AdventHealth Orchestra

Orchestra performs onstage as a conductor leads musicians beneath a large screen showing violinists.

A Passion for Music and Medicine

In the AdventHealth Orchestra, musically talented physicians, clinicians and team members come together to help others feel whole through the healing power of music. Formed in 2021 when a small string ensemble discovered that playing together created much-needed connection, the orchestra is now a full symphony of more than 70 physicians, nurses, therapists and team members from across our system.

In 2023, the National Organization for Arts in Health presented the orchestra with its Arts Building Resilience award, with the jury noting that the work was exemplary for the entire field of arts in health. The orchestra has performed at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and in January 2027, it travels to Berlin and Stuttgart at the invitation of the International Conductors Guild. It is the first time our music will represent AdventHealth on an international stage.

Orchestra Director: Richard Hickam leads Music and the Arts in Health for AdventHealth, using orchestral music and creative programming to support wholeness, connection and healing. He founded the AdventHealth Orchestra in 2021, bringing together team members and community musicians in a shared expression of the organization’s healing mission.
Concertmaster: Dr. Paulo Torres Pereira serves AdventHealth through music ministry and as concertmaster of the AdventHealth Orchestra. An internationally recognized violinist, conductor and educator, he brings decades of performance and leadership experience to programs that connect music, healthcare and wellness.
Violin Section Lead: Dr. Ndala Booker brings her AdventHealth University leadership experience to her role as violin section lead for the AdventHealth Orchestra. A founding member of the ensemble, she continues to support the connection between education, leadership, music and whole-person care.
Viola Section Lead: Ivanna Mirabal Molina serves patients as a nurse technician at AdventHealth Orlando while helping lead the viola section of the AdventHealth Orchestra. A founding orchestra member and nursing student, she brings together her clinical calling and musical training to extend whole-person care.
Woodwinds Section Lead: Erica Kopp is a board-certified music therapist at AdventHealth Orlando. A skilled flutist since childhood, she is grateful to be part of an institution that recognizes the value of music in caring for the whole person — both in the hospital setting and out in the community.
Brass Section Lead: Mark Babienko serves AdventHealth in data analytics and contributes to the AdventHealth Orchestra as brass section lead. With deep experience in technology and music, he brings a spirit of precision, collaboration and excellence to both his healthcare work and orchestral service.
Percussion Section Lead: Jerel Moral supports AdventHealth’s arts-in-health mission as Music and Arts Operations Manager at Symphony Center and percussion section lead for the AdventHealth Orchestra. His work helps coordinate music experiences that bring team members together for healing, connection and community.