BACK OF THE BOOK
PASHions
PASHions will highlight what ASH Clinical News
readers do creatively outside of practice. If you have
a creative skill in the arts you’d like to share with
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hematology.org.
In this issue, Cynthia Dunbar, MD, discusses music
and her experiences with the Choral Arts Society
of Washington. Dr. Dunbar is head of the Molecular
Hematopoiesis Section in the Hematology Branch
at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and
was previously editor-in-chief of Blood.
Dr. Dunbar (fifth row, fifth person from
the left) performs with the Choral Arts
Society of Washington, DC, at the
Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
A Voice in the Crowd:
Cynthia Dunbar, MD
Have you always been interested in
music and singing?
I grew up performing music –
playing flute, playing piano, singing
– and when I started college, I
probably focused more on singing
than going to class. While I was at
Harvard, I sang every morning in
the Harvard Chapel as part of a paid
choir, and I was a founding member
of the Radcliffe Pitches, the first
female a capella group at Harvard.
I sang in many musical theater
productions there, as well.
When I started medical school,
I scaled down a bit, obviously.
During my internship and
residency in Boston, I kept doing
small paid gigs. One of the perks
of being a resident in Boston
was getting to attend Boston
Symphony concerts for free as part
of their “doctor-in-the-house”
program. So, I got called when
women in the audience went into
labor or performers were having
chest pains, and I got to see many
great performances!
I grew up in the late 1960s and
70s, so my first love was singing folk
and rock music with my guitar in
ASHClinicalNews.org
coffee houses and bars. I wanted to
be Joni Mitchell or Joan Baez.
What drew you to choral singing,
and how did you become part of
the Choral Arts Society?
The sense of community
associated with choral singing
is one of its great benefits; I’m
an extrovert and a very social
person, and I am happier when
I am involved in a more social
hobby, like singing in a choir with
150 other people, as opposed
to going home and playing the
piano by myself.
I joined the Choral Arts
Society in 1987 when I moved to
Washington, DC, to start working
at the National Institutes of
Health. As much as I love my work
and my colleagues, it’s healthy to
have a social outlet with people
who are not doing the same things
that you do. That was a definite
switch when I moved from Boston,
where so many people – including
the ones I sang with – were
involved in medicine and science.
Also, performing music at this
level is intellectually and physically
challenging, but the “upside” to it
is that, when you’re performing,
there is not much room for any
other worries besides the music
you are singing.
And, for me, it’s also been a way
to actually get to see my husband!
He sings in Choral Arts with you?
Yes, we’ve sung together quite
a bit. Actually, I met him within
a month or two of living in
Washington, DC, and joining the
Choral Arts Society. When we had
our children, and when I became
more involved with Blood and
ASH, I took a sabbatical from
regular singing for almost 15
years, because the performance
and rehearsal schedule was just
too time-intensive. I wasn’t
completely detached from Choral
Arts at that time – I came back
for one-time performances or
rehearsals, like singing with the
National Symphony Orchestra’s
“A Capitol Fourth” concert and at
the Kennedy Center Honors.
So, during that break, I was
able to participate as an audience
member. Eventually, my children
became pretty involved in music,
so I went to a lot of performances.
Of the spaces where you have
performed, do you have any
favorite venues?
The group has toured around
the world and I’ve had the
opportunity to sing in some great
places. The Spoleto Festival in
Italy was fantastic. We sang
outside in a medieval square with
the audience arrayed in a giant
outdoor amphitheater.
Had you ever thought of pursuing
music instead of medicine?
As a full-time performing musician? No, I was too practical
to consider that route. I am a
perfectly competent musician,
so I could have probably gone to
music school and become a music
teacher or somehow made a life in
music. For me, music has always
been a pressure-free hobby, which
has made it more enjoyable. I
mean, in medi