“A decade ago when Diane McElfish Helle’s father was in a neurointensive care unit, she went to visit him with a violin in hand,” writes Shandra Martinez in Tuesday’s (6/6) MLive.com (Grand Rapids, Mich.). “As the Grand Rapids Symphony violinist started playing, the nurses opened the glass door so they could hear the music, too. Soon people started coming from all around the circle of rooms to ask if she would play for their loved ones. Her music brought an unexpected touch of beauty and peacefulness to the lives of the patients and their families. That was some of the inspiration that led to the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Music for Health Initiative, which sends symphony musicians into area hospitals, to assist with patient rehabilitation as well as to create supportive physical, emotional and spiritual experiences for patients as well as for the friends, families and providers who care for them.… This week, McElfish Helle will be one of five professional orchestra musicians across the country honored with the Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service. The award is being presented at the League of American Orchestras’ 72nd annual National Conference.” For more on the Ford Musician Awards, click here.
Posted June 12, 2017