Time: 7:00pmVenue: The Neuron Pod, Centre of the Cell, Blizard Building, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT
Professor John Irving (clavichord) and Kay Seymour (Consultant ENT Surgeon at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospitals)
It is often presumed that you need good hearing to appreciate music. But the realities can be very different. Tonight we explore how we literally ‘hear’ music. What faculties might compensate if our hearing is impaired? Does hearing loss change the way we ‘feel’ music? Can we gain a full appreciation of all that music can offer if we are profoundly deaf? These are some of the questions that Professor John Irving and 3 ENT consultants, Kay Seymour, Max Whittaker and Mike Wareing consider. They will also be joined by former QMUL student, Atalanta Hersey, who is a fine musician who is severely deaf. Following this, we have the chance to hear music by J.S. Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven performed on the quietest of all keyboard instruments, the ancient and haunting clavichord. How will we appreciate the music? How will our ears adapt as our eyes might in darkness?