Drs Richard and Sylvia Cruess

30 years ago, I was the Dean of medicine and Ante Padjen conceived the idea of establishing an orchestra made up of individuals from within or connected to the Faculty of Medicine including all health sciences. Healthcare had changed dramatically in our lifetime, becoming both more technical, more complex, and dominated by logistical and financial matters. The traditional value systems of the healer were perceived to be under threat and many members of our community found their vocation less satisfying. Something had been lost. In response, there were movements within the healthcare field to try and reestablish some of the humanism that many felt was a part of the issue. One obvious direction was to turn to music that for many has the capacity to promote deep reflection and, as David Johnson who was McGill’s principal at the time has written bring about “a commitment to something outside of one’s self that enables one to belong to something larger and more meaningful than one’s own existence and in the process make one’s life richer and more consequential.” Thus, this orchestra came into existence and has more than met our expectations. Congratulations above all to Ante who has never lost faith in the enterprise and to all who have made music together. George Bernard Shaw, a revolutionary and respected music critic in his young days stated quite accurately that “one uses a mirror to look at one’s face, but it takes art including music to see your soul.” You have all helped us to see our souls.