Ann Arbor Medical Musicians Operate With A Different Kind Of Instrument

89.1 WEMU | By Lisa Barry - In Memoriam

Published January 19, 2017 at 3:05 PM EST

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Orchestra Member and University of Michigan Medical Student Whit Froelich (Left), WEMU Program Director Patrick Campion and Orchestra Member and U of M's Lead Public Relations Representative Kara Gavin (Right). Click through to see more.

Lisa Barry / 89.1 WEMU

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Biomedical engineer Olivia Palmer ‘examines’ her violin under a red lamp used in her studies of blood vessels";s:

Life Sciences Orchestra / University of Michigan

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Heiko Yang “plays” a keyboard made of Eppendorf tubes in the lab where he’s working toward his Ph.D.";s:3:

Life Sciences Orchestra / University of Michigan

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Surgical resident Jenna Devare “scopes” her violin in the Otolaryngology clinic.";s:

Life Sciences Orchestra / University of Michigan

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Carl Engelke tries to use his trumpet to listen to the lungs of “patient” Heiko Yang, a fellow MD/Ph.D. student and LSO celeste player.";s:

Life Sciences Orchestra / University of Michigan

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Whit Froelich “triages” his cello at the Emergency Department check-in station where he works.";s:

Life Sciences Orchestra / Life Sciences Orchestra

There is a unique musical ensemble in Ann Arbor comprised of amateur musicians who all work and/or study in the science and medical fields. I spoke to two members of the University of Michigan Life Sciences Orchestra.

Musicians must audition to join the orchestra, which has members ranging from mathematicians to epidemiologists, to med school and dental students, a health economist, and a veterinarian who went to U of M.

Whit Froehlich is a second-year medical school student at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Gavin says the orchestra brings people together who may have never met but now make music together

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXRLaeVdCj0

The orchestra performs two concerts a year free of charge, and there is one coming this Saturday, January 21st in Hill Auditorium at 8pm with a pre-concert talk at 7pm.

The orchestra will be conducted by Todd Craven.

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu