DOC Follows MA- & VT-Based Orchestra For Musicians With Mental Illness

Filmmakers Margie Friedman and Barbara Multer-Wellin bring their new documentary
ORCHESTRATING CHANGE to Massachusetts for a series of free screenings and discussions.
The 90-minute film follows the Boston- and Burlington, VT-based Me2/Orchestra, the only
classical music organization in the world created by and for people with mental illness, and
those who support them. Alternating between the stories of conductor Ronald Braunstein
(whose bipolar illness sidelined a promising professional career) and musicians for whom
orchestra rehearsals and performances provide support and community, the film follows the
maestro and his players as they prepare for a high-stakes concert. The regional screenings are
followed by panel discussions with filmmakers, Braunstein, Orchestra Executive Director Caroline Whiddon, musicians, and noted disability scholars.