Daniel Levitin, author, musician and head of the McGill University Laboratory for Music Perception, Cognition and Expertise in Montréal, will deliver the keynote address at the Audio Engineering Society’s 123rd AES Convention on 5 October in New York City.
According to a statement from the AES, Levitin’s book This is Your Brain on Music serves as a starting point for his address, which will explore recent findings about how music affects our brain, our neurochemistry and our moods. Levitin also is expected to discuss the phenomenon that enables humans to identify the title and artist of a certain song by a single chord.
“Prof. Levitin’s off-beat perceptions may spark spirited debate about neural processing and the science behind music’s … emotional power,” said AES Convention Committee Chair Jim Anderson.
An AES member since 1985, Levitin has presented research papers and participated at several of AES’ panels and events. The soft-cover edition of his book will be released in late September.
