“Shannon Orme, a Detroit Symphony Orchestra bass clarinet for the last nine years, was recently honored by the League of American Orchestras for her charitable outreach work,” writes Michael H. Hodges in Monday’s (5/16) Detroit News. “Orme, 37, was one of five orchestral musicians nationwide to win this year’s Ford Musician Award for Excellence in Community Service.” In an interview, Orme states, “I play for those who are immobile or don’t have the means to come to Orchestra Hall. They’re always so appreciative and happy, even if it’s just for an hour! … I connected immediately with the music therapy work at Children’s Hospital. It brought me back to a difficult time when my mother was in the hospital when I was 18, before she passed. Playing in her hospital room was the best way I knew how to thank her for being my mom, and to tell her that I would be OK. … The other week, three of us played at American House, a senior center in Dearborn. We asked them to sing “American the Beautiful,” and they were really shouting it out. … When I play in hospitals or schools … you can see first-hand how powerful the music can be.”
Posted May 17, 2016
