Press Releases

Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Partner for “Health-and-Concert” Series at NYC Public Hospitals

Mar 04, 2014

A collaboration between “Musical Connections,” a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) will bring a series of concerts to five local public hospitals this spring. Called A Celebration of Healthy Living, the concert series is scheduled for March in observance of National Nutrition Month.
Along with live performances by Carnegie Hall musicians, clinicians at each facility will be on-hand to offer health-and wellness-themed education, screenings, literature, and giveaways to guests. While enjoying world-class music, concertgoers can take advantage of hypertension screening, BMI assessments, nutritional counseling, exercise demonstrations, and weight-loss guidance. Free healthy snacks and promotional items will also be available.
The concert series features three Musical Connections artists in five separate hospital performances:

• Sospiro Winds
  Hailed as a “superb ensemble” by New Music Connoisseur, Sospiro Winds is an exciting new force on the chamber music scene, bringing wind quintet repertoire to audiences throughout the U.S. At home with classical works as well as newer material by Lembit Beecher and James Borchers, the quintet features wind soloists on flute and oboe along with clarinet, bassoon, and horn.
• Slavic Soul Party!
  Nine talented musicians come together in a joyous explosion of fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, gypsy accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops. This is a band that brings the audience to its feet with fabulous, Eastern European-based dance music.
• Decoda
  Decoda’s mission is twofold—to present world-class chamber music and to make deep artistic connections in places where such music is rarely heard. Decoda artists shared a background of training and experience as former fellows of Ensemble ACJ—The Academy, a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with NYC Department of Education. Time Out NY has called Decoda “a new collective of some of the brightest young classical musicians in the world.”

The concert schedule is as follows:

For more information, contact The Fund for HHC at 212-442-3809.
Major funding for Musical Connections is provided by MetLife Foundation and The Irene Diamond Fund. Additional support provided in part by Ameriprise Financial. Public support for Musical Connections is provided by the New York City Department of Homeless Services and Probation, and by the New York City Council.

About Musical Connections

A program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, Musical Connections is a set of community-based projects linking people throughout New York City to a variety of creative musical experiences ranging from stand-alone concerts to intensive year-long creative workshops designed to have a powerful impact on their daily lives. Through songwriting, choral, and composition projects, juveniles and adults in the justice system build a positive sense of self and strengthen bonds to family and community. In hospitals, musicians offer performances that reinforce positive healthcare messages. Additionally, the Lullaby Project gives new and expectant mothers in homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and hospitals the opportunity to write and record a lullaby for their children, while affirming their ability to be caring and committed parents. The Lullaby Project now extends across the country, enabling select partner organizations to reach families in their own communities.

About The Fund for HHC

To uphold the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation’s mission of ensuring access to safe, high-quality healthcare for all regardless of immigration status, health insurance, or financial status, The Fund for HHC has established a strategic agenda that seeks programmatic support for Guns Down, Life Up, HHC’s anti-gun violence initiative; programs that foster healthcare awareness and access for adolescent New Yorkers; comprehensive healthcare services for women; the development of medical simulation learning capabilities, and the sustaining efforts to deliver palliative care. To advance these programs and address the strategic priorities of the corporation, The Fund for HHC develops innovative and creative approaches that inspire philanthropic support and build public-private alliances.

About HHC

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlusHealth, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychhc.org/hhc or find us onfacebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.