Opera Great & Multi–Grammy Winner, Renée Fleming visits Wartburg

Wartburg, Westchester’s premier provider of comprehensive residential and healthcare services for seniors, hosted the Tony-nominated Broadway star of Carousel, Renée Fleming. Wartburg President & CEO, David J. Gentner, the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function Executive Director, Dr. Concetta Tomaino, Wartburg board member, Ulrich J. Rosa, and other senior staff met with Ms. Fleming in an effort to highlight the importance of music and arts on Wartburg’s campus.

“It was a joy to visit Wartburg – with the natural beauty of the campus and comprehensive care, its residents must feel at ease and at home.” Fleming said. “Understanding that integrating the arts greatly enhances quality of life and provides many cognitive and social benefits is especially powerful. I look forward to following the groundbreaking work of the Institute of Music and Neurologic Function, led by Dr. Connie Tomaino, as it continues the scientific exploration of the power of music therapy to awaken, stimulate, and heal the brain.”

While at Wartburg, Ms. Fleming visited the Adult Day Services program and was greeted by registrants singing as piano music filled the room. Additionally, she learned about the innovative music therapy services offered by the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF) and Wartburg’s award-winning, internationally recognized arts-based therapy program, Creative Aging & Lifelong Learning. She also visited Wartburg’s Outpatient Center to hear about innovative programs using music to improve mobility and speech impairments.

IMNF Executive Director and Co-Founder, Dr. Concetta M. Tomaino said, “It was an honor to have Ms. Fleming visit IMNF at its new home at Wartburg. We are so grateful for her advocacy of the importance of music and brain health and happy she was able to see our work first hand.”

Ms. Fleming is a world renowned Soprano and four-time Grammy Award winner. In 2013, then President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts, America’s highest honor for an individual artist. Ms. Fleming is a longtime advocate for the transformative power of music, including its therapeutic uses for individuals with neurologic issues. In 2016, she initiated a partnership between the National Institute for Health and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts focusing on the intersections of music and the brain and is a spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association.

Wartburg President, David J. Gentner shared, “Wow, what a thrill to welcome a legend to the campus. Ms. Fleming’s beliefs about the value of music and the arts in society are well documented so we were delighted that she would find the time to visit with Dr. Tomaino.”
Fleming’s visit ended with President Gentner reading a proclamation making Ms. Fleming an honorary member of the Wartburg family.

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