WERTHEIM IN DC Conference

FIU IN DC: IDEA EXCHANGE

THE IDEA EXCHANGE LED BY CARLOS BECERRA, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AT FIU IN DC, IS FIU IN DC'S PLATFORM FOR CONVENING NATIONAL DIALOGUES AROUND THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES FACING THE NATION, WASHINGTON, D C AND SOUTH FLORIDA.

yFor the first time in FIU history, the Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts presented an Arts & Policy Conference on February 11, 2022, in collaboration with FIU in DC, with national leaders and policymakers.

The conference was the launch of a national initiative curated by The Wertheim's Music Director, Dr Karen S Veloz, to explore policy solutions and greater leadership by research universities in bridging the gap between music, education, arts, medicine, and mental health.

She, along with Dr. Beatriz Currier, Medical Director of Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health Systems, and John Dee, Professor of Oboe at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led the roundtable discussion and intimate luncheon about ways in which music can be used to treat mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

Wertheim College of Medicine at FIU, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Kennedy Center, as well as staffers from the congregational office of the Special Committee on Aging and Mario Diaz-Ballar

The Arts & Policy Conference culminated in a performan curated & produced by Dr. Karen S. Veloz at The Florida House with FIU’s acclaimed Artist-in-Residence Ensemble the Amernet String Quartet, and oboist John Dee One o the selections performed was a world premiere by the F School of Music Founding Director, Fredrick Kaufman, called “Jacob Wrestling with the Angel” - a biblical passag found in the Book of Genesis. Kaufman interpreted the biblical story into music by using the viola and cello to reflect the tumultuous emotions Jacob experiences throughout his journey - a reflection of our society in distress.