BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
AT A GLANCE
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Nina Flanigan
Chair of the Board
Nina switched from clarinet to bassoon as a high school freshman. She received a BS in music education from Ball State University where she was also a bassoon major, and earned her MA with Early Childhood and Education Administration endorsements from MSU. She taught general music K-5 for three years, vocal music 7-12 for 18 years and was an elementary principal for 9 years. Upon retirement, she supervised music student teachers at Oakland University for 14 years. Nina is in her 26th year as handbell director at University Presbyterian Church. She plays principal bassoon in DMO and Spectrum Orchestras as well as a weekly WW trio and quitet. Other DMO Chamber music ensembles bring her joy.
Mimi (Miriam) Behar, M.D.
Secretary
Mimi is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She has been a primary care pediatrician for 40 years; she sees patients and teaches medical students at Wayne Pediatrics, 400 Mack Avenue, in Detroit. She joined the DMO as a violinist in 2021 shortly after moving to Detroit. It’s amazing to be playing with accomplished musicians in an orchestra that is dedicated to bringing the healing powers of music to the Detroit community.
Dan Frohardt, PhD
Treasurer
Dan has been playing the bass since 1960, when the next door neighbor told Dan's mother that the school orchestra needed another bass player. For the next 15 years he played in school orchestras of the Royal Oak Schools, Grinnell College, and the University of California, Berkeley, with occasional forays into nightclub music.
In 1995, after a hiatus of twenty years, spent raising children and pursuing a career as a mathematician at Wayne State University, he joined the newly-constituted Royal Oak Orchestra whose conductor Peter Tolias he had gotten to know through his children's musical activities. He joined the Detroit Medical Orchestra in 2011 after hearing about it through a colleague who was a patient of the orchestra's co-founder, Dr. Michael Cher.
Dan retired from Wayne State at the end of 2019. He finds playing in the DMO and preparing for its concerts a very satisfying way tospend Sunday evenings.
Syd LaDuke
Librarian
Syd LaDuke is a Systems Engineering Supervisor at Ford Motor Company responsible for software-enabled feature delivery for the next generation Expedition/Navigator. She is a proud Detroiter, heavily involved in her east side neighborhood. She has been the a member of DMO since 2013 and has served on the board in several capacities including concert hospitality chair, treasurer, and music librarian. Syd studied flute under Dr. John Bailey at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received her B.A. in Music Performance.
Michael L. Cher (MD)
Liasion
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
Musicians Committee Director
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.
Nolan O'Hara, PhD
Chair of the Board
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.
Darion Twitty, MD
Social Media Chair
My name is Darion Twitty. I was born and raised in Detroit. I play violin with the DMO. In addition to being the Social Media chair, I’m also a family physician at Henry Ford Hospital. I have been playing the violin since I was 10 years old. My main inspiration for wanting to learn to play the violin is my mother. She used to play when she was a little girl and I used to love hearing about her memories of playing in an orchestra, especially her favorite piece, Chariots of Fire. I have been mainly self-taught since private lessons were not something that my family could afford. Despite studying hard in school to become a doctor and being the only musician in the family, I have strived to maintain my involvement by playing in various ensembles. I have played with the UofM campus orchestra, the Detroit Community Orchestra, and now the Detroit Medical Orchestra. I've been playing with the DMO since I was a first-year medical student. I love that our organization is comprised of people across all fields of medicine, even those non-medicine-related. I've gotten to know the orchestra quite well throughout the years and was thrilled to be a part of our holiday performance project, "Songs of Comfort and Healing- A Holiday Chamber Music Collection" in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. It highlighted the strength and dedication of the orchestra to continue spreading joy even during the most challenging times. I look forward to continuing to find ways to heal through music.
Greta Mulbauer
Webmaster
Greta is currently a PhD student in biomedical engineering at Wayne State University. She taught herself how to play the piano when she was about five or six years old, then took up the viola in middle school. Greta decided to join the DMO because she missed playing in an orchestra. She enjoys being a member of the DMO because everyone in the orchestra not only enjoys music, but they also share a common goal -- to bring healing through music. She wanted to become more involved with the DMO so she joined the board in 2023 and currently serves as the webmaster.
Laura Palmieri, Vascular Access PICC RN
Co-Director of Outreach
Laura is a Vascular Access Specialist R.N. at Corewell Health, Royal Oak. She utilizes ultrasound technology to help insert peripheral IVs, PICC lines and midlines at bedside. Laura received her B.A. in Music from Oakland University in 2011 and has played the harp for various community orchestras such as Dearborn Symphony and Royal Oak Symphony. She has been principal harpist to the DMO since 2012. Laura serves as Outreach Musical Coordinator to help connect musicians from the Detroit Medical Orchestra to provide music to area hospitals such as Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor Michigan. She decided to join the DMO because she wanted to be surrounded with a community that also enjoys music and bringing healing through music.
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Danish Ali, PhD
Secretary
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.
Ted Lasker
Audio-Visual Coordinator
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.
Malik Wali
Director of Hospitality
Malik Wali is an aerodynamics engineer at Ford Motor Company. He grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and has been playing the flute since age 10 (totaling a little over two decades now). During his undergraduate studies, he played piccolo in the Michigan Marching Band. Malik decided to join the DMO upon the recommendation from a friend. He attended a Chamber Music Collagen Concert during one of its seasons and hasn't looked back since. He enjoys playing music with people and in addition, has began serving on the board since 2023 as the Director of Hospitality.
Robert Moeller
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Robert Moeller is a Chemist with the Food & Drug Administration responsible for testing and ensuring the safety, efficacy and security of medical and drug products. He graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he received his B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry. During this time, Robert was a four year member of the Michigan Marching Band, Basketball Band, and Hockey Band, playing tenor saxophone.
Robert joined the DMO spring of 2023 on clarinet and percussion and has recently joined the Board of Directors. Playing music has been and still is an important activity to him, as he enjoys playing and writing music with close friends in his free time. The welcoming and professional environment offered by the DMO has helped him to return to the orchestra setting to enjoy the joy, the challenge, and the community music provides.
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!