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| Vol. 23, No. 1 |
| January 15, 2001 |
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New Houston Doctors' Orchestra By DARLA BROWN The University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Every week, 55 members of Houston's medical community convene not in the name of health care, but instead in the name of music. The Houston Doctors'Orchestra is the brainchild of Libi Lebel, a young conductor who recently moved to Houston from New York City. Her husband, an anesthesiology resident at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, was instrumental in bringing her idea to the Texas Medical Center. "Music is my life and passion. I knew before moving here that I wanted to start an orchestra in the Texas Medical Center. I wanted to give its members an opportunity not only to enrich their souls but also a unique way to gift the community and medicine," Lebel said. "Similar to other doctor's orchestras, I would like our concerts' proceeds to go toward medical charities in Houston." In order to get her idea off the ground, Lebel first met with Dr. Jeffrey Katz, chairman of the UT-Houston Medical School Department of Anesthesiology. "She wears her enthusiasm with such passion that it was impossible not to respond positively," Dr. Katz recalled. "I said, `Wow! What an opportunity! I love music and I know the dean does too! Let's go and talk to him.' And we did."
Dr. Maximilian Buja, dean of The UT-Houston Medical School, embraced the idea with great enthusiasm and agreed to help start the orchestra by providing the group with audition and rehearsal space. The orchestra had its first rehearsal Nov. 1 and will have its first concert Saturday, Jan. 27, at the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street. Dr. Katz said the orchestra is a natural fit for the Texas Medical Center and its inhabitants. "On one hand, we physicians and biological scientists are so frequently accused of being narrow-minded and over-focused. I thought this was an ideal opportunity to broaden our activities," he said. "Many of us have been through the discipline and dedication of musical training - why not harness this energy and put it to work providing fun for the musicians and entertainment for the less talented in the Texas Medical Center?" The orchestra is made up mostly of amateur musicians representing almost all of the Texas Medical Center hospitals, some of whom also play with area symphonies. "There are different skill levels in the orchestra and some members have not played in several years, but they all are extremely ambitious," Lebel said. One such orchestra member is Dr. Eddy Barasch, who hasn't played the violin since he was in professional music school, more than 30 years ago. "I played violin for 10 years when I was a kid," said Dr. Barasch, associate professor of cardiology at The UT-Houston Medical School. "My school in Romania was preparing students to become professional musicians." But in the end, he decided a professional musician's life was not for him. "In order to be a musician, you have to be an outstanding talent - almost anyone can be a doctor," he said, laughing. The orchestra is not yet complete and could use about 15 more medical musicians. "The orchestra will be working very hard to achieve a professional playing level," Lebel said. "My dream is to have the whole medical community show up to support their colleagues."
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/01_15_01/page_07.html |
