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BUDAPEST (Reuters) – A Hungarian doctor has prescribed to his patients with pneumonia a new form of physical and spiritual therapy – singing in public in a choir.
The "Breathing for the Soul" choir, premiered this spring, gave its second performance Thursday in the ballroom of a Budapest hotel.
Its members, many of whom suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and come from hospitals all over Hungary, say that these songs have improved their quality of life.
"I have never thought of my life singing," Maria Aranyi, 74, who has been suffering from severe asthma for a decade.
"After the gray days, there is a place where I feel good … after singing, I noticed that I could also breathe easier."
Many patients with lung diseases become inhibited in their daily lives and become increasingly isolated. Singing in a choir brought them new friends.
Dr. Katalin Vardi had the idea of forming the choir after hearing that similar patients in other countries had found the song beneficial.
She added that the introduction of concerts had given new meaning to people who have to face the thought that their symptoms could worsen as the disease progresses.
"We have increased the stakes for them, in order to change their own image of themselves," Vardi said.
"With this community … they can show their talent to the world and working together for that is an extremely positive feeling for them."
The songs were chosen to highlight the capabilities of the patients by conductor Gyorgy Philipp, who said the concert was a huge challenge for people who had never been on stage.
"We are selecting songs that allow patients to be able to interpret longer lines, more difficult tunes and develop through this system," he said.
(Report by Krisztina Fenyo and Krisztina Than, edited by John Stonestreet)
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