Dr. Stephan Moshman, an associate professor of medicine at AECOM, and a practicing doctor of internal medicine in Westchester County, will once again lead the orchestra, which he helped found more than a quarter of a century ago.
The Albert Einstein Symphony Orchestra, now composed of over 50 musicians, got its start when Moshman advertised within the school’s community to see if other musicians were interested in forming a small chamber orchestra to play for fun.
Through networking, in its second season, the original nucleus of the group came to include Einstein medical students, faculty, and staff, and members of the local Bronx community.
“By the second season, we were already out into the local community to recruit members because we needed many musicians to form the symphony orchestra,” Moshman said.
The group soon decided to perform together and invite the public, and have been performing in Robbins Auditorium, the main lecture hall for AECOM, ever since.
“[The orchestra] began because it was something that I missed, and that I thought would fill up a void in others lives, and also my own,” Moshman stated about his role as a conductor. “I love to teach, and I use some of the same techniques in teaching medicine and music. Teaching both are actually very similar [in terms technique].”
Moshman has been conductor of the orchestra since its founding in 1982, and has even written classical music which the group performs, most recently last November.
In addition to attracting world-renowned musicians to play with them, the Einstein orchestra has a loyal following. On several occasions the auditorium has been filled to standing-room-only capacity.
Recently, recordings of their music have also been included on the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Audio Program, provided by the American College of Physicians to help doctors prepare for their Internal Medicine Board Reviews.
The Einstein orchestra has performed more than 100 concerts in the Robbins Auditorium.
One of the fans of classical music, Theresa Medici, of Morris Park, praised Moshman for his dedication to the group.
“I would believe that after 26 years of his dedication to Bronx Arts,” Medici noted, “[Medici] should not go unrewarded. Music is his passion. I have been attending these concert for many years, but I am not sure that some people in the Bronx are aware of these concerts.”
Medici was a secretary at Montefiore Medical Center, and meet Moshman while he was forming the orchestra.
Moshman is excited to be returning for a 27th season with events scheduled next November, January, March, and May.
Moshman said he is always looking for people with an orchestra background or some experience to join the group.
For more information, visit http://einsteinorch.tripod.com. The orchestra can also be reached via e-mail at einsteinorchinfro@aol.com.
