BANGOR, Maine — For a decade, musicians from the Bangor Symphony Orchestra have been filling the halls of Bangor area hospitals as part of its "Music and Wellness" program.
Patients are not the only ones to enjoy the program according to Naomi Freedberg, a registered nurse.
"It's something we as staff look forward to. It sort of jazzes up the day a little bit, puts a little bit of 'oomph' into the day," she said. "It takes the focus off pain and suffering and puts it on something positive."
Freedberg cannot recall a single patient who doesn’t enjoy when the symphony comes to play. But there is one patient that sticks out.
"We found out that he liked Star Wars," she said. "And so, Lynn and Marissa came in and learned the theme from Star Wars and played it for him. And he just lit right up."
Violinist Lynn Brubaker and cellist Marissa Solomon have been playing for the Music and Wellness Program for eight years.
They share more memories of patient visits than they can recall, noting "they run the gambit."
However, Brubaker, with a chuckle, recalled one patient who had just gotten out of an appointment.
"He said, happily, 'My blood pressure was the lowest I've ever had, and I blame it on you guys,'" she said.
The program was started in 2013 by the symphony's music director and conductor and it has expanded to include three Tuesdays a month, two at St. Joseph Hospital and the third at the Lafayette Family Cancer Institute.
Donations to the program can be made here.