flow into the Clinic, Dr. Thomas Sculco, chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery, offered to be the main underwriter for the Requiem concert, with additional underwriting support from Mr. Adam Offenhartz. The Music and Medicine initiative also receives generous support from the Block Family Foundation.
"Our students are acting on the behalf of healthcare and indigent patients," Dr. Shapiro said. "They are amazing and talented people, and I'm extremely proud of their compassion for healthcare and the community."
If you go:
Who: Weill Cornell Medical College Music and Medicine Initiative
What: Performance of Mozart's Requiem
When: 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7
Where: St. Bartholomew's Church, 325 Park Ave [map]
Cost: $25 suggested donation
RSVP: To reserve your seat and make a donation, please visit weill.cornell.edu/music.
The Weill Cornell Medical College Music and Medicine Initiative's performance of Mozart's Requiem will be at St. Bartholomew's Church, 325 Park Ave., New York at 6:30 p.m on Sunday, Oct. 7. To reserve your seat and make a donation of $25 to support the Weill Cornell Community Clinic, please visit weill.cornell.edu/music.