The Longwood Symphony Orchestra (LSO), made up mostly of physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals, is embarking on an international humanitarian tour to London, titled “Bridging the Atlantic: Artful Innovations in Cancer Care.” The orchestra collaborates with Boston-area medical nonprofits to raise money and awareness for the health care underserved and has recently expanded the programs to include medical symposia along with concerts. Through these collaborations, the LSO has helped local organizations raise more than $750,000.
In London, members of the orchestra will present its model to the medical and musical community and raise funds through a series of concerts, symposia, and site visits.
“It will be a sharing and learning experience on so many levels,” said Lisa Wong, violinist and president of the LSO. “Our medical students will have the opportunity to learn about the National Health Services and meet their fellow British musical medical students. Our oncologists will engage in high-level discussions about innovations in cancer care and research, and our nurses and physical therapists will have a chance to share experiences and techniques with their British colleagues.” Wong is also an HMS clinical instructor in pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The trip includes two full-length concerts in 2,000-seat halls, which will benefit Marie Curie Cancer Care (a U.K.-based palliative care charity) and a chamber music concert at the Harvard Club in London. The concerts will feature music in the British and American traditions, including the music of American composers Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, South American composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, and British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Several of the musicians, including some HMS faculty members, will speak about cancer research, therapy, and care at the symposia. They will be joined by LSO conductor and director Jonathan McPhee, who will discuss the connections between music and medicine, several researchers from the U.K., and Bob Champion, a British jockey and cancer survivor.
As part of the orchestra’s outreach efforts, members of the LSO will also visit hospitals, hospices, and research centers, speaking with scientists and giving smaller chamber music performances for patients, staff, and physicians.
The orchestra leaves June 21 and will be in London through June 29.
