Musicians On Call Celebrates 20 Years Of The Healing Power Of Music And Raises $500,000 At New York City Anniversary Concert Presented By Citi®
Musicians On Call brought together supporters from the past two decades for its 20th Anniversary Celebration Presented by Citi on November 19 at Edison Ballroom. The event celebrated the organization’s impact on patients, families and caregivers across the country and raised $500,000 for its programs delivering the healing power of music. The night featured special performances by multi-platinum singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw and singer/songwriter and star of TV’s NASHVILLE Charles Esten.
Musicians On Call Co-Founders Michael Solomon, Co-Founder and Partner of Brick Wall and 10x Management, and Vivek J. Tiwary, Founder and CEO of Tiwary Entertainment Group and Lead Producer of Broadway’s newest musical Jagged Little Pill, were honored during the event, each receiving MOC’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Thanks to their vision of bringing the joy of live music to patients at their bedsides, more than 775,000 people nationwide have experienced the healing benefits of Musicians On Call’s Bedside Performance Program.
“What makes Musicians On Call so great is the strength of everyone involved. We can do anything together, we will do everything together. I am incredibly humbled, grateful and blown away by everyone who put their hearts into celebrating everything Musicians On Call has become,” said Solomon. “I want to send a heartfelt thank you to every partner, supporter and friend who joined us in our celebration.”
“I’ve had the great fortune of producing or writing projects in a number of media I adore, from television to Broadway musicals – but I am most proud of Co-Founding Musicians On Call with my dear friend Michael Solomon,” said Tiwary. “It’s a lifelong dream come true to be celebrating 20 years of Musicians On Call tonight, and a humbling honor to receive MOC’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Solomon was presented the award by Bruce Springsteen Co-Manager Barbara Carr, trustee of the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, who was instrumental in the creation of MOC in 1999 along with her family Dave Marsh and Sasha Carr. Tiwary received his award from longtime friend and Executive Vice President for Global Public Affairs at Citi, Ed Skyler. Both honorees were surprised at the end of the night with the announcement that Musicians On Call’s outstanding volunteer awards are being renamed the Vivek Tiwary Volunteer Guide Golden Ukulele and Michael Solomon Volunteer Musician Golden Ukulele in their honor in perpetuity.
“It’s incredible to see how far Musicians On Call has come since our first Volunteer Musician made his first bedside visit 20 years ago. The organization was inspired by the legacy of Kristen Ann Carr and the passion of our co-founders Michael Solomon and Vivek Tiwary to bring the healing effects of music to people when they need it most. They have changed hundreds of thousands of lives across the country, honoring Michael and Vivek with the Lifetime Achievement Award was without question the best way to mark such an important milestone for our organization,” said Musicians On Call President & CEO Pete Griffin. “It was a wonderful night recognizing all of the people and the moments that have shaped Musicians On Call into the organization that it is. We are grateful to Citi and all of our sponsors, supporters and partners from across the country for joining us in this celebration.”
During the evening, Musicians On Call joined Presenting Sponsor and longtime supporter Citi in celebrating the organization’s female volunteers during a time when women continue to be underrepresented in the music industry. MOC Volunteer Musician April Kry performed her original songs of female empowerment and self-acceptance, while sharing her own personal experiences performing for patients in healthcare facilities.
The strongest evidence of the healing power of music came when MOC shared the story of a monumental moment in the organization’s history, its emergency response visit to Las Vegas immediately following the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting. MOC volunteers, and Route 91 survivors, Tracy Szymanski and Nadine Lusmoeller took the stage to share their experiences. Szymanski, Director of Patient Transport and Support Services at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, was working at Sunrise during MOC’s visit to victims still recovering in the hospital and the staff who were working the night of the tragedy. Lusmoeller turned to Musicians On Call’s program as a part of her personal recovery following the tragic event. Both women are Volunteer Guides for the Bedside Performance Program at Sunrise Hospital and, to date, have brought music to more than 880 and 1,400 people respectively.
MOC’s longest standing and most enthusiastic supporters were also recognized at the event as part of the Founders’ Circle and Wall of Fame. The honorees were presented with Lifetime Achievement awards courtesy of Luna and Jewelbox Platinum.
Musicians On Call’s 20th Anniversary Celebration Presented by Citi was also sponsored by the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, Spotify, The Madison Square Garden Company, Hilton, Southwest®, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, 10x Management, Dream Hotels, Tiwary Entertainment Group, Loeb & Loeb, Greenberg Traurig, We Are All Music Foundation, MSK Kids Memorial Sloan Kettering, Apple Music, Warner Records, Hard Rock, Catherine Cate Sullivan, Phil Sarna, Tom Poleman and Alissa Pollack.
Musicians On Call started in 1999 in New York where it began the Bedside Performance Program, bringing Volunteer Guides and Volunteer Musicians into healthcare facilities to go room to room and perform for patients at their bedsides. In the past 20 years, this program has expanded to 20 major markets nationwide, including New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Francisco and more.
Founders Circle
Jill Ackerman ● Lauren Alaina ● Raj Amin ● Block Family ● Alisann Blood ● Bobby Bones ● Charles Bronfman ● Camille Cain Barnes ● Barbara Carr, Dave Marsh, and Sasha Carr ● Kelly Clarkson ● Charlie Cook ● Gavin DeGraw ● Stuart Ditsky ● Missy Ducharme ● Elvis Duran ● Bonnie Eisner ● Katy Epley ● Charles Esten and Patty Puskar ● Mitch Glazier ● Tim Goux ● Phil Guerini ● Michelle Klinger ● Lady Antebellum ● Stephen Mack ● Tom Manatos ● Kenli and Daniela Mattus ● Alex Merchan ● Daniel Miller ● Rich O’Reilly, MD ● Kevin O’Toole ● Leigh Parr ● Diane Pearson ● Lee Perlman ● Darren Pfeffer ● Nina Pickett ● Rachel Platten ● Tom Poleman ● Alissa Pollack ● Phil Sarna ● Steve Savoca ● Tim Scarvey ● Jeffrey Solomon and Audrey Weiner ● Michael Solomon and Jenny Kravat Solomon ● Bruce Springsteen ● Catherine Cate Sullivan ● Shane Tarleton ● Lou Tedesco ● Rome Thomas ● Vivek J. Tiwary and Tracy A. Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D. ● Scott Welch ● Rick Whetsel ● Tres Williams ● Ken and Anna Zankel
Wall of Fame
Miles Adcox ● Marcie Allen ● The Anschutz Foundation ● Kelsea Ballerini ● Annie Balliro ● Tracy Bancroft ● Nicole Barsalona ● Tim Beeding ● Taylor Bennett ● Sue Berkowitz ● John Bernbach ● Maria Berry ● Rishon Blumberg ● Samantha Bond ● Marie Bradshaw ● Robert Brandon ● Luke Bryan ● Cristina Carlino ● Mark Cerulli ● Richa Chandra ● Chicago ● City of Hope ● Karen Cook ● Darren Criss ● Cumulus Radio Station Group ● Charles and Nathalie de Gunzberg ● Chris Dell’Olio ● Joel Denver ● Scott Dimig ● Leila Dunbar ● Leslie Morrison Faerstein, Ed.D,LCSW ● David Falcone ● Laurie Farmer ● Lori Feldman ● Mark Flaherty ● Peter Frampton ● David Frangioni ● Elise Friedman ● Tom Gallagher ● Alyssa Gelkopf ● Genentech ● Ellie Goulding ● Pete Griffin ● Peggy Guinnessey ● Barry Gutman ● Debra Herman ● Sam Hollander ● Lester Holt ● John Huie ● Humble Bundle ● iHeartMedia ● Imagine Dragons ● Amy Isbell ● Stacey Jarrell ● Andrew Jeffries ● Lisa Jenkins ● Jessie J ● Nick Jonas ● Samantha Kasza ● Meghan Kelly ● Toby Knapp ● Ken Knowlton ● Hoda Kotb ● Roger LaMay ● Avril Lavigne ● Amos Lee ● Helen Leicht ● Ryan Leo ● Shari Lewin ● Patty Lipshutz and Lorin Silverman ● Nils and Amy Lofgren ● Demi Lovato ● Sandy Lyon ● Kevin Mahoney ● Maroon 5 ● Martina McBride ● John Mayer ● PJ McCann ● Scott and Janice McElhone & Family ● Reba McEntire ● Josh Medlock ● Jeff Meltesen ● Mary Mockus ● Shanin Molinaro ● Ellen Morris ● Wendy Morris ● Jason Mraz ● Susan Mufson ● Matt Nathanson ● Conan O’Brien ● Ali Oscar ● Heather Otto ● Richard Palmese ● Katia Perez ● Caroline Phitoussi ● Jim Pitt ● Karen Popkin ● Michael Ray ● RIAA ● Rondal Richardson ● Paul Rosen ● John Rossi ● Vinnie Rossi ● Darius Rucker ● Rich Russo ● Jeff Scornavacca ● Seal ● Ed Sheeran ● Blake Shelton ● Ronn Steen ● Cheryl Stephenson ● Lindsey Stirling ● Doug Swanson and Family ● James Taylor ● Leslie Thieriot ● Rob Thomas ● Greg Thompson ● Justin Timberlake ● Keith Urban ● Vanderbilt University Medical Center ● Meredith and Bryan Verona ● Ken Voisin ● Therese Weisbrot ● Chuck Wicks ● Amelia Wierzbicki ● Randy Wight ● Pharrell Williams ● Martha Wolfgang ● WXPN
Special thank you
AAA Communications
Adam Friedman
Brendan Lewis
Centerstaging
Charles Esten
G7 Entertainment Marketing
Gavin DeGraw
Michael Solomon
Mitch Vanhoose
Patty Puskar
Rick Whetsel
Rome Thomas
Sean Murray
Vivek J. Tiwary
AWARDS
Adam Gomes, Luna Guitars
Deborah Lotz and Gina Rutenbar, Jewelbox Platinum
GROUND TRANSPORTATION
Bob Daitz, Daitz Personal Logistics
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Nitrous Media, Paul Rosen, Mark Cerulli
Dusty Barker
SPONSORS
Alisann Blood
Alissa Pollack
Bill Siegel
Brian Curran
Carol Kaplan
Catherine Cate Sullivan
Dan Miller
Darren Pfeffer
Ed Skyler
Gina Morales
Gwendolyn Kimmelman
Jennifer Breithaupt
Jill Kumor
Karen Rosenberg
Lee Perlman
Lenora Sumerling
Mark Flaherty
Mark Weinstein
Martha Thomases
Mary Crawford
Matoula Mitropoulos
Megan Zappulla
Michael Solomon
Michelle Klinger
Nina Pickett
Phil Sarna
Scott Welch
Selin Demren
Steve Savoca
Tena Griffith
Tim Scarvey
Tom Manatos
Tom Poleman
Tres Williams
Vivek J. Tiwary
Zack Flores
PATIENT ADVOCATE AND CAREGIVER SPONSORS
Adam Block
Avram Freedberg
Concord
David Nachman
Lisa Jenkins
Michael Ohst/MD Bosworth Music GmbH
AUCTION
Apple Music
Bateaux New York
Ben Platt
Blake Shelton
Bose
Charles Esten
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Danny Clinch
David Gildea
Dream Hotels
Elvis Duran
Florida Georgia Line
Gavin DeGraw
Gaylord Opryland Resort
Gibson Foundation
Hard Rock
iHeartMedia
Ivor Davis
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Keala Settle
Keith Sheldon
Kendra Scott
Mitch Glazier
Pearl Jam
Peter Frampton
Real New York Tours
Reba McEntire
RIAA
Ryan Leo
Scott Dimig
Scott Welch
Southwest
Steve Savoca
Tao Group
The McKittrick Hotel
Vivek J. Tiwary
Wendy Morris
PROMOTION
42West
iHeartMedia
