The Ebell of Los Angeles to Host Acclaimed Soprano Renée Fleming in Conversation on the Power of the Arts for Promoting Health and Wellness on Tuesday, June 11
Renée Fleming, joined by Dr. Assal Habibi, will explore Fleming’s new anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness
LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2024 – The Ebell of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring women and building community through arts, culture and education, will host an enlightening conversation between American Soprano, Renée Fleming and Dr. Assal Habibi, Associate Research Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute at University of Southern California, on Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. The pair will discuss Renée’s anthology, Music and the Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, a collection of essays from leading scientists, artists, creative arts therapists, educators, and physicians, including contributions from Dr. Habibi, about the powerful impacts of music and the arts on health and the human experience. The evening will feature musical selections performed by The Ebell’s own all-female Chorale. The event is free (Fleming will be autographing books, which will be available for purchase on site for $36) to attend and is part of a series of programming for the 2024 Los Angeles County Arts and Health Week which will culminate with the 3rd annual Arts and Health Week Summit, hosted by LA Opera on Friday, June 14.
About Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. Honored with five Grammy® awards and the US National Medal of Arts, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. A Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health for the World Health Organization, in December she was awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor.
Renée’s new anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, was published in April by Viking/Penguin. A prominent advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience, as Artistic Advisor to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Renée launched the first ongoing collaboration between America’s national cultural center and the National Institutes of Health. She created her own program called Music and the Mind, which she has presented in more than fifty cities around the world.
Renée’s latest recital and concert program, Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene, inspired by her 2023 Grammy Award-winning album, includes an original film created by the National Geographic Society. In May at the Metropolitan Opera, she reprised her starring role in The Hours, an opera based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and award-winning film. In 2023, she portrayed Pat Nixon in a new production of Nixon in China at the Opéra de Paris.
Advisor for Special Projects at the Los Angeles Opera, Renée is also Co-Artistic Director of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Other awards include the 2023 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, and the Order of Merit from Germany. She holds honorary doctorates from 10 leading universities. www.reneefleming.com
About Dr. Assal Habibi
Assal Habibi is an Associate Research Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Center for Music, Brain, and Society at the University of Southern California. Her interdisciplinary research explores the impact of the arts, with a particular focus on music, on health and human development. She investigates how innate biological factors and experiential learning shape the development of cognitive, emotional, and social abilities across the lifespan. She has been a principal investigator on several innovative studies, including projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). An expert in electrophysiological and neuroimaging methods, her work extensively employs longitudinal and cross-sectional models to examine the effects of integrating music-based activities into school curricula and elder care, especially for those from underserved communities. Her research not only highlights the essential role of the arts in education but also explores the therapeutic potential of music for individuals across different age groups, including the elderly.
About the LA County Arts and Health Week Summit
Hosted by LA Opera in collaboration with LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District; Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; and Healing Arts—an initiative of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab—and the World Health Organization, this unique summit offers conversations and participatory experiences, and promotes creative ways to approach wellness. Thought leaders including arts practitioners, medical experts and administrators, policymakers and researchers will gather at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for discussions and presentations exploring how the arts can increasingly, and equitably, support health and wellbeing. The event features Special Projects Advisor for LA Opera, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health and acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming, among other notable advocates for the arts in healthcare. More information at https://laopera.org/
LISTING INFORMATION:
Author Talk: Renée Fleming and Dr. Assal Habibi on Music and Mind
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 7:00 pm
The Ebell of Los Angeles, Historic Dining Room 741 Lucerne Blvd., Los Angeles
Tickets: FREE; Books available for autographs for $36
Acclaimed American Soprano and advocate Renée Fleming and Assistant Research Professor of Psychology, Dr. Assal Habibi, join together for a conversation on harnessing the power of the arts for health and wellness. They will discuss Fleming’s newest anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness.
RSVP and more information: https://ebellofla.org/event/
