When GIM Assistant Professor, Marisa D'Silva, MD, decided to pursue medical school, she thought the possibility of playing her flute in an orchestra was just a thing of the past. Luckily, she was wrong.
"There is nothing like sitting in the middle of so many dedicated musicians, all working together to produce something beautiful and inspiring," she says.
D'Silva is a proud member of The Durham Medical Orchestra which started in 2010 with about 35 amateur musicians affiliated with Duke. "We have grown into a full orchestra of nearly 100 players under our fantastic conductor." The group rehearses on Sunday evenings during the academic year, and performs free public concerts in Baldwin Auditorium near the end of each semester.
Fall Concert: December 8, 2018, "Harmonies" (This is the updated date and time due to weather forecast. DMO will not play on Sunday, December 9!)
The next concert will be Saturday, December 8, at 4 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium. The theme is “Harmonies: a concert that celebrates talented performers from across the Triangle" and will feature romantic music from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, with a special highlight of live ballet dancing.
"I love the music, and especially enjoy the camaraderie that develops from rehearsing regularly with people from across the medical centers and from across the community."
"I love the music, and especially enjoy the camaraderie that develops from rehearsing regularly with people from across the medical centers and from across the community," says D'Silva, who is also a member of the executive board of the orchestra, and on the board of the nonprofit Durham Medical Orchestra Foundation which supports them. "It has been very inspiring to be part of the tremendous volunteer effort that it takes to run this symphony orchestra!"
The Durham Medical Orchestra regularly highlights local nonprofit organizations, to raise awareness and provide support — half of donations from the December 8 concert will go to Senior PharmAssist, which directly helps so many of our patients.
Dr. D'Silva tells us there's a joint performance with the Durham Choral Society in early March and a kids concert in the community in April. The next free concert is May 5, 2019. For more news about the orchestra, check here. Better yet, consider joining!