About the orchestra
Our story & mission
A community orchestra of health professionals, life-science students, and neighbors — founded in 2010 and affiliated with the arts at Duke.
Our story
Artistry. Wellness. Passion. Community. These values unite the members of the Durham Medical Orchestra, which draws together health-related professionals, medical and graduate students of the life sciences, and community members in Durham, North Carolina. Under the leadership of Conductor and Artistic Director Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant, our performances offer the benefits of music to wide audiences around the Triangle.
Founded in 2010, the orchestra was inspired by two similar organizations — the Life Sciences Orchestra at the University of Michigan and the Longwood Symphony Orchestra in Boston. We perform major compositions from the classical literature as well as contemporary and newly commissioned works. Our concerts frequently include collaborations with community organizations, visual artists, health leaders, local schools, churches, and professional musicians.
Our mission
The Durham Medical Orchestra, through its affiliation with the Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke, connects volunteer musicians from the health professions and the community to promote wellness, provide cultural enrichment, and deliver the benefits of music to all through engaging performances and collaborative partnerships.
Artistic Director & Conductor
Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant
The Victor and Ruth Dzau Artistic Director and Conductor
Chair of the Music Department and Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke University, Director of the Duke University Wind Symphony, and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Durham Medical Orchestra.
Verena grew up in Eberschwang, Austria. She began piano lessons at the age of 6, continuing later with church organ, flute, and bassoon. Her conducting debut at age 16 was followed by a three-year fundamental conducting course taught by Johann Mösenbichler. Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant then studied symphony orchestra conducting with Ingo Ingensand at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz, Upper Austria, and received her bachelor’s degree, with distinction, in 2005. She completed her Master of Music in 2007 with Kevin Sedatole at Michigan State University. Verena graduated in May 2009 with her DMA in Wind Ensemble Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin where her principal conducting teacher was Jerry Junkin.
Verena serves as Associate Artistic Director of the Mid EUROPE festival, Executive Director of the World Youth Wind Orchestra Project, and the World Adult Wind Orchestra Project in Schladming, Austria. Her transcriptions of John Corigliano’s Grammy-winning work, Mr. Tambourine Man, for Wind Ensemble and Amplified Soprano, published by G. Schirmer, and Eric Whitacre’s Sing Gently and Goodnight Moon, published by Hal Leonard, have received strong praise from the composers and numerous performances.
Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant is Music Director and Conductor of the Schwäbisches Jugendblasorchester and the Eifelphilharmonie, both located in Germany, and frequently serves as guest conductor and clinician across the United States, Japan, as well as in her native Austria.
In the community
Our concerts frequently include collaborations with community organizations, visual artists, health leaders, local schools, churches, and professional musicians across the Triangle.