Experimental 'Music & the Mind' festival unites scientific research and artistry

Exploring how the brain perceives, produces and appreciates music and the mysteries surrounding it, the festival was the first of its kind. Based on research conducted in collaboration with UCL academics, the event promoted current scientific understanding through concerts, lectures, workshops, exhibitions and debates.

Workshops held prior to the festival culminated in open sessions during the event, exploring how children with disabilities - especially blindness, deafness and autism - sense, create and appreciate music. There were also dance lessons, guitar recitals and a performance by the London Chorus.

The festival was the largest ever collaborative event promoted by an orchestra and a university in Britain. Dr Julian Knight, General Manager of the NLO, said: "Working so closely with UCL academics and researchers has uncovered the amazing wealth of possibility, with implications for how we understand, analyse and create music, and how music is integrated into so many areas of our lives. We looked outside music to create an event with great relevance for people interested in diverse areas such as psychology, neurology, visual art, learning, genetics and mental health - in fact, almost every area connected to life itself."

For more information about the NLO use the link below.

Link: New London Orchestra