Categories:
Mater doctors swapped rounds for soothing sounds when they rehearsed in front of hospital staff and patients for an upcoming classical concert.
Violin soloist and gastroenterologist Dr Mariko Howlett was joined by five musical colleagues for the lunchtime recital of Vivaldi at Mater Private Hospital Brisbane.
The show was a warm-up for this month’s Virtuosis 2026 concert, when 130 members of the Queensland Medical Orchestra and Choir will take to the stage at the Edmund Rice Performing Arts Centre in South Brisbane.
“I stopped playing the violin for 20 years because I was so busy with work and children, but when I I saw the Queensland Medical Orchestra perform I knew I had to start playing again,” Dr Howlett said.
“Music brings so much joy to the players and to our patients too – they love to come along and hear us perform.
“I’m performing the solo in Vivaldi’s Winter concerto, so it was great to get in an extra rehearsal at the Mater!”
Plastic surgeon and flautist Dr Lily Vrtik said classical music was a great way for doctors to unwind.
“In medicine you are always focusing on the needs others, but in music you can lose yourself in performance,” Dr Vrtik said.
“The orchestra is such a fun and supportive environment where all of us – whether you are a professor or a medical student – are treated as equals.”
The Virtuosis concert on July 12 will raise funds for the Ashintosh Foundation, the orchestra’s health promotion charity.
For tickets, go to www.qmo.org.au.
