Playing the Brain: Music and the Mind

City of London Sinfonia and neuroimaging scientists explore how listening to music affects the brain, with real-time scans and audience interaction.

The orchestra begins a year-long focus on music and its effect on the mind to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

At this concert they are joined by scientists from King’s College London.

Why does sad music often make us happy? How do groups of musicians communicate while playing?

In music from the 19th century to the present day, the orchestra shows you the mind’s musical map.

First, they share a film of real-time brain scans alongside music, showing how different listeners react to music

Then they explore our own emotional reaction to musical phenomena in interactive form.

One example: the adrenaline jolt of the unexpected in live performance.

The performance finishes with a real-time demonstration of how groups of musicians appear to be able to communicate ‘telepathically’ when playing.

The orchestra shows how group dynamics work in performance.