The Music of Pharmacy: Accomplished woman pharmacist helps build a renowned music program in the US

The Music of Pharmacy: Accomplished woman pharmacist helps build a renowned music program in the US

From What the Job by University of Alberta Alumni Association

May 5, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

Bonnie Kirschenbaum shares her journey from pharmacist to music program organizer, highlighting the connections between music and pharmacy.

Bonnie Kirschenbaum,'71 BSc(Pharm) grew up in small-town Alberta and decided to become a pharmacist when very few women were entering the field. Her career took her from national organizations in Ottawa to international companies in the US. When she retired, she became heavily involved as an organizer and donor to the National Repertory Orchestra as a co-creator of the Community Link, the program that mentors many classical musicians internationally. Most fascinating are the parallels she draws between music and pharmacy. Hear about Bonnie's journey in this episode. WTJ is sponsored by TD Insurance. Got a question? Email us at: wtj@ualberta.ca What the Job? is a University of Alberta Alumni Association podcast Hosted by: Matt Rea Produced by: Jennifer Jenkins and Matt Rea Music: Cottages by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

People in this episode

Host: Matt Rea

Guest: Bonnie Kirschenbaum

Topics covered

  • pharmacy
  • music
  • mentorship
  • women in STEM
  • career journey

Keywords

  • pharmacy
  • music
  • Bonnie Kirschenbaum
  • National Repertory Orchestra
  • women in pharmacy
  • mentorship
  • career

Sponsors

TD Insurance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Repertory Orchestra, University of Alberta Alumni Association

Places: Alberta, Ottawa, US

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