Catalyst Guide: Orchestras in Health and Wellness

by Theodore Wiprud with Dr. Karen Yair

As evidence grows of music’s profound impact on health and well-being, orchestras are increasingly recognizing the potential to lead in this space.

While some orchestras have been involved in health-related partnerships for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising need for mental health support have accelerated this movement. Expanding programming with a focus on health and well-being is deepening orchestras’ community engagement while also demonstrating their role as vital contributors to public health, social connection, and local resilience.

Momentum continues to build through major conferences and cross-sector partnerships. In 2016, Renée Fleming helped launch the Sound Health Network, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Kennedy Center. More recently, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, working with Fleming, the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, and Performance Hypothesis, presented Healing Arts Atlanta in 2024, an ambitious initiative bringing together diverse partner organizations. This resource is designed to guide orchestras in the early stages of working with health and well-being providers, while drawing on the insights of established programs.

Scroll down or download the PDF to explore this guide.

Emerging Themes

Many orchestras are still relatively new to prioritizing health and well-being. As they navigate this space, they are gaining valuable experience in designing and delivering programs that not only make a meaningful impact on local communities but also engage and inspire orchestra staff and musicians. The emerging best practices outlined below reflect these evolving efforts.

Respond to local needs and opportunities
Every community is unique, with its own health and wellness challenges that music may be able to address. Identify potential partners, listen to their needs, and then begin to dream.

Partner with healthcare institutions, healthcare professionals, and therapists
Those who work with patients and clients every day are the ones qualified to work with musicians to design effective practices. Consistency, commitment, and regular visits build trusting relationships and improve outcomes.

Prepare musicians for new settings and listeners
While some musicians attain certification as therapists, most commit to this rewarding yet demanding work following careful orientation, shadowing, and consultation with healthcare professionals.

Start small and build incrementally
A modest initial commitment enables an orchestra to test drive a partnership, and enables a group of musicians to discover their love for working in health care, build their skills, and help lead the effort.

Align internally on the priority of health and wellness initiatives
Robust initiatives draw on all of an orchestra’s functions, not just community engagement, and require a clear commitment from board and leadership.

Promising Initiatives

In the fall of 2024, the League surveyed member orchestras to learn what initiatives were under way in the broad area of health and well-being. The 80 responses revealed that many orchestras are exploring their role in community health—bringing live music into healthcare settings, developing programs to support mental well-being, creating sensory-friendly performances for neurodivergent audiences, hosting events that promote relaxation and general wellness, and even collaborating on medical research. Each section below highlights one orchestra’s initiative in depth, alongside additional case studies drawn from responses to the League survey.

Looking Ahead

The pace of innovation and partnership building we are seeing among orchestras strongly suggests that community well-being is rapidly becoming an important, ongoing part of orchestra programming. This work is blossoming across orchestras of all sizes in every part of the country and every kind of community. It roots orchestras in people’s lives. It gives agency to musicians and helps them build new skill sets. It builds networks and draws in new donors. It deepens the impact of the music and the artistry we are dedicated to sharing. For patients, caregivers, families, and musicians alike these developments could not come too soon.

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Photo: Houston Symphony orchestra musicians join Community-Embedded Musicians in performances at Amazing Place and CarePartners, where musicians have a regular monthly presence for interactive concerts as part of the Dementia Center Performance Series. Photo by Melissa Taylor.