Founders of the Me2/Orchestra say it is the only classical music organization in the world created by and for people with mental illness and those who support them. The conductor, Ronald Braunstein, is an internationally renowned maestro who reinvented his career after struggling with his own mental health diagnosis. Now, the orchestra has branches in several cities around the world.
The story of Me2/Orchestra is told in a documentary called "Orchestrating Change." It will be screened as part of the Reel Mind Film Series and the Eastman Performing Arts Medicine program next week. But first, the orchestra's founders, one of the filmmakers, a member of the orchestra, and a mental health professional join us to discuss how a project like this can help break down the stigma tied to mental illness. Our guests:
- Ronald Braunstein, co-founder and music director of Me2/Orchestra
- Caroline Whiddon, co-founder and executive director of Me2/Orchestra
- Marek Lorenc, Me2/Orchestra (Burlington) clarinetist
- Margie Friedman, co-executive producer and director of "Orchestrating Change"
- Laurence Guttmacher, M.D., director of psychiatry residency education, and professor of clinical psychiatry and clinical medical humanities and bioethics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
