Medical Sciences Orchestra at University of Wisconsin-Madison Finds the Art in Science

In Monday’s (12/1) Daily Cardinal, Avery Chheda writes, “Musicians in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health perform classical music with surgical precision as part of the Medical Sciences Orchestra. Founded in 2018 by fourth-year medical student Joohee Son, the orchestra provides a chance for new operations for students, faculty and alumni in the medical field…. Staff in the Orchestral Conducting program assign Master’s students to conduct each of the university’s four orchestras—the other three being the University Symphony Orchestra, the All-University String Orchestra and the All-University Philharmonia Orchestra. Joe Mahin and Jared Sierra, second and first-year students in Orchestral Conducting, co-conducted the Medical Sciences Orchestra this fall semester. Once a semester the orchestra puts on a free performance … and just last week they hosted their fall concert…. Violist and molecular and cellular biology major Elliot Richer knew music would always be part of his life…. The rich culture and the harmony of diverse musicians quickly drew him into the Medical Sciences orchestra…. For many orchestra members, Richer included, music and medicine are just two instruments in the same ensemble. ‘Watching good surgeries is like watching art,’ Richer said. ‘It’s so procedural and elegant, and I think that’s like music too.’ ”