VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra hasn’t performed in front of an in-person audience since mid-March, but that hasn’t stopped the musicians from making beautiful music to lift spirits during the pandemic.
Now the VSO has recorded a loving tribute to front-line health care workers that features Juno-award winning musician Dan Mangan, and some of the health care workers themselves.
“I actually had no idea that hospital front line workers would be performing as well,” Mangan told CTV News Vancouver. “I was brought to tears to see these professionals just laying it down from operating rooms.”
The song they picked to record sends a fitting message during this time of fear and anxiety: ‘All You Need Is Love’ by the Beatles.
The performance was organized by Michelle Goddard, who plays the clarinet for the VSO. She said 20 health care workers and 30 orchestra members took part, playing everything from piano to violin to trombone and even bagpipes.
Dr. Julia Reynolds provides primary obstetric care at Royal Columbian Hospital in News Westminster, and is one of the health care workers who took part with her violin, tapping into her previous musical training as a member of a symphony when she was in medical school.
“It was awesome,” said Reynolds. “I couldn't stop smiling when I watched it. It was such a joyful and creative project.”
