The sound of science
Since the time of Pythagoras, science and music have been interwoven. Christina
Yu, a second year student at the CU School of Pharmacy, is linking right brain
with left brain by founding Melomania: the UCD Interdisciplinary Orchestra.
The
orchestra is the brainchild of Yu, who plays clarinet for the group. She put
out a call for musicians who would like to get together to play music after
work.
From the seed of her idea a year ago, the orchestra has blossomed into an
organized group of talented instrumentalists who wanted an outlet for their
musical talent.
The 25 musicians currently in the orchestra represent a wide range of medical
and research areas. They are HSC students, faculty and staff, as well as “friends”
of HSC. What they share, in addition to their scientific pursuits, is a passion
for playing music.
“I wanted to have some place where I could play music,” said Yu.
“Since everyone here is so science-minded, I thought they might like
to take a break from science to play music.”
With a nod to the musicians’ science and medical backgrounds, Melomania
was chosen as the orchestra’s name, which is a psychiatric term for
a fascination with or devotion to music.
The orchestra’s eclectic repertoire is a mix of classical and jazz pieces,
with a dash of alternative music to spice things up. In their myriad timbres
of tone and meaning, the musical selections serve to express and explore a
range of human emotion.
David Brussel, who has played French horn with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
since 1982, serves as conductor and musical director. Their inaugural concert
was held in Denison Auditorium in December 2004 and featured selections from
Mozart, Dvorak, Bach, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and Hoagy Carmichael.
Rehearsals are beginning for a spring concert. Stay tuned for details.
Membership in Melomania is open to all instrumentalists, regardless of musical
ability. They meet on alternate Wednesday evenings, with the intention of
presenting two concerts a year. For more information, contact Christina.Yu@uchsc.edu.
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