27: Mount Sinai Benefit with a Song By Jimmy Buffet and Other Guest's Including Joshua Bell

Foreign welcome. This is Real Estate Investing Live from New York with James Nelson, the principal and head of Avis and Young's Tri State Investment Sales Group. In this program, you'll learn about the world of commercial real estate and find out why it is one of the largest investment opportunities in New York and around the world. Now, here is your host, James Nelson.

Welcome to show number 27. This is James Nelson, your host of Real Estate Investing Live from New York. And for today's show, it's my tremendous pleasure to rebroadcast the benefit concert for Mount Sinai. This original broadcast was made possible by YMW REA and the Real Estate Council of Carnegie hall and now is being rebroadcast thanks to the support of Voice America and risa, the Real Estate Services Alliance. With us today is Eileen Solomon, who is senior director of Mount Sinai and she's going to tell us a little bit about the latest in the relief efforts. Eileen, I know you all have been at the forefront in New York adding incredible assistance. If you could tell us a little bit about how things are progressing there.

Well, first of all, let me thank you, James, and thank you all for your support in doing this. And so as of Today, we have 1,345 cases in the hospital and we have discharged over 3,500 cases people and the plasma program transfusion, we have done greater than 140 people. So we're very pleased about that. The money raised is going to the frontline health care workers for PPE and supplies. And our clinical efforts are going towards the research of the antibody program, the plasma research and research to understand the virus and to develop treatments and a vaccine. What is brand new is that we're now looking at research on health disparities and why COVID 19 is disproportionately affecting the vulnerable community. So we're very excited to be having these kinds of initiatives taking place at Mount Sinai.

We are so grateful for everything you all are doing and for this show. We are urging our listeners to give at a minimum of $25. But please be generous and give to the relief effort on the front line. Eileen, how can our listeners support Mount Sinai's efforts?

Thank you for asking that. Please go to Giving Mount Sinai M O U N T S I N A I dot org. There you'll be given a menu and you'll be able to participate. And we thank every dollar. We thank all of you for making a donation and for helping us for helping you.

Wonderful. Well, we've got a great show and this is A first for us, but we have Jimmy Buffett, Joshua Bell, the old whipping poofs and a great lineup. So enjoy the show and thank you again for everyone's support.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the New York Real Estate Cares presentation of musicians for Mount Sinai, A1 of a kind virtual benefit concert for frontline healthcare workers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Hi, everybody, I am your host, Scott Hogg. And usually around this time, I'd be flashing the lights in the lobby and making my way to my mark at center stage. You'd probably like my fancy tuxedo. I'd hold up a shiny microphone and I'd welcome you to the performance. But tonight is a very different night in a very different moment in time. So instead of us being together at the concert hall or the auditorium, I welcome you to my home office here in Portland, Oregon, where my wife and I have been quarantined for about a month now. Now, instead of having to endure the uncomfortable seat in row Z of the balcony, hopefully you are on a warm and cozy sofa in your living room with your favorite snack or beverage close by. My, what a difference a month makes. But music never stops. It can't be corralled or caged. It yearns to be made, to be played and and to be received by those who need its healing power the most. And tonight, despite these truly unprecedented times of trouble, music finds a way through. So let's begin our journey first by thanking the good folks who have made this special evening possible. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Young Men's and Women's Real Estate association of New York. We have gathered here this evening the entire board of governors and we welcome to the program the Chairperson of the YMWR, Ms. Laura Jackson. Hello, Laura.

Hi everyone.

I'm Laura Jackson, the 2020 chairman of.

The Young Men's and Women's Real Estate association of New York. Ymwrea is a 70 year old real estate organization committed to the highest level of professionalism and giving back to the community.

Joe.

Hi, I'm Joe Grotto from the YMWREA Foundation. When the Real Estate Council of Carnegie hall presented the opportunity to co sponsor this event, we totally embraced it. David Brous.

I'm David Braus.

The New York real estate community cares deeply about our people, our hospitals and our medical professionals.

Giving back is core to our organization.

The industry and the city we love.

Now, here's Greg Shenker.

Hello, I'm Greg Shenker. The Real Estate Council of Carnegie hall and YMW rea are proud to support this event to benefit our brave frontline health care professionals.

Are you ready, gang?

New York strong.

Joining us now from Mount Sinai Hospital, a frontline nurse in the fight against Covid at Mount Sinai. Kelly Bradshaw hasn't had a night off in a while, but she's been kind enough to make some time for us tonight as we honor her and her fellow healthcare professionals with this wonderful exhibit of love through music. Kelly, welcome to the show. We're so glad you're here tonight.

Thank you, Scott.

Thanks for having me.

You know, you have had a front row seat to this pandemic really since the start. How are you and your team holding up?

Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I work in the ICU at Mount Sinai west, and we've always had a uniquely tight team. I think that's the nature of what ICUs do, and especially the nursing. But, you know, what this has shown me is that we worked as a team before, really seamlessly, but we work incredibly well as a team, even more so now. And the camaraderie has increased. It's improved. There wasn't much room for improvement, but somehow we found it. We are tired, we're exhausted in every sense of the word, but somehow we're still pushing through.

I can't imagine how deep you guys have had to reach on this one just to get through a single day of this. What has been the most difficult part for you?

You know, I think one of the most difficult things for us and for me personally is just seeing the volume of loss that we're seeing all at the same time. Of course, we've all in health care dealt with death at some point in our careers, but the amount that we're seeing all in this concise period of time is a lot to shoulder. I think nursing staff and myself have actually facilitated several moments for families to say goodbye via Zoom calls and FaceTime. And I think that is incredibly challenging, incredibly sad, and something that I personally will never forget.

Yeah. When you get home at the end of the day, you've got to somehow turn that switch off. And I know that that's got to be almost impossible. How, how have you found what's the best way you've used to try to just get away from it for a couple of hours to try to recharge and recuperate.

Yeah, you're right.

You do have to recharge and recuperate because we're expected to be back either the next day or the following day taking care of more incredibly sick patients. So you have to figure out a way and whatever works for you. For me, my family is all still down south in Georgia, where I'm from and where I grew up. So I love a good, healthy FaceTime with them. I love to connect with my brother and his children. I have two nephews and a niece. I also love to connect with my roommate who I share an apartment with here in the city. And though, you know, she and I are incredibly close and we'll just sort of edge out and watch television, you know, the hot shower is always helpful and you just can never take the place of a good cry when you.

Gotta, you know, not only are you a hero tonight, and certainly what you're doing at the hospital and all of your co workers are doing is miraculous and so special to all of us, but you have a connection to the arts and I just found that out about you. You actually were a Rockette. You've been a Rockette in a previous life before you became a nurse, haven't you?

I was, yes. My former life led me to New York from Georgia to pursue my dream of becoming a Radio City Rocket. And I lucky enough to live that life for a couple of years before I transitioned out of that life and into the world of healthcare.

Now we're glad you're in this world right now. We certainly need you. What, what do you guys need from us, Kelly? Because I know that this group gathered here tonight is passionate about making sure you have it, whatever it is.

So.

And that's the cool thing about where I sit, is that to be able to talk to change makers like you guys that are in the audience and to connect with a frontline staff member and a frontline worker is really important for us to be able to tell you guys what we need. So Mount Sinai is leading the helm and carrying the torch for the research for convalescent plasma. And if you have the ability to donate to that research, please do it if you feel so led to support your frontline staff directly. And that means doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, lab techs, X ray techs, you know, the whole environmental services, everyone who helps your hospital run is considered frontline staff. And if you have the means and the ability to donate a meal, Gatorade, granola bars, goods and products, gas cards, anything that would help frontline staff get to and from work, function better at work and be able to come home from work with a little less stress, that would be awesome. We'll take anything we can get.

Kelly, I just want you to know you are the hero here tonight. You and every other brave soul who wakes up each morning, puts on the mask and the scrubs and says, I've got to get back to work right now. Thank you, Kelly. We love you and we've got your back. Godspeed, my friend.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

That is why we are here, ladies and gentlemen. That is one of the many faces of the heroes on the front lines at Mount Sinai tonight. We are here for them. So many talented artists have come together this evening with the real estate council of Carnegie hall and the ymwrea foundation of New York for this great benefit concert. They have personally dedicated their time and performances to the unsung heroes that we honor here tonight. So let the show begin. Our first performance comes from the best kids in town. Founded in 1963, the New York Youth Symphony is the most awarded youth program of its kind in the nation. Recognized for its innovative educational programs for talented young musicians, the New York Youth Symphony has commissioned over 160 works from young composers since 1984. Ladies and gentlemen, we begin tonight's show with the New York Youth Symphony and a piece from Gustav Mahler.

Boom.

My head just blew off. I think it hit the ceiling. An absolute amazing musical feat pulled off by an even more amazing group of kids at the New York Youth Symphony. And joining us tonight is the conductor of the New York Youth Symphony, Mr. Mike Repper, together with violinist Raina Tung, the two visionaries who thought up this crazy virtual performance. Hi, guys. Where is everybody tonight? Mike, where are you?

I am in rural Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay, where I also conduct the Northern Neck Orchestra. So I'm on a family farm with lots of animals in open fields. I came down here in March to do a concert, but decided to stay once New York City had to shut down. So I miss everybody back in New York. Raina, we're very fortunate to be where.

I am, Raina, Where I'm in New.

York in my apartment.

You're in the city. So how is everybody doing over there? You guys doing all right?

Yeah, we're doing okay, thanks, Mike.

Talk about the challenges of pulling off an undertaking of this magnitude with such precision. I've really never seen anything like it.

Oh, thank you so much. It was a big project, but it was totally worth it. I mean, we were so devastated to have our spring Carnegie hall concert canceled, but there was a lot of energy amongst our students to continue to share music with the public and with each other. And we're used to the real time feedback that you can get when you're in the Same place as your peers. So it was a big endeavor to put together something, you know, with over 70 people from afar. But I was so inspired at how well and eagerly everyone came together to make this video possible, and that speaks to the resolve of young people. So I'm so inspired by the New York Youth Symphony students, not the least of which was Raina, who actually. Actually did the video editing. So that was. That was one of the most exciting parts.

Well, you know, just when you think that their real skill set is magnificent command of this instrument, then they go and show you something you never knew they had in them, didn't they?

Yeah.

Amazingly, what we saw here tonight. Raina, let me ask you this. How did your friends in the symphony. How did they all react when they realized that they'd be performing a piece from 75 different places at the. At the same time?

Yeah. So, I mean, when they heard about it initially, I'm not sure because it was, like, over email, but I know.

After they saw, like, the final product.

They were pretty happy with it. I remember, like, getting a ton of messages that day, just, like, they were just complimenting me on it, and they.

Thought it was really cool.

So, yeah, I think they liked it.

And it made Mike cry.

They loved it. It made me cry. When she showed me the first draft, I cried. I knew that we had good audio, but the video really just brought it all together in the most special way.

Yeah, there's no doubt. And just to line up that many tracks, I mean, the number of audio tracks that have to go together, it really started with just a simple clap at the beginning to begin the track, the click track, didn't it?

That's right. That's essentially right.

Yeah.

It was a big. The audio editing, just like the video editing was a big project. It came together magically. And like I said, it speaks to the resolve of young people that you can't quit.

Tonight is about the unnamed heroes on the front lines at Mount Sinai. And your performance is just a great tribute to all of those affected by this virus. How important is music right now in this moment of uncertainty?

Thank you. Music connects all of us. It can't scientifically cure the terrible disease that we're all fighting, but it can bring all kinds of emotions to people that we're all having a hard time sustaining because of social distancing. Today, we're all thinking about the heroes at Mount Sinai and also the healthcare workers all over the country, including my mom, who's an emergency room physician, and sister, who's a scribe at a hospital in California. So I want to say thank you to them and everyone at Mount Sinai and everyone worldwide who's fighting the virus for us. I know I speak for Rain also, and everyone at New York, you, symphony. So thank you, guys.

Thank you.

I was going to say the same thing. Yeah.

Well, you guys have outdone yourselves tonight, and I can only thank you. Thank you, Mike. Thank you, Raina. The New York Youth Symphony. You guys hit it out of the park tonight. Congratulations and much love to both of you.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

And it's my pleasure to introduce the Yale Whiffin Poofs.

Before we sing, I just want to take a second to say thank you not only to the doctors at Mount Sinai, but also to all the other people who are putting themselves at risk to make sure hospitals can function. Thank you to all the nurses, physicians, and secretaries. Thank you to the custodians who keep the hospitals clean and the social workers who keep everybody calm. You all help our family and friends heal despite the risks. And it's really important to me that everybody in the hospital is thanked and is seen as important because you're all contributing to our communal safety. And so this is our thank you from the Whiffen Poofs.

Times have changed and we've often rewound. Oh, times have changed.

Got a shark when they landed on.

Plymouth Rock near today Any shock they should try to stab stead of landing on. You want me to use four letter words, right? You like nobody intruding into his heart. Anything goes. Yeah, times have changed and not the same. So anything, anything ever, anything big. Props to the Yale Whiffin Poofs for bringing the fun tonight. We just happen to have the biggest turkey himself, Mohit Sani. He's a member of this year's musical tribe. He's zoomed in all the way from New Haven, Connecticut. Mohit, welcome, my friend. I'm glad you're with us tonight.

Thank you, thank you. I'm very glad to be here, too. I think it's really important that we bring as much attention to the fact that the healthcare workers at Mount Sinai and at every hospital have been putting a lot of work in and putting themselves at risk for us. So anything I can do to help bring attention to that is great.

We're so glad you're with us college kids like yourself. You guys have been thrust really into a double whammy. First dealing with COVID and now facing the cancellation of all your classes of campus life. I feel the worst for the graduating Seniors who are going to miss that special cap and gown graduation day. So let me ask you, how are you and your buddies holding up out there at college?

Yeah. I personally have never enjoyed the kind of pomp and circumstance of the idea of walking for graduation. So I personally am not mourning that loss. But I think something that my friends and I feel definitely is I have not said goodbye to a lot of my friends who I'll probably never see again. So all my friends who live in Oklahoma, Oregon, in China, a lot of these friends who have gone home so suddenly or went home for spring break and then were not allowed to come back, a lot of them I never got to give that last hug to and kind of that last farewell. And so that feels incomplete and that kind of hurts.

Well, I know that, and I've heard that from other young people who are suffering the same thing. Let me ask you this, Mohit. Why do you think that music feel so good in this moment of national hardship?

I think that music serves as a really good palliative meaning. A lot of us are, I think, finding ourselves with a lot of free time, and a lot of that time is very uncomfortable, not only because we don't know what to do with it, but also because on our minds is the fact that we are all going through a global pandemic. And a lot of us have family members who are getting sick or friends who are getting sick or know somebody whose family or friends are getting sick. And I think if you play a song that kind of brings you back to a pleasant time or a song that helps you process kind of the grief that we're all going through, then it kind of helps pass the time and hopefully enables people to stay home with higher spirits and will help us get through this.

Yeah. Thank you, my man. That is so well said. I want you to also thank all of your friends in the Yale Whiff and Poofs on behalf of all of the frontline heroes at Mount Sinai. You guys are a special group of young people. You're doing special things tonight, and we wish you the very best. We hope you finish college strong.

Thank you. Thank you. And on a similar note, as you're just saying, I think to bring attention to and to thank all of the support staff and all the. In addition to all the doctors at Mount Sinai, but all the nurses, physicians, secretaries, all the people who are cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the floors, all the people who are not mentioned, it's really important to realize that they're putting their lives on the line, too, and they're coming out of their houses and working consecutive days and putting themselves at risk so that we can stay safe and so that our family members and our friends can heal. And so that's really important to remember. And I want to thank those people.

Hi, everyone, this is James Nelson. You're listening to the Mount Sinai benefit concert being rebroadcast thanks to the help of Voice America and the Real Estate Services Alliance. If you haven't already, Please donate to giving.mountsinai.org that's M O U N T S I N A I.org we really appreciate the support.

Our next performer is an American operatic soprano and music scholar who studied at the Juilliard School and was an Alder Fellow in the Young Artist Development Program at the San Francisco Opera, where she has performed in more than 20 stage productions. She completed her doctoral studies at SUNY Stony Brook with research centered on Marian cults and the operas of Giuseppe Verdi. A published writer, she is currently at work on a novel about a male soprano castrato in 18th century Venice. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ms. Greta Feemi.

Hi, I'm Greta Feeney. I'm very grateful and very honored to be a part of this wonderful benefit for Mount Sinai for our doctors and nurses who are so heroically showing up every day to help keep us safe. Today, I will be singing for you Franz Schubert's Ave Maria, which is a hymn to the Blessed Mother. And I think it is a perfect piece for today when we can all come together in compassion and in solidarity together. At this time, I'd like to thank the board of directors of the Nantucket Community Music center for letting me use the recording studio today. All of us here on Nantucket are with you. We love New Yorkers, we love New York, and we miss everybody right now. And so we're hoping, we're hoping we can all be together again soon. Stay safe. Thank you.

Sam. Ra Jam Ra ra Jesus Sat.

I.

Am sure that I have heard Ave Maria performed a hundred times in my life, but never have I heard it perform with such passion. In this special moment in time, we are so fortunate to have Greta joining us from Nantucket, Massachusetts, tonight. Greta, welcome and thank you so much for a truly incredible rendition.

Thank you, Scott. It's really my pleasure truly to be here. Thank you.

Let me ask you, what do you think that the songs that we all know, why do you think they sound more powerful in unprecedented times like these?

Well, that's a great question. I think that music puts us in very close contact with our souls and when we experience music together, it creates kind of a collective resonance, I guess you could say. That's how I feel about it. It's very tangible. It's very real. You know, when you get the. Your hair stand up, when you hear extraordinary music, that's a real phenomenon. It's called frisson. It's a French word. And people experience that together in sync, you know, at a great concert, at that moment, when the music really, you know, when it moves us, you know.

It'S got us thinking, too. Greta. The summer music schedule, I have to think out on Nantucket, has been close to decimated by this pandemic. And it means that so many nonprofits are unable to conduct the events that are traditionally their biggest fundraisers, you know, due to these social distancing mandates. How can we, you know, the collective we. How can we help with that?

That's a great question again, and you're absolutely right. The fundraisers are not gravy. You know, they represent the meat of the budgets of a lot of these organizations. And the Music center, of course, is one of them. We have 300 students here that take private music lessons and ensembles. They're all studying from home now, online. So we have to keep giving. You know, we need these places to keep their doors open. Kids deserve to have normal lives in spite of what's going on. And that aside, I think we have to innovate, right, which is what we're doing now, because we're experiencing togetherness and music in a different way. And in some ways, it's kind of cool, you know?

Absolutely. I can feel your heart of love in every note of your performance tonight. Why was doing this for Mount Sinai so important to you, Greta?

Whenever I hear the name Mount Sinai, it's a magnificent institution. It represents a pinnacle, really, in quality of care and the education that happens there.

The.

You know, I lived in New York for eight years, so I can call myself a New Yorker, and I lived close to Mount Sinai. I never had to go, thank goodness, but it made me feel safe just knowing it was there. You know, I never worried about my health. And they're, you know, an elite group of medical minds, and I think we're all seeing now that it's. They're showing up in a way that is really unprecedented.

I think we've all been driven for our own reasons, but they all end up in the same spot. And that is. We've got people on the front lines of this thing. We have nurses and doctors and support staff and folks from all over. We'll never know their names. We'll never see their faces. We'll never hear their personal stories. They'll just go off into the distance without any recognition. And. And I think that's what's so great about tonight, is that we can use all of gifts from people like you and from all of our artists tonight to help, just for a minute, heal them and to give them some peace. And I know that that's important to you as well. Greta Feeney, thank you for being here tonight. Thank you for sharing your amazing spirit with us in honor of these nurses and doctors and these fighters. But most importantly, Greta, thanks for just being you. You are awesome, and it's great to have you with us tonight. Greta Feeney, Ladies and gentlemen, joining us here, our next artist is a cellist whose emotionally resonant performances of both traditional and contemporary music have earned her international recognition. Alisa Wyler Stein is a consummate performer, combining technical precision with impassioned musicianship. She has long proven herself to be in possession of a distinctive musical voice, and she joins us tonight with this special performance. Ladies and gentlemen, Elisa Weilerstein. Hello.

Thank you so much for listening to our concert. We are so, so happy to be with you even in this very, very surreal kind of circumstance. And we could not be more grateful to you, honestly, for what you are doing. We know that we would. Well, that so many of us would not be here without you. I lived in New York for 13 years. It's a city that I feel. It's a part of me. I went to university there, really spent kind of my really important, formative years there. And I love the city from the bottom of my heart. I would like to play one piece, which I feel really kind of comes close to expressing how deeply grateful I and I know countless others feel for everything that you're doing for. For us. This is a saraband from the fourth suite by Johann Sebastian Bach, which is a really profoundly spiritual movement and is actually one of my favorite moments of the cello suites. So here we go. Sa.

Such a gripping rendition of the Boxera box, courtesy of one of America's most accomplished cellists, Elisa Weilerstein. You started playing the cello when you were a kid, just four years old. Music has obviously flowed through you in a special way since that day. Talk about how your love of music really enveloped your life as a kid.

My mother's a pianist, and my father's a violinist, and so. And they're chamber music players. My father was the first violinist of bouquet quartet for 20 years, and my mother playing chamber music with really amazing colleagues. And so I listened to their practicing, to their rehearsing, and, yeah, so, I mean, it was kind of a total immersion environment. And at a certain point, I started asking for a cello. In fact, it was around the time that I was two and a half years old. My grandmother came to take care of me because I had chickenpox. Well, both my parents were on tour, and she made a kind of special gift for me, which was a string quartet made of cereal boxes. And so there were two violins of viola and the cello, of course. And I shunned the other instruments. I had wanted nothing to do with the upper strings. I just wanted the cello. I don't know why, but this cello was made out of a Rice Krispies box. And the endpin, which is this guy here, was made out of a old toothbrush. It was green, I think. And I used whatever stick I could find for the boat. So when I was around, when my parents returned, actually, they put out a small stool for me, which I was very, very happy with. And then I could kind of bang around on this thing while they were rehearsing and pretend that I was playing. Of course, this got very frustrating after a while when I realized I wasn't actually making any sound. So I asked for a real cello when I was around four, Few months after I turned four and started cello lessons when I was four and a half.

Music is so much a family affair, and I know it has been in your life, and it's the way we make music, the way we listen to music, the way we're healed by music. How can moms and dads create that same type of space for children to explore? Especially in these types of times, I think.

I mean, it's so easy to access streaming platforms now. You know, you can hook it, you can, with two clicks on your iPhone. You've got a library, amazing library of all types of music. And I think, you know, it's just so easy now to have music playing in the home. And of course, in. In other times, when we're not in lockdown, there are a lot of children's concerts. I mean, look at your local symphony orchestra, what they're doing for children's concerts, and even kind of the youth orchestras. I think one of the things that I learned. I've taken many, many trips to Venezuela. Well, in about 10 years ago, there was a period of time that I went maybe 40 times in about two years, and I could see firsthand the effect of children playing, little children playing, in orchestras and playing in ensembles and the pride that they felt when they were creating something together. And that's an impact that really stays with children for the rest of their lives and the friendships they make and the fact that they can do something that they really feel proud of, I think that's something that's very, very powerful and really should be part of any child's education.

Alisa, you are in the middle of a very personal 36 day long project called 36 Days of Bach. It's something wonderful, I think, that you're doing in response to the pandemic. Tell us about that.

Sure. Well, the 36 days, that refers to the amount to the number of movements that are actually in the box. Cello suites. The suites each has six movements. And so I just thought when it became clear. I'm actually toward the end of it now, you know, today is, you know, where I'm at the. I'm coming to the end of the sixth suite. I can't believe it. But you know, in mid March when I. When I started this and it really looked like the world was going to be on lockdown for kind of indefinite amount of time, I just. That we were not going to be able to get to gather together in traditional concert halls, that we were not going to be able to reach out to each other physically. I just felt very strongly that I wanted to give what I could, which is. And what I do is play music. And music, I feel is one of the highest forms of communication that we have. It's the most direct. It's regardless of language or culture. I mean, it can really literally reach every. And thank goodness, you know, thank goodness for the Internet that we can reach a very, very wide audience. And so I decided to go through the box suites very slowly.

One movement per day.

And I've been going in chronological order so I post a video every day. And then at the end of each suite, I hold the live session so that I perform the last word of the suite. And then I take questions and answers. I answer questions.

It is so great. That's just awesome. It's so nice to be with you tonight. Elisa. The. The great people of Mount Sinai Hospital, they feel your love tonight. And I can too. I know we all can. Thank you so much and God bless to you.

Amen. Thank you so much.

Tonight, I can't be more excited to introduce our final act. Highly praised for her warm quality of voice and unique timbre, soprano Larissa Martinez has established a strong and unique presence in classical performance. She has been on Tour with Andrea Bocelli throughout North America, South America, and Europe. And she's a newlywed. Guess who she married? Joshua Bell enjoys a career spanning over 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, conductor, and director. Josh is one of the most celebrated violinists of his era. Since 2011, he served as the music director of the Academy of St Martin's in the Fields. And he's a newlywed, too. Guess who he married? It is my honor, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce from their home in New York City, performing Estelita by Manuel Ponce, it's Larissa Martinez and Joshua Bell. Sam Ram. Jesus. J. Sam, Jesus. And how blessed we are to have these two virtuosos joining us in spirit and in song this evening. What a beautiful performance by Larissa Martinez and Joshua Bell. And like the rest of us, they are stuck inside their home somewhere near New York City and just happened to be joining us from. From their living room. Larissa and Joshua, can. Are you there? Can you hear me?

Oh, yeah. Thank you for having us here.

Thank you for having us.

We're so happy you're with us. You guys are married, you're two incredible musicians, and you're stuck at home. Are we getting ready to see 15 new albums from the new Larissa and Josh duo? Is that on track?

Actually, yes.

We're working on it. We are lucky that we have this incredible arranger called Charles Czarnecki in Berlin, and he's been creating things for us to play as a duet by ourselves without a piano, because normally you could have a piano or an orchestra or some, you know, other instruments, but. But for this kind of performances, we need special arrangements.

Yeah, we've had plans to do concerts in the future together and lots of ideas that we floated around but didn't have time to do because we're busy playing concerts. So actually, that's the one little silver lining in this tragic time is that we actually have time to do some of these projects that we've always wanted to do. So you might see a lot more music, the two of us, than you might have otherwise. And I think it is important, you know, because everyone is depressed, and this time to try to find in your life little silver linings wherever you can. And I think, as musicians, we're able to, I think, do that.

You both are right now, at the absolute apex of your careers. How is the sudden stoppage of everything that is live performance music right now? How has it affected that trajectory?

Well, it is certainly strange to see so much of us.

You mean of each other. That's true. We're used to being apart so much that it's been an amazing.

Almost like a long distance after we.

Just got married six months ago. So it's been a great test. And actually honeymoon, we never had honeymoon.

So this is like our home.

This is it. And I think we've survived quite well.

I think we're doing great, actually.

But it is weird because usually I have in front of me 150 concerts in the calendar year. Now I may not play a single live concert in the next year. And it's difficult. And I think after all this is done, I think all of us are going to appreciate the live experience and need art and music more than ever before before and. But we're here about the health workers. Actually. I know so many health workers who are musicians and I know music is often a big passion of doctors and nurses and health workers.

Well, I can I say I am.

A product of two health workers.

My parents.

My mother is a nurse, a retired nurse now. But my father is an emergency doctor and he's right now.

In the front.

Lines through all this crisis. So I have a special place in my heart for health workers.

You know, that is, I think, the most incredible thing about all of this is that we all know someone who is affected, who is involved, who is in the fight, who is on the front line. I think that's what makes it so personal to everyone. And, you know, it kind of makes me think how important is it for all of us to share music really any way that we can together with each other, especially in this extremely. The difficult times we're in right now?

Well, for me, I mean, in this particular moment, this music is my way of sending love and appreciation to those workers in the distance and trying to bring some, I don't know, sense of warmth to their lives, that we appreciate what they're doing. So I guess it's just our way.

To expressing that and also just for ourselves. For me, I wake up every day and practice two hours of Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, and that's my religion and Bach. I mean, for me, that's. Music brings that sense of answers, questions and brings that sense of spirituality, things that words can express. It sounds a little cliche and corny, but it really is true about music.

It's a sort of meditation to me.

Having to sing, having to concentrate on my breath. It's exactly what we do when we're meditating and we're concentrating on something beautiful instead of the crisis that is going on in the world.

It is amazing. I think we've all experienced during this time the wide range of emotions. It seems like every day is full of these ups and downs and craziness and I feel I've been through every single emotion every single day. And so, yeah, roller coaster. And music, though, is amazing. Classical music, I believe, just has an incredible way of touching on all those basic human emotions. And we're grateful to have music in our lives.

Well, we are grateful to have you with us here this evening. You both are true musical inspirations and your love for the healing power of music and your obvious love for each other, it's really simply beautiful. To all of us out here and I can only thank you for sharing it with us. And you guys take care of yourselves. Be safe, Stay inside. We're going to get through this thing together.

Thanks again to all the healthcare workers. We're New Yorkers and New York I know has been hit the hardest and I just can't thank you all enough for what you do every day. You guys are heroes. Thank you, thank you.

Thanks everyone for listening to the show. What an incredible event and really cannot thank you all enough for your support for Mount Sinai. If you haven't already, please give by going to giving.mount Sinai.org that's M O U N T S I N A I.org or you can find the link in the show notes. Thank you again for everything and look forward to connecting next week.

Thank you for tuning in this week to real estate investing live from New York. Please join your host, James Nelson for another program next Tuesday at 7pm in New York for 4pm Pacific Time on the Voice America Business channel. All shows are rebroadcast Wednesday mornings at 7am Eastern Time, 4pm Pacific Time as well. As always on demand. We'll talk again next week. I.