BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DANISH ALI, M.S., President

Danish Ali is a Business Intelligence Analyst at Community Living Services. Danish has been part of the music scene in the Metro-Detroit area for several years now. He is very active with various chamber ensembles, and has performed with various community orchestras in Michigan and Georgia, most notably the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and the Ludwig Symphony Orchestra. Danish was also one of the charter members and principal violist of the Oakland University Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble he still performs with regularly. He joined the DMO as principal violist in 2016.

Danish has been on the board since 2018 and is currently serves as president.

NOLAN O'HARA, M.S., Vice President

Nolan is an MD-PhD Student at Wayne State University, currently conducting research in neuroimaging and pediatric epilepsy disorders. He has played viola with the DMO since 2016. Playing music has been an important outlet during his medical education, and the DMO provides the perfect environment to appreciate how musical engagement can benefit the wellbeing of patients and nonpatients alike in his future.

Nolan currently serves as Vice President. He has previously served as President of the Student Board.

STEPHANIE JENNINGS, Treasurer

Stephanie is a supplier quality engineer at Ford. She also is pursuing an MBA at the University of Michigan. She has been playing the cello since age 10. Her favorite part about playing in the DMO is performing in a large ensemble. Stephanie has served on the board since 2019, where she is the Corporate Donations Chair. In her spare time, she likes to bake and read.

SYDNEY SCHAAF

Sydney Schaaf is a Design & Release Engineer at Ford Motor Company responsible for Exterior Lighting Systems (headlamps, tail lamps, etc...). She has been the principal flutist for DMO since 2013. In addition to making music with the Detroit Medical Orchestra, Sydney is also a member of the Michigan Flute Orchestra and the Ford Motor Company Chorus. Sydney studied under Dr. John Bailey at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received her B.A. in Flute Performance.

MICHAEL L. CHER, M.D., Student Board Faculty Advisor

I was fortunate to grow up in a very musical family in terms of both playing and appreciating classical music. I’m very proud of my own two boys, both of whom are accomplished violinists and have played several concerts with the DMO. My brothers and their kids are musicians, so our idea of a family reunion always seems to involve a lot chamber music. I’ve had the opportunity to play in many orchestras over the years, including medical orchestras in other cities. I love getting to know good music, and I enjoy playing in the Detroit Medical Orchestra and Spectrum Orchestra here in the Detroit area. I’ve also had the chance to play chamber music with many very talented friends and colleagues.

My "day job" is urologic oncology. I am Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology at Wayne State University and Chief of Urology at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. I have the privilege of caring for patients, performing cancer surgery, teaching medical students and residents, and participating in research projects and clinical trials.

KENN JONES

I began playing the trumpet in fourth grade as part of the Royal Oak Schools Instrumental Music program. In seventh grade I switched to the Horn. I then played through high school and college at Michigan State University where I studied with Dr Douglas Campbell. I was in Symphony Band, Marching Band, opera orchestras, brass choir, a woodwind quintet and eventually the MSU Symphony.

After graduation, I did not own a horn so I did not play for twenty years until my then ten-year-old son began the horn in the Berkley Schools Instrumental music program. Now I had a horn to play, and I eventually purchased my own horn and began playing regularly in community bands and orchestras.

After retiring from my “day job” as an outside technician for AT&T, I now spend a good deal of my time with several groups of which the DMO is my favorite.
Even though I am not involved in the medical arena, I support the DMO’s mission wholeheartedly.

TED LASKER

My dad taught Anatomy at the WSU Medical School for 36 years. He wasn’t a musician, but he was a great listener and would have been delighted with idea and the reality of the DMO had he lived to see it. My mom was a professor of Anthropology at WSU where she taught for 50 years. She enjoyed attending DMO concerts. I like to think of my participation in the DMO as partly in their honor. Along with the fun of playing great music with an enthusiastic orchestra, I’ve made new friends through the DMO. Playing from time to time in hospitals, as an orchestra and also in smaller groups - on hold since Covid but hopefully to resume before too long - has been memorable and gratifying. I joined the DMO during its first season, and currently serve on the Board as Audio-Visual Coordinator.

NINA FLANIGAN, M.A.

At age 10, I convinced my parents that a piano was needed in our home and I began lessons. Later that year, I discovered my mother had played the clarinet in high school and we got it out of the attic for me to play with the school band in fifth grade. Without private clarinet study, I wasn't sure how to create the sounds that I heard and loved in the Grand Canyon Suite that we listened to and studied at school. But then In ninth grade, the band director spoke to me about learning the bassoon since no one was playing it in our high school band. I loved its deep voice and got babysitting jobs to pay for adding bassoon lessons to my life. My teacher Sonia Seslar inspired me and I was very diligent learning to play quickly since I already read bass clef.

I continued improving and discovered orchestra at age 16 when my bassoon teacher invited me play second with her in the Defiance College Orchestra. We traveled the 50 miles from Ft. Wayne, Indiana on Tuesday nights with other musicians going to fill out the sections. Spending time with all of them gave me much joy, laughter and learning and I decided I too wanted to teach music and play bassoon.

I have never stopped playing since I began this love affair with the bassoon almost six decades ago. I majored in bassoon and received a teaching degree from Ball State University. Upon moving to the Detroit area in 1967, I began playing with the Detroit Womens' Symphony, played 25 years with the Dearborn Symphony and played with other community groups as needed.

I obtained a Masters' Degree in Early Childhood Education from Marygrove College and a 30 hour administrative certificate from MSU. I taught music at all levels including elementary, middle school in Detroit and high school in Southfield. The last nine years of my 30 year career I was an elementary principal retiring from Southfield Public Schools in 2003.

Both of my children enjoy music as an avocation playing violin and cello. I continue to work as a Student Teacher Supervisor in music at Oakland University and direct a Handbell Choir at University Presbyterian Church. Playing chamber music has been part of my weekly life since 2008 and it compliments my performances in the Detroit Medical Orchestra and Spectrum Orchestras where I play first bassoon.

GEORGIANA MARUSCA, Secretary

Violinist Georgiana Marusca serves as the DMO Secretary.

PO Box 32722 Detroit, MI 48232

Phone: (313) 509-7051‬