CLEVELAND — Cleveland Orchestra musicians have partnered together to film a new series of performance videos throughout Greater Cleveland for their new Music Medicine Initiative.
Jessica Lee, the assistant concertmaster for the Orchestra, and her colleagues created the videos to share the healing power of music with healthcare workers, patients and those affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The series of seven to ten videos will be released on a weekly basis on the Orchestra's Facebook, Twitter Instagram and YouTube accounts beginning Monday, November 23.
"This series is a part of the Music Medicine Initiative: The Power of Music for Health and Well-Being, which is a community collaboration between The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Clinic's Art + Design Institute," a new release surrounding the project states.
The Orchestra and Cleveland Clinic partner on a number of projects to explore the intersection of music and medicine in both the local and global communities. A few of their recent collaborations include the Salute to Healthcare Heroes chamber concerts for Cleveland Clinic healthcare workers by Cleveland Orchestra musicians, performances by Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's chamber music ensembles at Cleveland Clinic locations and co-hosting Music & the Brain symposia in the United States and Europe.
"As the pandemic hit us, I saw the deep stress and pain experienced by frontline workers and those affected by COVID-19," said Lee. "There was also an enormous sense of isolation and a hunger for beauty around the world, so as I began this project I focused on the words 'community' and 'connection,' two things we are all especially longing for right now. This is what led me to film these videos in some of our beloved businesses in the Greater Cleveland community, to bring the joy of these places back into people's lives while we are less able to visit and enjoy them. Music has the unique power to unite and heal where words cannot, and it is my hope that through these videos, we will lift the spirits of healthcare workers, patients, and our entire community."
The first three videos in the new project include the following performances by musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra:
- Movement 3 from Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, filmed at Luna Bakery in Cleveland Heights. Performed by Jessica Lee, assistant concertmaster (violin); Yun-Ting Lee (violin); Wesley Collins, principal viola (viola); and Dane Johansen (cello).
- Telemann’s Concerto for Four Violins in D Major, filmed at Mitchell’s Ice Cream in Ohio City. Performed by Peter Otto, first associate concertmaster (violin); Jung-Min Amy Lee, associate concertmaster (violin); Jessica Lee, assistant concertmaster (violin); and Stephen Tavani, assistant concertmaster (violin).
- Barber’s Dover Beach (poem by Matthew Arnold), filmed at Alley Cat Oyster Bar in downtown Cleveland. Performed by Jessica Lee, assistant concertmaster (violin); Yun-Ting Lee (violin); Wesley Collins, principal viola (viola); Dane Johansen (cello); and guest vocalist Thomas Meglioranza (baritone).
