Medical Sciences Orchestra
The Medical Sciences Orchestra was formed in 2018 to provide students, faculty, staff, and alumni from the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) an opportunity to cultivate creativity, promote wellness, and build community. The Orchestra brings together peers and colleagues across many disciplines of SMPH (and beyond) to work together in interprofessional teams to collaborate in making music. The Orchestra is led by co-conductors Joseph Mahin and Jared Sierra, with Madeline Traeger serving as Orchestra Liaison. Administrative and musical production support is coordinated and provided by SMPH and the Mead Witter School of Music.
Join them in their upcoming performance on April 26 to experience this collaboration firsthand.
Free Admission: Spring Concert on April 26
Join the Medical Sciences Orchestra of the School of Medicine and Public Health for their Spring Concert on Sunday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m. in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall of Hamel Music Center located at 740 University Avenue or livestream with this link.
Information about our program is below:
The Bamboula Op. 75 (Rhapsodic Dance No. 1) by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Although originally written for piano, the orchestra version of Coleridge-Taylor’s The Bamboula was premiered in 1911 by the New York Philharmonic. “Bamboula” is a style of rhythm and dance of African origin that was brought to the Western world as a result of the slave trade. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, described as the “African Mahler”, first included The Bamboula in a collection of piano works he titled 24 Negro Melodies. Upon the encouragement of a commission by Ellen and Carl Stoeckel, he arranged it for orchestra for its premiere just a year before his death. The piece draws inspiration from the original dance groove, and takes it through both fast and slow variations that showcase the beautiful textures and harmonies the full orchestra has to offer.
-Note by Jared Sierra
Pelléas et Mélisande: Suite by Gabriel Fauré
Fauré composed Pelléas et Mélisande in 1898 as incidental music for a London production of Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist drama. Rather than depicting overt drama, Fauré’s music captures the mysterious, dreamlike atmosphere of the story. The suite, later arranged from the stage music, includes some of his most luminous and refined orchestral writing. The music unfolds with restrained emotion, flowing melodies, and delicate orchestral colors. The famous “Sicilienne,” with its gently lilting rhythm, provides a moment of graceful lyricism, while other movements evoke shadowy forests and quiet melancholy. Throughout, Fauré’s understated elegance and subtle harmonic language create an atmosphere of poetic introspection.
-Note by Joe Mahin
Barbe Bleue, Overture by Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach’s Barbe-bleue (“Bluebeard”), premiered in 1866, is a sparkling opéra bouffe that playfully satirizes the famous fairy tale. The overture captures the work’s wit, charm, and irreverent humor, moving briskly through a series of catchy melodies drawn from the operetta.
Full of rhythmic vitality, bright orchestration, and theatrical flair, the overture balances elegance with comic exaggeration. Offenbach’s gift for memorable tunes and lively momentum makes this curtain-raiser an effervescent introduction to the mischievous spirit of the opera.
-Note by Joe Mahin
Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity from The Planets by Gustav Holst
Jupiter comes from Gustav Holst’s 7 movement suite where each movement is based on a planet and its astrological significance. As the bringer of joy, Jupiter maintains excitement through persistent ostinati and stately themes. Holst uses the folk hymn “I Vow to Thee My Country” to break down and rebuild the orchestra before the listener is spun back to a familiar place, and then launched towards an electrifying ending.
-Note by Jared Sierra
Trombone
Zach Bennett, Department of Chemistry
Hana Hieshima, SMPH Department of Biomolecular Chemistry
Livvy Johnson, SMPH Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
John Szot, SMPH Department of Surgery
Madison Taychert, SMPH Department of Urology
William Park, SMPH Department of Psychiatry/Fellow in Clinical Informatics
Marc S. Williams, SMPH Medical Genetics Alumnus
Tuba
Kathryn Fox, UW Carbone Cancer Center Flow Cytometry Lab
Percussion
Catey Garland, SMPH Department of Surgery
Campbell Haasch, SMPH Medical Physics
Garrett Fullerton, SMPH Medical Physics/Radiology
Violin
Prithvi Thakur, SMPH & Department of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Hailey Ballard, SMPH Department of Population Health Sciences
Daniel Meyers, SMPH Department of Psychiatry/Department of Neurobiology
Eui-Jun Kim, SMPH Department of Oncology
Jessica Ryan, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders Alumna
Katherine Dolan, SMPH Medical Student
Emily Cheng, SMPH Medical Student
Ariel Kim, SMPH Medical Student
Peter Liu, College of Engineering
Julia Bach, SMPH Department of Medicine
Ethan Warrington, Department of Chemistry
Gwendolyn Tuffnell, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Brittany Trinh, Department of Chemistry
Jiaxin Gong, Department of Physics
Susan Lei, Department of Integrative Biology
Grace Hackinson, Department of Biochemistry
Sofia Castagnozzi, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Tehya Crego, School of Veterinary Medicine
Kangyu Huang, Department of Neurobiology
Lily Lawinger, School of Education
Verene Einwalter, Department of Astronomy
Madison Jaeger, College of Letters and Science
Anna Dickfoss, SMPH Medical Microbiology and Immunology
Lindsey Kourafas, UW Community Arts Collaboratory
Sarah Yanke, SMPH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ingrid Anderson, SMPH Medical Student
Emma Mohr, SMPH Department of Pediatrics
Boya Chen, SMPH Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology
Norah Boerner, Department of Integrative Biology
Leah Mushall, SMPH Medical Student
Arisha Sobhani, Student
Lydia Weaver, College of Letters and Science, Department of Biology
Kailani Pardon, SMPH and Department of Physics
Rachel Walkup, SMPH, Molecular and Environmental Toxicology
Genevieve Lee-Uhler, School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences
Anna Huber, College of Engineering
Inga Kokens, SMPH Physician’s Assistant Student
Jiaxin Gong, Department of Physics
Viola
Regan Finn, SMPH Department of Pediatrics
Julia Light, SMPH Department of Psychiatry/Neuroscience Training Program
Elizabeth Mei, SMPH Genetics
Enze Price, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Elliot Richer, College of Letters and Science
Liv Romanov, SMPH Cellular & Molecular Pathology PhD Student
Abbey Woldt, School of Education
Amanda Young, SMPH Informatics & Information Technology
Ben Bush, SMPH Medical Student
Brenden Chen, SMPH Department of Surgery
Nick Cottam, SMPH Waisman Center
Alexandria Prostko, Wisconsin School of Business
Viola Rintoul, SMPH Microbiology Doctoral Training Program
Mary Bosch, SMPH Sciences Communications
Cello
Calvin Gallagher, Department of Mathematics
Emeline Hanna, SMPH Medical Physics/Radiology
Madeline Conroy, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
David Skrovanek, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Jack Stonecipher, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Samuel Lee, SMPH Medical Student
Brandon New, College of Letters and Sciences
Arun Wahlquist, Department of Electrical Engineering
Thomas Cook, SMPH Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
Zoë Semersky, Integrated Program in Biochemistry
Ethan Orr, SMPH UW Health
Simon Golde, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
Bass
Bailey Wilde, Department of Psychology
Nistha Panda, SMPH Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
Flute
Angela Yang, SMPH Pediatrics
Melinda Chen, SMPH Pediatrics
Angela Meyer, SMPH Department of Anesthesiology
Danielle Sitman, School of Veterinary Medicine
Madeline Traeger, SMPH Department of Medicine
Julia Marshall, Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Department
Oboe
Zack Alesch, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Anne Marie Singh, SMPH Department of Pediatrics
Devann Harris Loveless, SMPH Physician Assistant Student
Clarinet
Robyn Perrin, SMPH Office of Strategic Communications
Thomas Staniszewski, SMPH MD Student
Nicole Strecker, SMPH Medical Physics
Emma Leith, School of Veterinary Medicine
Kate Jakubowski, SMPH Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology
Bassoon
Chandler Hellenbrand, SMPH Microbiology Doctoral Training Program
Sue Killips, SMPH Emeritus
Ed Harris, SMPH Department of Medicine
Horn
Charlie Adkins, Department of Mechanical Engineering
William Beimers, SMPH Department of Biomolecular Chemistry
Kevin Koesser, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carbone Cancer Center
Amiya Gupta, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Keith Kozma, SMPH Department of Neurological Surgery
Kate Eickhoff, SMPH Medical Student
Trumpet
Matt Zammit, SMPH Medical Physics
David Uselman, SMPH Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
Jordan Phillips, UW Health American Family Children’s Hospital
Jonathan Wong, SMPH Pediatrics
Harp
Sonia Driskill, Friend of the Orchestra
About the Orchestra
Founded in 2018, the Medical Sciences Orchestra brings together students, faculty, staff, and alumni from the school to cultivate creativity, promote wellness, and build community through music. Initially created by fourth-year medical student Joohee Son, the orchestra offers a unique space for interprofessional collaboration across disciplines.
The orchestra’s inaugural concert in December 2018, conducted by Michael Dolan and Jenny Yim, featured classical works by Dvorak, Sibelius, and Schubert. Since then, the group has grown and performed multiple times, fostering both musical talent and a supportive community environment.
Learn more about the orchestra’s journey and its impact on the SMPH community.
Contact Us
Contact us for more information or if you have any questions.