On Fri. Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m. the Gaillard Center features a special talk from visiting Soprano, Renee Fleming, called Sound Health: Music and the Mind. Fleming will be joined by executive director of the Clinical Biotechnology Research Institute at St. Francis Hospital, Dr. Jacobo Mintzer; principal cellist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Norbert Lewandowski; and CEO and president of Network Neurology, Dr. Robert Turner. Impressed yet? Us too.

The Renee Fleming Foundation focuses on discoveries found at the intersection of music, neuroscience, and health. “Throughout my journey as an artist, I have been struck by music’s power to heal and transform lives,” says Fleming, who touts the health benefits of music, including therapeutic applications for Alzheimer’s, autism, PTSD, and chronic pain. Says Fleming, “And close to my heart, singing can retrain the brain to use different neural circuitry, helping those who have suffered a stroke
to regain the ability to speak.”

Fleming, who got her start at Spoleto, won a Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal in 2013 and she currently serves as the artistic advisor-at-large for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in addition to serving as a member on the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie Hall Corporation, the Board of Trustees of Asia Society, and the Artistic Advisory Board of the Polyphony Foundation, which works to bridge the divide between Arab and Jewish communities in Israel, by creating a common ground around classical music.

Fleming’s talk comes on the eve of her Gaillard Center performance, held on Sat. Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m., where she’ll perform classic opera arias as well as Broadway standards. If you attend Friday’s talk, you can bring your ticket stub to Saturday night’s performance and receive $10 off your purchase.

Help keep the City Paper free.

No paywalls.
No newspaper subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations from downtown to North Charleston to Johns Island to Summerville to Mount Pleasant.

Help support independent journalism by donating today.