Adding to SF Classical Voice’s mini-obsession with music and the brain this month — see our recent interview with neuroscientist Daniel Levitin — here’s news of an upcoming concert at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, during which the performer’s brain scan will be shown on a screen.
Yes, U.S.-based pianist Nicolas Namoradze, 32 — born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and educated in Budapest, Vienna, and Florence — will play a Neurorecital on July 23, presenting pieces by J.S. Bach, Claude Debussy, Alexander Scriabin, and Maurice Ravel while his brain data is displayed for the audience.
The project is possible thanks to technology developed by Neuroscape at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Brain Dynamics Lab at the University of Calgary.
Following the performance, Arseny Sokolov, neurologist and head of the neurorehabilitation department at the Lausanne University Hospital (whose NeuroTech program is affiliated with UCSF’s Neuroscape), will join journalist Charlotte Gardner in a Q&A session.
According to an official press release, the recital and the fusion of art and science behind it aim to open up “new frontiers in how we understand musical performance, cognition, and emotional response.”
It’s well established that music-making involves a dynamic interplay among various regions of the brain. Key areas include the motor cortex and cerebellum (related to movement), the auditory cortex (processing sound), and regions related to emotions, memory, and reward, such as the limbic system and amygdala.
“This project invites listeners to engage with music in a fundamentally new way,” said Namoradze. “We have been able to collect this brain data [because of] a breakthrough in this kind of research. It’s opened the door to consistent, analyzable brain data from live music-making for the very first time.
“We hope to uncover new insights into interpretation, cognition, and emotional response and offer a reimagined, thought-provoking, and immersive concert experience.”
At Verbier, Namoradze will also be mentoring young pianists in master classes and leading mental skills workshops to explore mindfulness, stress relief, and performance preparation through practical exercises, meditation, and focus techniques.
Neurorecital is adapted from his broader Neuropiano initiative, which has drawn praise for its multidimensional blend of music, science, and education. It has been developed with support from Steinway & Sons and the Honens International Piano Competition.
