MISSION
The Detroit Medical Orchestra (DMO) is a non-profit organization that exists to explore the connections between music and healing, foster partnerships among medical and health professionals, and provide community services and community arts services to improve the quality of life for all in the Detroit community.
HISTORY
The Detroit Medical Orchestra was founded in 2009 by Michelle Ubels, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied violin, during her second year of medical school. The inaugural season was conducted by Joel Schut. Previous conductors also include Warren Puffer Jones and Elliot Moore.
DMO FOUNDER Michelle Ubels, M.D.
Michelle Ubels began playing violin at the age of six in the Saturday Program of the Milwaukee Public Schools. She continued her studies in Pittsburgh, PA, and later in Grand Rapids, MI. An alumna of the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Aspen Music Festival and School, Dr. Ubels earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with a minor in German Studies from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
At the conservatory, she was a scholarship student of renowned pedagogue Kurt Sassmannshaus, serving as his assistant and as a faculty member of the pre-college division. After graduation in 2006, she returned to Grand Rapids where she attended Calvin College as a post-baccalaureate student. During this time she continued to teach violin lessons and freelance with area orchestras.
She graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2012 and completed her Neurology Residency at the University of California, San Diego, after completing her internship at the University of California, Irvine. She is currently a neurology specialist in California.
From the Founder
We are a group of musicians from various professional backgrounds within the health field. Whether it's medical students, physicians, allied health professionals, professors, engineers, or just simply friends of the orchestra, we welcome all. Our main goal is to promote the healing power of music. If you've got the interest, we've got a seat for you!
Email comm@detroitmedicalorchestra.org to schedule an audition. We'd be happy to hear from you!