WMU News - Bestselling author to speak about our fascination with music

Bestselling author to speak about our fascination with music

Oct. 8, 2008

KALAMAZOO--In celebration of the 50th anniversary of its music therapy program, Western Michigan University will host a public lecture by New York Times Bestselling author and world-renowned producer Dr. Daniel Levitin.

Levitin will speak about concepts from his 2006 book "This is Your Brain on Music" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Admission is $25, $20 for senior citizens and $10 for students. Tickets are available from the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300 or (800) 228-9858, and may also be purchased at the door.

Equally hailed by musicians and scholars, "This is Your Brain on Music" dissects society's fascination with music, delving into the neuroscience of hearing, making and knowing music. It permeated recent pop culture, drawing attention from rock 'n' roll musicians, including Sting, who said this about the book:

"Music seems to have an almost willful, evasive quality, defying simple explanation, so that the more we find out, the more there is to know, leaving its power and mystery intact, however much we dig and delve. Daniel's book is an eloquent and poetic exploration of this paradox. There may be no simple answer or end in sight, but the ride is nonetheless a thrilling one, especially in the company of a writer who is both an accomplished musician, a hard nosed scientist, and someone who can still look upon the universe with a sense of wonder."

Levitin is a world-renowned author, scholar and record producer, as well as James McGill Professor and Bell Chair in the Psychology of Electronic Communication at the Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition, and Expertise in the Department of Psychology at McGill University.

Levitin's visit is sponsored by the School of Music's Bullock Performance Institute and underwritten by the College of Fine Arts Artist in Residence Fund. For more information, visit the Bullock Performance Institute online or call (269) 387-4704.

Media contact: Kevin West, (269) 387-4678, kevin.west@wmich.edu

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