Medical Musical Group Hosted the 2022 National Veterans Day Concert at Grand Ole Opry House
The renowned Medical Musical Group hosted the 2022 National Veterans' Day Concert in Nashville, TN on Thursday, November 10. The Medical Musical Group is America’s premiere chorale and symphony orchestra comprised of musically-gifted doctors, nurses, volunteers and others in the medical field whose mission is to inspire a world of peace, hope and inspiration through music. Special guests included the Queen of Bluegrass Rhonda Vincent and new country duo War Hippies. Veterans from all over as well as the Nashville community came out to celebrate the special holiday.
The concert benefitted children of military families who battle cancer at Vanderbilt, St. Jude’s and Shriners Hospital and strived to raise awareness about veteran’s physical and mental health. Well renowned musicians and directors from the group include Victor Wahby (Senior Conductor), Joe A. Fitzpatrick (Chorus Master), and Joseph Car (Associate Conductor) who share the passion for helping veterans and promoting patriotism.
About the Medical Musical Group:
In MMG concerts you don't need to ask if there is a doctor in the house! Award-winning Medical Musical Group is considered by many to be the world’s premier integrated medical chorale and symphony orchestra. Core members are “healers” – doctors, nurses, and community volunteers from Veterans and other US medical centers and schools all over the USA. MMG’s mission is to perform “Music with a Message” – of healing, hope, inspiration, patriotism at home; and peace and international brotherhood and sisterhood overseas. They deeply cherish America’s veterans and share a genuine and heartfelt concern for their issues. Many MMG performances were broadcast on TV, as too will be the Grand Ole Opry House concert. Medical Musical Group received the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Bob Hope Award for its service to veterans, and particularly, its Veteran's hymn.
About Rhonda Vincent:
Rhonda Vincent is a firecracker of talent that powers one of the hottest bands in any genre of music today. From humble beginnings in the tiny town of Greentop, Missouri, Rhonda’s musical heritage traces back 5 generations of the Vincent family. Her dad would pick her up from school each day, and they would sing and play till dinner. After dinner, friends came over, and they would sing and play till bedtime. She began her professional music career singing in her family’s band The Sally Mountain Show. It was an immediate “on the job training,” as they had a TV show, radio show, and made their first recording when Rhonda was 5 years old. She picked up the mandolin at eight, the fiddle at twelve, and learned a valuable life lesson as a teenager performing with her family at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. While they were playing in the pouring rain to empty seats, and what they thought, no one listening -- a week later they received a call from Hal Durham, general manager of the Grand Ole Opry at the time, and who just happened to be listening with his family around the corner. Mr. Durham loved what he heard and invited the Vincent family to appear on the Opry. Rhonda’s life of music evolved into a successful career in bluegrass music; after being discovered by Grand Ole Opry Star “Jim Ed Brown,” and later spending what she calls her musical college years recording for Giant Records; and learning about the music business from Nashville’s best like James Stroud, Jack McFadden, and Stan Barnett. It was her pivotal bluegrass album “Back Home Again” that transformed Rhonda Vincent into the All American Bluegrass Girl, and crowned the New Queen of Bluegrass by “The Wall Street Journal” in 2000. A multi-award winner, with a 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, an Entertainer of the Year 2001, Song of the Year 2004, and unprecedented 7 consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association 2000 – 2006 and an 8th win of IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 2015. Her lifelong dream came true when she was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 28, 2020. Rhonda waited an unprecedented 345 days and was officially inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 6, 2021. Her powerful vocal style transcends the boundaries of bluegrass music, as evidenced in her collaboration with Dolly Parton on the Elton John / Bernie Taupin Tribute Project “Restoration” 2018.
About War Hippies:
About War Hippies War Hippies is a brand new country duo and lifestyle brand from USMC and US Army combat veterans, Scooter Brown and Donnie Reis. Forming in 2022, each has enjoyed extremely successful careers of their own, bringing a combined history of 20M streams and counting, 26 Billboard Top 10’s, and 25 years of touring around the world with acts including Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, and Charlie Daniels. Telling stories through song with a guitar and violin, the War Hippies have become known for their stellar live performance including tight harmonies and a wide range of song selections.
About Victor Wahby:
Egyptian-born Dr. Wahby is one of those truly authentic Renaissance Men. His is an amazing track record of peak achievements in multiple, diverse fields of human endeavor. So, it is challenging to try to encapsulate it in one brief account. Despite the fact that he did not earn a formal musical degree, Dr. Wahby describes himself as a “life-long learner” of music. He started his music education with Joseph El-Sisi, the Vienna- trained conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. Later, he tutored with several distinguished conductors in Beirut, Lebanon; London, England; Chicago, IL; and Washington, DC. Dr. Wahby directed full house MMG performances at major Concert Halls all across the USA, e.g. Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, DAR Constitution Hall, Houston's Miller Outdoor Theatre, Las Vegas Hilton "Elvis" Theater, Kennedy Center, Peabody Conservatory, San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall, Schlesinger Concert Hall, Strathmore Hall. Also, at the White House, the US Congress, the Pentagon, and for the United Nations -- as well as in over 30 foreign nations. Dr. Wahby says "We come to the Opry House with a sense of awe and profound respect. It is hallowed ground for us". He has programmed a variety musical show akin to the Capitol concerts, but -- with the lions share dedicated to country music.
About Joe A. Fitzpatrick:
Joe Fitzpatrick has served as the Worship and Music Pastor at Nashville First Baptist since May 2009 after having served for twenty years as Worship Pastor for Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Previously he has served churches in Jacksonville, Florida, Fort Worth, Texas, and in Oklahoma. He holds degrees in trumpet, voice, and conducting from Oklahoma State University (BME) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MCM). Mr. Fitzpatrick is a Past-President of The Southern Baptist Church Music Conference and the world-renown Grammy and Dove Award-nominated recording/touring ensemble, The CenturyMen. He is a member of and featured soloist with The Nashville Symphony Chorus and was just recently appointed to the position of Tenor Section Leader. He sings with the Tennessee Baptist Men’s Chorale and completed a two-year term serving as their President in November 2021. He has also served as President of The Arkansas Master’Singers Men’s Chorus and served as a host for the Metro Music Conference and Getty Music Sing Conferences. You may see him from time to time singing The National Anthem at various Nashville area professional and university sporting events. He sang the role of Kaspar in Gian Carlo Menotti’s one- act opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, with the Nashville Symphony.
About Joseph Car:
Associate conductor Dr. Joseph Car has been a member of the MMG for many years. He also was in internal medicine practice for twenty years at the Hometown Healthcare Clinic in Spencer, IN. Dr. Car began his musical career on piano and trumpet and was student conductor of his high school, and of the Franklin and Marshall College Bands. During his senior year in college, he enrolled in an independent study of music theory and conducting in association with a visiting scholar program at Millersville (PA) University. While at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia he continued his studies with faculty from The Curtis Institute and performances with the Philadelphia Doctors Orchestra. After establishing a medical practice in Chicago he continued his studies with mentors in Chicago and performances with the Northside Symphony Orchestra and the “Do It Yourself Messiah Orchestra.” Dr.Car has studied orchestra and wind band conducting with faculty from Indiana University, Northwestern University, Temple University, North Texas State University, The Rose City Chamber Orchestra, and the Bohuslav Marinu Philharmonic Orchestra, Zlin, Czech Republic. In addition to his duties with the MMG, Dr. Car is the Associate Conductor of the Bloomington Community Band and is a member of the Percussion section of the World Doctors Orchestra, Berlin, Germany.
Media Contacts:
Zach Farnum | zach@117group.com | 615-997-0100
Mae Dowda | mae@117group.com | 615-997-0100
