The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has partnered with Médecins francophones du Canada to launch a pilot program allowing physicians to prescribe concert attendance to their patients.
Running a year starting October 2025, the initiative provides free access to live orchestral performances as a complementary wellbeing tool. Doctors who practice in Montreal have received official prescription forms to use during consultations, with each prescription granting a patient and one guest entry to an OSM concert.
The program builds on a growing body of research demonstrating music's measurable effects on physical and mental health, from stress reduction and mood improvement to enhanced memory and social connection. Participating patients complete post-concert questionnaires assessing their experience and its perceived impact on their wellbeing. Collected data will help evaluate feasibility of broader implementation.
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The Montreal initiative joins a wave of related programs prescribing nature and art. In April 2025, Vancouver Art Gallery began prescribing visits to its Emily Carr exhibition through a partnership with PaRx, Canada's national nature prescription program. Meanwhile, earlier projects in the United Kingdom have documented significant results from nature prescriptions, with some reporting health improvements surpassing standard medication for conditions like anxiety and depression.
As healthcare costs escalate and mental health concerns remain high, medical communities are exploring alternative interventions. Social prescribing reframes cultural institutions as wellbeing infrastructure, positioning them as partners in public health. These programs tap into mounting evidence that experiences — particularly communal ones involving nature, art or music — can meaningfully influence health outcomes while addressing social isolation, a condition with mortality risks comparable to smoking. How could your brand or organization contribute to community health?
Spotted by: Marie-Michele Larivee
