The dangers of performing classical music

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is on its way to Europe for a multi-city tour.
Photo by Ann Marsden, courtesy of SPCO

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is set to embark on a week-long, six-city European tour. Behind the scenes a lot goes into getting an orchestra, and its instruments, on the planes and busses and into the hotels and concert halls. And just as instruments need tuning along the way, the artists who play them need to stay in peak condition.

That's where Dr. Jon Hallberg comes in. In addition to being regular medical analyst on All Things Considered, he is also the tour physician for the SPCO's upcoming trip.

Cold and flu are the most likely problems, but repetitive stress injuries are a big problem for concert musicians.

Jon will accompany the performers as they make their way through concerts in Vienna, Budapest and Berlin. Before he embarked, he talked to host Tom Crann about medicine in the performing arts.

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