Healing Sounds

As the coronavirus crisis continues, the DSO joins the chorus of thanks for doctors, nurses, ambulance crews, and other essential workers who put their safety at risk to protect and heal the rest of us. These Healthcare Heroes and First Responders are on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19, and we struggle to find adequate words to thank them – but luckily, as Hans Christian Andersen put it, “Where words fail, music speaks.”

Several DSO musicians find messages of hope and gratitude in the music performed on the Orchestra Hall stage. Works like Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite and music from Star Wars can unite and inspire us in times of crisis, and the members of our orchestra have selected musical thank-yous for the bravery, selflessness, and hard work of Healthcare Heroes and First Responders everywhere.

We know that through your efforts we will be victorious and we hope that this music serves as some inspiration for you during this time. Thank you for everything you do. 

– Ralph Skiano, DSO Principal Clarinet

Music is a universal language. It's the language of hope, of heroism, and of healing.

– Caroline Coade, DSO viola

We dedicate the Seventh Symphony of Sibelius to you. Most of the piece sounds like a storm – like this pandemic – but in the midst of the storm there is a great solo played by the trombone that shows strength, reliance, and beauty.

– Kenneth Thompkins, DSO Principal Trombone

The joy that Beethoven is speaking of is one of the brotherhood of man...all of your tireless work to make sure that our communities stay healthy, and to put the safety of others above your own is one of the purest examples of the brotherhood of man that I have witness in my lifetime.

 – Peter McCaffrey, DSO cello