Anthony F. Jahn, M.D.
Music and Medicine – A Doctor’s Passions

Born in into a musical family, Hudson Crossing’s Dr. Anthony Jahn studied piano as a youngster at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. “I became fascinated with the connection between music, hearing, and the singing voice,” says Dr. Jahn, “which led to my medical specialty… and my 26 year involvement with the Metropolitan Opera.”

Dr. Jahn is board certified in Otolaryngology in both Canada and in the United States with a subspecialty interest in ear diseases, disorders of hearing and balance, and disorders of the voice. As medical director of the MET, Dr. Jahn has worked with many of the “most valuable throats in the world.”

Metropolitan Opera bass baritone James Morris (as Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca) with Dr. Anthony Jahn “Anyone who thinks professional singers have it easy doesn’t understand the rigors of the job,” says Dr. Jahn. “Opera stars are constantly on the go. It’s not unusual for a singer to perform three nights in Milan, climb on a plane – with its closed air circulation system and very low humidity -- fly thousands of miles to Japan, perform two nights, and then travel on to New York to sing the night after they arrive. The best singers invariably treat their bodies and voices well as well as they can… but sooner or later, everybody needs some medical attention.

Nearly 60 percent of Dr. Jahn’s patients are singers, including virtually every artist from the MET, the New York City Opera, and many Broadway theaters. He is a consultant otolaryngologist for The Juilliard School, the Miller Institute for Performing Arts Medicine and The Royal Shakespeare Company when they are on their North American Tour.

In addition to his Manhattan practice, Dr. Jahn also has offices in Englewood and Roseland, New Jersey. When he isn’t seeing patients, he spends time writing: he has authored over 85 scientific publications, including two textbooks on ear disease and several chapters on disorder of the ear and the voice. He holds several teaching appointments as well; he is Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology at Columbia University and Adjunct Professor of Voice Pedagogy at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. A trained classical pianist, he enjoys chamber music, often collaborating with his wife, Jennifer, who is a professional cellist. Each year Dr. Jahn travels to Southeast Asia where he lectures and performs surgery in rural Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma.

“I love music, I love singers, and I love medicine. My work and my passions are one and the same,” says Dr. Jahn. “I’ve been fortunate in my career.”