Aram Mangasarian

Class of 1987

CEO of NOXXON Pharma, Berlin Germany

MBA INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France
PhD in Biology, University of California, San Diego

B.S. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and English Literature, University of Wisconsin, Madison

I played in the orchestra and am incredibly admirative of the palpable energy that Tom Buchhauser exuded every time he stepped onto the conductor's podium in front of us with a spring in his step, a gleam in his eye and usually a faint smile hovering on his lips – the only thing that made him a touch grouchy was if we were not ready to play! We had great fun playing a fabulous range of music and I got to know many people with whom I am still in touch today. Although music has been a hobby since then playing chamber music has been a wonderful way to meet interesting people as I've moved to new cities and countries (four and counting now) and always seems to allow a special connection.

Playing music is groups whether an orchestra, a band or being part of a musical is a great learning experience as well as a real joy. As an alumnus of the orchestra, I can only support providing the facilities to continue the amazing tradition that has been going on for decades at JMM.

I have now seen the school music programs in many other cities through the experience of my own children and this only further underlines the amazing level of what has been going on in Madison. Let's help raise the bar if we can! This is a fantastic opportunity to do something real and long-term in our frenetic world. Helping high school students and teachers in this way will benefit more people in a tangible way than much of what we do day to day. By contributing, we’ll be standing right behind the next generation of music teachers and supporting them for a generation to come.