Story by Kyler Hood September 04, 2025 at 03:20PM When she’s not saving lives, paramedic firefighter Arlene Koh enriches lives with her musical talent. The professional violinist regularly performs at Navy and Marine Corps events as well as with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and Diamond Head Theatre Orchestra. She played most recently at the Navy Region Hawaii change of command, performing a captivating rendition of Hawaii Pono’i, Hawai’i’s national anthem, which is rarely performed on the violin. While her two passions might appear to be drastically different, Koh said playing the violin in front of a live audience is like firefighting – both require quick-thinking and adaptability. “It's not a rehearsal when I'm with the patient. It's just a performance. You have an audience, whether you want one or not,” she explained.
