Music-in-Medicine & Concerts in the Park

Music is a safe, low-cost and effective way to improve wellness. Listening to relaxing classical music for just 30 minutes can significantly reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and the levels of stress hormones and inflammatory molecules detected in the blood. The right kind of music played in the operating room can enhance surgeon performance and improve patient outcomes. 

The Music-in-Medicine Initiative harnesses music to improve the health and wellness of patients, caregivers and health care providers at MD Anderson and beyond. The initiative's specific goals include:

• Reducing stress and anxiety before during, and after surgery
• Alleviating pain, confusion, fatigue and fear during awake procedures
• Enhancing the performance of providers in the operating room, including the surgeon
• Improving sleep and promoting recovery after surgery
• Mitigating burnout and enhancing wellness in providers
• Optimizing the acoustic environment of care for patients, providers and caregivers

The initiative conducts these efforts through multiple programs, including:

• Innovative clinical trials exploring the applications and benefits of music in cancer patients, caregivers and providers
• Concerts in The Park, a monthly live performance series featuring world-class performing artists from around the globe, showcasing a state-of-the art Steinway Spirio D model concert grand piano
• Musicare, a one-on-one bedside concert series for patients and providers
• Pop-up concerts throughout MD Anderson, such as on the skybridge and within surgical waiting areas

Concerts in the Park Schedule

Concerts in the Park is a monthly concert series organized by the Music-in-Medicine Initiative and featuring performances by our artistic partners from around the world. Patients, providers, caregivers, families, volunteers and visitors are all invited to attend.

All concerts are held on the second floor of the Main Building, by the Donor Wall in The Park.

Thursday | November 2, 2023 | 5 p.m.

Music-in-Medicine Inaugural Concert: 100 Years of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”

Please join us in celebrating the opening night of Concerts in the Park, featuring the TMC Orchestra , MD Anderson Neurosurgery faculty and internationally award-winning concert pianist Mei Rui, DMA, soloist. Welcome remarks by Frederick Lang, M.D., chair of Neurosurgery, and live electroencephalogram (EEG) projection.

Friday | December 1, 2023 | 12 p.m.

Immortal Beloved

Piano works by by Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann, featuring Mei Rui, DMA, piano.

Wednesday | January 31, 2024 | 12 p.m.

Uplifting Mozart and Schubert

Come experience the rejuvenating power of chamber music, featuring piano quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert. Featuring DaCamera artists and Mei Rui, DMA, piano.

Wednesday | February 14, 2024 | 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Be My Valentine

Romantic chamber works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Antonín Dvořák, and Camille Saint-Saëns. Featuring cellist Richard Belcher, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra Artistic Director Alecia Lawyer, violinist Eva Burmeister and pianist Mei Rui, DMA.

Wednesday | March 6, 2024 | 5 p.m.

Revel in Ravel

Ravel Piano Trio and Beethoven “Archduke” Trio. Featuring internationally renowned violinist Cho-Liang Lin, distinguished cellist Desmond Hoebig and pianist Mei Rui, DMA.

Contact us

Mei Rui, DMA, Assistant Professor
Neurosurgery department
Director, Music-in-Medicine Initiative
mrui@mdanderson.org

Jennifer Everts, Program Coordinator
713-563-8706
jeverts@mdanderson.org

Caroline Brennan, Publications Coordinator
832-367-4876
cfbrennan@mdanderson.org