Elvis Costello, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and more come together to support musicians in need
The Musician Treatment Foundation (MTF) will present the Musician Treatment Foundation Livestream Benefit Concert 2020 hosted by Seth Rudetsky on Saturday, July 18 at 7 p.m. CDT. The powerhouse lineup includes Elvis Costello, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Shawn Colvin and more.
As the COVID-19 pandemic pauses in-person events, musicians are left without an income. This is a dire situation for musicians who need medical care, as over 40% lack adequate healthcare. This is MTF’s first livestream benefit concert to #KeepTheMusicPlaying.
“Music is so important for people and communities, especially in these stressful times,” said Irene Chang-Cimino, executive director of Musician Treatment Foundation. “We help to keep the music playing by supporting professional musicians who cannot afford the orthopedic care they need for accidental or repetitive injuries to their hands, elbows, and shoulders.”
MTF is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit that has assisted in providing free upper limb care to needful professional musicians. In just three years, MTF has helped these musicians get care that would otherwise have cost well over $1 million.
“The foundation is about treating the working musician who might think twice about getting attention for something that is compromising their very ability to be a musician,” adds Elvis Costello, a founding member of the Board of Directors and musician. “MTF helps them to get care so they can do their job to the best of their ability and saves them from putting it off because it is beyond their means.”
The livestream concert is sponsored by Pinnacle Surgery Center, OrthoManhattan, Atlantic Records, Concorde Music and Advanced Pain Care. Donations and sponsorships help MTF connect needful musicians to physicians willing to waive their fees and help MTF cover other costs associated with surgery like anesthesia, equipment, and hospital fees.
About the Musician Treatment Foundation
The Musician Treatment Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded simultaneously in Austin, Texas and New York. MTF was founded by Alton Barron, MD, a board-certified orthopedic shoulder, elbow and hand surgeon who is passionate about working with musicians. MTF’s board of directors includes musicians Elvis Costello and Diana Krall, writers and journalists Lee Woodruff and Bob Woodruff, Randa Safady, Vice Chancellor of External Relations for the University of Texas System, and Clay Johnston MD, Dean of Dell Medical School at UT Austin. For more information please visit www.mtfusa.org.
