Performer Spotlight: - Joseph Park (Concertmaster)

MD-PhD Student

What is your connection to Penn Medicine?

I’m a 4th year MD-PhD student, currently in the laboratories of Dr. Daniel J Rader, MD and Dr. Marylyn D Ricthie, PhD. I study human genomics using the Penn Medicine Biobank to investigate the pleiotropic effects of rare, predicted loss-of-function variants as well as protective gain-of-function variants in human genes.

How long have you been playing the violin for?

I started playing the violin since I was 3-years old, but I would more call that “fiddling” than actual playing. I’d say I started to seriously play the violin starting at the age of 8.

Why is music important to you?

For me, music is truly equivalent to life-what it means to be human. Crudely splitting up musical performance into emotional and technical aspects, I believe that we draw all of our musical expressivity from emotions that we have previously felt in the context of certain life events, or hypothetical contexts that we imagine we could encounter in the future. Thus, whether its classical, jazz, rock, funk, or whatever music I perform, I view expressivity in music as a means to better understand and become more comfortable with emotions I’ve felt before or am preparing to feel. On the other hand, on the technical side, I view music as a struggle with myself to constantly improve, and this also has a deep meaning for me as an aspiring physician-scientist. Constantly rebuilding and improving upon myself is an essential part of my personality, and thus the technical aspects of music keep me sane.

How long have you been playing with the Penn Med Symphony Orchestra?

I have been the concertmaster of PMSO since it was founded in the summer of 2016.

As concertmaster of the orchestra how have you seen the Orchestra change since it started?

The orchestra has really come a long way over the last 3-4 years. Not only has the composition of our group become much more diversified to include people from various disciplines in the medical field from all across Philadelphia, but I truly believe that the passion and enthusiasm that each member has offered for the organization has allowed us to develop an identity as an orchestra, and the advances in our musical performance reflect this growing identity. I hope that PMSO will continue to develop as a lasting organization at Penn even after I graduate, and that we will be able to find a sound unique to the orchestra.

In the Spring 2019 concert you will be the soloist for Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 5. What in your opinion makes this piece special?

I view Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto no.5 as one of the prime examples of a gender-unbiased violin concerto written by a violinist composer. What I mean by this is that it allows the performer to express emotions that might typically be associated with the opposite gender, naturally. Often, we encounter violin concertos that are interpreted and performed in a very masculine form by a male, or very feminine form by a female, and find pleasure in this gender concordance. However, I find that generally in music, there is immense emotionality and power in being able to express emotions thought to be associated with the opposite gender. For me, this concerto allows me to express both masculine and feminine musicalities in an unforced manner, and I find this to be the major factor that makes the piece intriguing.

Why have you chosen to invest time in preparing this concerto whilst also doing your PhD?

The chance to perform this concerto with PMSO has a deep meaning for me. I nearly pursued a professional career in classical music in the past, but am now viewing music as a hobby as I aspire to become a physician-scientist. I am especially excited for the spring concert because this will likely be the last chance that I’ll have to prepare a whole concerto to play with an orchestra, given the life events that await (completion of thesis, rest of medical school, residency, post-doc, etc.), although I plan to continue to play at a less demanding level. In summary, I hope that this concerto will serve as a type of closure to my life as a performer as I am transitioning into a full-time professional physician-scientist.

Joseph will be performing Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 5 with the PMSO in the Spring 2019 Concert

Interview with Joseph Park prior to the spring 2019 concert. Published 04/30/2019