Courtesy Photo | Uniformed Services University medical student, Ensign Margaret Black, performs one of...... read more read more
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Every student at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) brings a unique background with passions, talents, and accomplishments that extend far outside their interest in medicine and science. Prior to becoming a member of the USU School of Medicine class of 2023, Navy Ensign Margaret Black had a particularly unique passion: she was a professional, classically trained opera singer.
The path from opera to medicine, Black says, was a long process.
“Opera was always something that my family enjoyed. My grandmother was a singer who became a music teacher, and I grew up with music in the house. I always loved to sing, and I enjoyed musicals, operas, and Disney movies. Also, I played the piano and cello at a young age. But what I really wanted to do was to pursue opera. I knew it would be a challenging career, but I didn’t want to be left wondering ‘what if’ for the rest of my life. It was my passion, so I went for it!”
When Black was in high school, her music teacher introduced her to Madame Thérèse Sevadjian, a voice teacher at McGill University in Montreal. She took lessons at McGill every week while living in upstate New York.
“Young singers have to be careful not to overdo it,” Black explains, “because the voice is different from any other instrument in that it’s part of your body and grows with you. So, you have to be careful not to push it to do things that it’s not ready for.”
Although young, her strong work ethic and careful diligence enabled her success – traits Black would later bring to her medical studies at USU.
When it was time for college, the mezzo-soprano headed for Princeton University to pursue a literature degree instead of going directly into music, noting that she wanted to have a well-rounded liberal arts education. However, she continued studying music at McGill with her teacher, Sevadjian, once a month.
Sevadjian was highly supportive of Black’s decision to attend Princeton for literature, but encouraged her to come to McGill to pursue music full time after graduation. Black graciously accepted the encouragement and attended McGill after Princeton, where she would then transition to singing a soprano repertoire. Black received a master’s degree in vocal performance from McGill, which spurred her move to New York City to sing professionally for the next seven years.
While in New York City, Black also worked in a professional chorus and sang in small local companies as she continued her musical studies. “I learned various roles and worked as a private music teacher,” she remarks. “Most professional singers need jobs that are flexible in order to accommodate auditions and performances, so they tend to work several part-time jobs.”
Black considers music “very much a connection to the transcendent,” admitting her belief that participating in that experience was an important, unmissable opportunity.
“So that’s why I ended up singing for so many years.”
Black tries to describe what singing gives her that nothing else does. “It’s hard to explain,” she declares. “It’s an intense joy. It’s so beautiful. What music does in particular is that it creates a manifestation of emotion, where emotion is almost a color. Then, when you’re singing, this inside experience projects outward. It’s very intense.”
She adds, “Opera was always the thing that made me the happiest. It was something special that I could offer to others that might provide beauty, joy, and even truth.”
Among her influences were female singers Tatiana Troyanos (an American mezzo-soprano), Kiri Te Kanawa (a New Zealand lyric soprano), and Susan Graham (an American mezzo-soprano), as well as male opera singers Placido Domingo and Rolando Villazon.
“When you’re singing wonderful music, it’s the greatest thing. I feel privileged not only to have studied music, but also to have shared it with others. Music doesn’t really exist until you do that. If you’re not performing it, then it’s not alive.”
But when Black met her future husband, Charles, they decided that a career in opera would not be reliable enough to support a family, and she wanted to transition to something that would be more sustainable. That led Black to medicine.
“I always associated being a doctor with being someone who is competent and knows what to do,” she says. “I thought that I wanted to be able to help when something’s wrong.”
Black choice of medicine as a career wasn’t random. She notes that her mother is a pediatrician and her “entire family is in medicine.” Having to put herself first to be a successful singer was not the upbringing she wanted for her future children.
“I wanted to be more like my mother and take care of other people first.”
Black’s siblings, Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Charles D. Meyer and Navy Lt. (Dr.) Johanna S. Meyer, both attended USU as members of the classes of 2016 and 2020 respectively, and valued the experience immensely. “My family has always been very patriotic,” she explains, “and I have such admiration for the people who serve in our armed forces.”
Black adds that she also decided to study medicine because she wanted to help care for service members and their families.
“I hope that, in this way, I’ll be able to contribute and support this country where we are so privileged to live and for which so many people have given their lives.”
For Black, there couldn’t be a better reason to become a doctor, and opera, she shares, has helped her during medical school. When it comes to memorization, the same training that enabled her to memorize different languages, music, and roles is a massive boon to her medical studies. As for connecting with people, she has always done that as a singer and musician. “Now, I have the privilege of connecting in other ways – with patients, as a medical student.”
Black says she cherishes listening to music with her family and being a member of her church choir. Happily, she also takes time to sing to her kids, and they sing as a family when they’re in the car. And though Black is deeply involved with her studies at the School of Medicine, joining USU’s student a cappella group, the Dermatones, has enabled her to continue to engage with her love of singing. She became the music director of the group before going on clerkship rotations.
“I want to make sure that I’m raising my kids with the same love of music that I grew up with because you’ve got to start early or they don’t understand it,” Black concludes. “I try to make sure to have music in our lives on many levels. It’s easy to lose yourself during the stress of medical school, but it’s very important to hold on to the things that help define you and give you meaning and purpose. I’ve learned that lesson through my pursuit of music and medicine.”
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2022 08:06 |
| Story ID: | 430340 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Former Opera Singer Hits High Notes at the USU School of Medicine, by Vivian Mason, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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