David Browdy (1978) Tenor Saxophone
Autobiographical Sketch

I was a member of the New Trier High School Recording Jazz Ensemble for the years 1977 and 1978. Being a part of the Jazz Ensemble Program was about much more than just learning to appreciate a great American art form, or about the love of music, or the wonderful feeling of making music with your friends. Those became embedded in me for a lifetime, to be sure. But it was also about preparation, practice, scholarship, and performance. It was about high standards and meeting them (or not). It was about listening, collaborating, and appreciating what others were doing (expected or not). It was about learning a new language and hearing that language expressed in other forms. And it was about how confidence in the knowledge of underlying structure creates the space for creativity. I learned those lessons for a lifetime, too, and they laid the groundwork for a trajectory into decades as a leader in the field of academic medicine, from the trenches to the C-suites in world class organizations.

When I anticipate how changes, in science or health care economics, are going to affect thousands of professionals or patients, each with their own perspectives; when I think about how to communicate themes, that will resonate and let individuals see a path to success of the whole; when I think about how to bring out the best in diverse teams, or when I prepare to address a national conference and field unexpected questions, I am drawing on what I learned, by being a part of the New Trier West Jazz Ensemble, almost fifty years ago. And when it’s time to take a break from my relatively high-powered professional life, I come back to the music I love, and learned to appreciate, during my time in the New Trier West Jazz Ensemble.

David Browdy NTW ‘78
Seattle, WA