Sonoma’s Soiree Series continues with classical music concert on April 26 – Sonoma Index-Tribune

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art’s next concert in the Soiree Series features a performance by Aaron Colverson and Alex Kelly on April 26
The next concert in the Soiree Series to be held at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art will be on April 26 when two young-ish musicians, violinist Aaron Colverson and cellist Alex Kelly, perform a show they call “ This is Your Brain on Strings.” In addition to some familiar classical music, the show will dive into the connection between music and brain function.
You see, one these two outstanding musicians, Aaron Colverson, is a highly regarded researcher studying the relationship between brain health and functioning and how that relates to music. Never fear, the concert will still be a concert, but with the added bonus of Colverson sharing some remarkable findings he has made.
The program will start with a good selection of the lovely works of Bach. Many people might think that a violin and cello would be part of a quartet, but there are many works written as duets for those closely related two string instruments.
Music Faculty Recital – Alex Kelly, cello and electronics
Perhaps the best way to shed light on what the listener might encounter at this show, besides the familiar music, is this quote from Colverson. I asked him to describe the different ways the human brain might process different genres of music, specifically a lullaby versus the music of the hard rock, heavy metal band Scorpion. Colverson said, “different qualities of musical sound do generally correlate with different effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems. A sweet lullaby may generally correlate with lower galvanic skin response, heart and breathing rates (physiological changes that relate to the lizard brain idea), where a blast of Scorpion may have the opposite effect.”
As you can tell, Colverson is no slouch. He began his career as a jazz violinist, but while pursuing his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at the University of Florida, a family crisis gave him a new perspective on life. In 2014, his father was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called frontotemporal dementia that affects language and social behavior. This difficult diagnosis influenced his decision to conduct research that investigates relationships between music and brain health.
Colverson has become firm believer that music, either playing it, learning it, or listening to it can be very beneficial to brain health.
His dissertation called „A Neuro-Ethnomusicology of Aging: Exploring Rhythm Perception and Brain Health Between Disciplines,” peers into the relationships between learning and performance, rhythm perception, and cognition in healthy aging adults.
The thought is that the duo will play for a time, then break into a slightly different approach, using electronics, loopers, and other devices not so classical.
All the while, Colverson will explain what is happening in the noggins of the listeners.
Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door; VIP tickets are $80.
The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is located at 551 Broadway. Tickets to this fascinating 4 p.m. show on April 26 can be obtained by visiting musicinplace.org.

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