Miriam Halberstam

Doctors Instruments Strike a Chord

June 2007
Founder Libi Lebel conducts the Doctors Orchestra of Houston in concert.  The next performance takes place on June 10 at the Wortham Center. (Photo by Bruce Bennett)

Doctors Orchestra of Houston

Call it an instrument switcheroo. Physicians by day, musicians at night, members of the Doctors Orchestra of Houston put down their stethoscopes, fiddle with sheet music, and transform their passion and pain into gorgeous music.

Founded seven years ago by Russian-born pianist and conductor Libi Lebel, the Doctors Orchestra is composed of 80, mostly medical professionals—surgeons, …

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You Say You Want a Resolution

January 2007
Resolution

A friend and I had lunch recently at a charming Italian restaurant, and while we sipped iced tea and waited for our entrees to appear—grilled salmon and ravioli, respectively—Hannah asked what I was working on. When I told her that I was writing a story about making changes in the new year, she surprised me by asking, “Why make changes?”…

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A Stitch in Time

November 2006
Carolyn Panedianco inherited 35 quilts and quilt tops from her grandmother. (Photo: ##http://www.andrewsphoto.com##www.andrewsphoto.com##)

In November, the Houston weather finally turns crisp. We start pulling out our favorite Thanksgiving recipes, and snuggle under cheerful throws while watching football on TV.   But it’s the old handmade quilt that everyone vies for on brisk fall nights. Rooted in family tradition and stitched with love, it offers a cornucopia of comfort—and tells a tale or two.

Kathy …

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