Christine Yang: VAMSO, Calico Cats, and Gorgeous Gershwin

On May 15th at the Orpheum in Vancouver, the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra (VAMSO) will be presenting its Gorgeous Gershwin concert. I had the opportunity to sit down with VAM double bassist and UBC alumna, Christine Yang, to discuss her time at UBC, her musical roots, and how cats inspired her genetics studies. Read on to learn more about Christine and where you can purchase tickets to the concert.

Tell us a bit about who you are and what you’re doing now:

I was a student at UBC and I did my undergraduate degree in Science. I then decided to do a master’s in science [and] studied genetics. The first year [of a master’s] is both work and classes; the second year [is] just research work. I wanted to pick up music again, [and I had time to do it in my second year].

Did something reignite the desire to play music after such a long break since high school?

YouTube! I liked clarinet and drums, but I guess I like to try different things – there are so many things to try.

Did you think you would play music in a serious way after high school?

No. I was just having fun. It was just a matter of finding a private teacher and taking a lesson per week. I joined the Richmond Orchestra and Chorus. That’s just in the evening, doesn’t interfere with school and work.

I graduated in 2012 and stayed in the lab as a [technician]. The year before last, I was volunteering at Vancouver Academy of Music with the intermediate level … playing with the intermediate level for a year… I decided that I should try to apply for the program. In high school, we didn’t do any of the theory side [of music]. I wanted ot learn more about the academics behind it and see what it’s like. Sometimes in the orchestra, someone will reference something and [I’m thinking], “I don’t know what you mean…” I feel like it is probably a better package to just join the program. I contacted the director (who was conducting the intermediate orchestra) and he was very encouraging. So I joined in September of last year. I am [now] taking classes there and working at UBC at the same time.

Do you think will end up in science in the longer term?

Maybe. I don’t mind trying something that is completely different. It’s also hard to switch, with any very specialized profession. I enjoy doing science, I also enjoy doing music. My main career will probably be science, with music on the side.

You are now a first-year college student after being an undergraduate and graduate student in science – are you thinking of being a “forever student”?

Maybe. I like learning. I think it is something that’s missing when you start working. In a way in science, you’re doing research and learning new things, but it is in a different context.

What are your short-term plans? 

Hard to say… The thing is, working as a lab technician, it is always on contract, and depends on lab funding, so I never know. If things change here, then I might need to look for a new job. The new job likely won’t be able to accommodate school; here, it is flexible.

I think most people don’t know, unless you always wanted to be someone, and you persevere and push through. The thing is, a lot of people change their mind and study more and grow up. 

I like music, so I plan on being involved in music in some way, even in the far future. Whether that will be my main profession, I don’t know. I would like to, but it’s also what opportunities will come up. I think realistically, [my career] will be something related to science and then on the side I can do something with music. I don’t have to stay in science. [I think whatever I do is okay], as long as I enjoy it.

Do you prefer to keep science and music separate, or do you see a way of combining your interests?

There is definitely research on music in the field [of science], but it is different [from what I look at – a different kind of research. I don’t see how genetics could [be combined with music].

What is your favourite aspect of genetics, and what sparked your interest in this area of study?

All of our organs have the same DNA, but why are they so different? How do you get the same DNA but have different, what we call, phenotypes? [The way] genes are turned on and off. Epigenetics – the interplay between environment and genetics. [The lab at UBC that I work in] studies X chromosome activation. In females with two X chromosomes, one of [the X chromosomes] gets turned off. So, there are a lot of questions associated with that. How does the cell know how many X’s to turn off? If you turn off both, it’s detrimental. If you don’t, probably detrimental as well. If there are more than three X’s, the cell knows to turn off two.

A major player in turning off X chromosome is an RNA called XIST. It stands for X Inactive Specific Transcript. Some genes are resistant to this process … What really got me into X chromosome activation [was an undergrad course where] they showed a picture of the calico cat with its patchy colours. That is actually [an example of] X chromosome activation. The coat colour gene is on the X, so if the female cat has an X chromosome that says orange and an X chromosome that says black, so she would have both colours. In the orange patches, black X was turned off. In black patches, the orange X was turned off. So you can actually see the mosaicism in calico cats. We have patches, too, but we don’t have coat colour, so we can’t see it. So really, calico got me into this.

Final thoughts:

This year-end concert is a unique program taking audiences to the roaring 20’s New York with their Concert, “Gorgeous Gershwin”, on May 15th at 2pm at the Orpheum. Check out this video for an idea of what to expect:

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Tickets can be purchased by students for only $5! You won’t want to miss this great opportunity in Vancouver.