Wayne State School of Medicine college students and different native musicians are cultivating their musical abilities as members of the Detroit Medical Orchestra for the 2022-2023 live performance season.

Founded in 2009, DMO goals to create an area for medical college students and professionals to “explore the connection between music and healing,” in line with its website.

DMO President Danish Ali mentioned the orchestra is returning for its first full season because the COVID-19 pandemic pressured the DMO to carry out nearly in 2020.

The orchestra performs three free, public live shows every season, along with a number of chamber live shows with teams of DMO musicians who typically play for hospital sufferers, Ali mentioned. 

The 2022-2023 season started Nov. 13 within the Student Center with classical items resembling Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 2 and Mendelssohn’s Overture The Hebrides.

Ali mentioned all of the items carried out by DMO are classical works recommended by members.

“It’s very exciting, and difficult, but the orchestra wanted that,” Ali mentioned. “After every season we ask the orchestra what they want to play in the future.”

DMO Vice President Nolan O’Hara mentioned outreach locally, particularly the medical group, is necessary to the orchestra.

“We’ve played in hospital lobbies, we’ve played in small groups in hospital rooms…” O’Hara mentioned. “It’s kind of by bringing the music to the community as a community orchestra, we try and definitely make that part of our mission, to make classical music really accessible to the community.”

The DMO is a symphonic orchestra with violins, violas, flutes, clarinets, double bass, amongst different devices performed by musicians of all talent units and backgrounds. O’Hara mentioned the orchestra is at all times in search of additions to the strings part.

Music Director and conductor Zeljko Milicevic mentioned the DMO stands out from different ensembles he’s labored with. 

“This group is really unique because they play with a fierce passion,” he mentioned. “Nobody has to, but they want to.”

Dr. Michael Cher, WSUSOM professor and chair of the Department of Urology, was a founding member of the orchestra.

“It was either 11 or 12 years ago that a medical student who played violin sent around an email to the whole School of Medicine community, asking if anybody was interested in starting an orchestra, and then we had a meeting in Scott Hall,” Dr. Cher mentioned. “And that’s kind of how it started.”

Dr. Cher mentioned the symphony member’s dedication to the orchestra is passionate.

“Our orchestra has a lot of energy because everybody’s a volunteer and if you’re going to give up every Sunday night to go to rehearsals, you must really like playing,” Dr. Cher mentioned. “So everybody comes full of energy and ready to practice and rehearse hard.”

WSUSOM alum Darion Twitty performs violin within the orchestra this season and mentioned the orchestra is knowing of members’ busy schedules as they stability college and medical subject coaching.

“Last season I was on an inpatient service and I worked 70 hours a week. I realized I had to sacrifice coming to some rehearsals but, I find that coming here when I can, and putting in the time at home when I can, it pays off in the end because everyone has each other’s back,” Twitty mentioned.

Dr. Cher mentioned he likes that the DMO serves as a spot for its members to take day out of their day for music.

“I think it’s actually good for their mental health,” Dr. Cher mentioned. “…Healing through music, it applies to our audiences but it also applies to the musicians themselves.”

Upcoming concerts:

• Feb. 19 at 3:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, situated at 14601 Lincoln St., Oak Park

• March 25 at 7 p.m. on the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, situated at 4800 Woodward Ave., Detroit

• May 21 at 3:30 p.m. at WSU’s St. Andrew’s Memorial Hall, situated between Manoogian Hall and Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments.

Shawntay Lewis is a contributing author for The South End. She may be reached at shawntay.lewis@wayne.edu.

All pictures by Shawntay Lewis.