Ronald Braunstein, conductor of Burlington-based ME2/orchestra and ME2/strings, has had his share of what BBC News calls “both high notes and low.”
A graduate of Juillard School who apprenticed at Berlin Philharmonic, and first-place winner of a prestigious international award for conducting, Braunstein’s international career brought him to Burlington to become the conductor and music director for the Vermont Youth Orchestra in the spring of 2010. By November, he had been dismissed, under a cloud of accusations about inappropriate behavior — stemming, he claimed, from his struggle with bipolar disorder.
According to his website, he had been diagnosed in 1985. Braunstein sued the VYO; a settlement was reached, for an undisclosed sum, less than a year later.
In a video interview for BBC News’ online magazine (as on his website), Braunstein skips over that unfortunate chapter and waxes enthusiastic about his current orchestra, ME2 (me, too). Founded in the fall of 2011, the group welcomes musicians dealing with mental issues, and their allies.
![Me2/Orchestra Plays Bach at the Airport [SIV436]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/episode436.webp?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
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