Lexia Kennedy and Jeff Lindblade play at Central DuPage Hospital 2022.jpeg

ABOUT
SHARING NOTES

Sharing Notes is a Chicago-based non-profit that brings joy and comfort to hospital patients, their support communities, and those in health care facilities through a dedicated group of over 145 high-caliber, locally-based musicians who are passionate about sharing the healing power of music.

MISSION & HISTORY.

In 2012, student cellist Allegra Montanari saw a huge gap in where music was going versus where it was needed most. After having conversations with friends at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, she realized that there was an opportunity and began organizing visits from fellow musicians to people receiving treatment at the Lurie Cancer Center. Thus, Sharing Notes was born.

Today, Sharing Notes improves quality of life for Chicago hospital patients through intimate, engaging, uplifting live music performances either in-person or virtually using FaceTime or Zoom.

Sharing Notes provides high quality arts performances and unique, individualized live musical experiences for patients who otherwise wouldn't have access. Moving beyond the boundaries of traditional recitals, performances focus on the audience with careful musical selection and personalized interactions. In our 2024-2025 season, Sharing Notes musicians performed more than 281 hours of music serving 3,600 patients, family members and hospital staff in eight healthcare facilities throughout Chicago.

Music provides distraction to break the isolation of illness and long hospital stays and Sharing Notes musicians talk with patients, take requests, lead games with children and react sensitively to patients. While most of our performances are in-person, our live, virtual bedside concerts offer equally engaging and meaningful connection opportunities for those who cannot be seen in-person.

MISSION IN
ACTION.

PARTNERS.

We are proud to partner with great healthcare institutions across Chicagoland. Our current eight hospital partners include La Rabida Children's Hospital, Ascension St. Joseph's Hospital, Saint Mary's of Nazareth Hospital, and the following branches of Northwestern Medicine: Lurie's Children's & Comprehensive Cancer Center, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Lake Forest Hospital, Woodstock Memorial Hospital, and Central DuPage. We are also partnered senior living communities and memory care units at Plymouth Place, Hartwell Place, and Continental Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. In previous years, we have partnered extensively with Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and more.

Additionally, we are grateful for our educational & musical partnerships with Gilda's Club Chicago Chapter, Northwestern Medical Orchestra, Lyric Opera Stage Artists, Old St. Patrick's Church Music Ministry, Rendezvous Arts, and more.