Music Therapy Gateway in Communications, in partnership with the University of TN at Chattanooga Department of Performing Arts, announces an upcoming virtual concert event that "weaves together the unique scientific, aesthetic and therapeutic elements of music into an eloquent framework being universally recognized during the time of Covid-19."
"Music is essential to human experience, but most people are generally unaware of the vast advances that have recently been developed in science-based music therapy practices," officials said. This event, supported by a grant from the TN Arts Commission, seeks to bridge this gap in the form of a virtual concert designed to create beautiful music in a traditional concert setting while also raising awareness of the benefits of music in a therapeutic setting."
The Power of Music concert will premiere on the YouTube platform on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and the full concert will be viewable online for 30 days. Links to the concert, as well as all additional supporting materials, are all found on the event website: https://powerofmusicconcert.com. Performers Richard Cox, tenor, Mark Reneau, violin, and Martha Summa-Chadwick, pianist, present a wide variety of works to acknowledge and embrace the many different styles of music that society has turned to for healing during this time, officials said.
The musical portion of the program is preceded by a pre-concert webinar symposium. The panel of experts participating in the conversation includes Dr. Stuart Benkert, department head of UTC Department of Performing Arts; Bob Bernhardt, music director emeritus and principal pops conductor, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera; Dr. Rick Rader, director of Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center at Orange Grove; Dr. Martha Summa-Chadwick, MTGIC executive director. The webinar incorporates in-depth dialogue regarding the power of music from a variety of diverse viewpoints including science, therapy, education, enrichment, inclusion and community.
In addition to the concert and the symposium, two spoken tributes to the power of music are offered. Former Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander pays tribute to the power of music to the individual, and Stratton Tingle, executive director of Chattanooga’s SoundCorps organization, pays tribute to the power of music in the community.