Director of McGill University's Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition and Expertise and best-selling author of "This is Your Brain on Music," Daniel Levitin blends cutting-edge scientific findings with his own experiences as a former record producer and still-active musician.
The Music and the Brain Lecture Series is a cycle of lectures and special presentations that highlight an explosion of new research in the rapidly expanding field of "neuromusic." Programming is sponsored by the Library's Music Division and its Science, Technology and Business Division, in cooperation with the Dana Foundation.
Daniel Levitin is a cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, record producer, musician, and writer. He is currently James McGill Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal. He has published scientific articles on absolute pitch, music cognition and neuroscience and is more widely known as the author of two best-selling books, "This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science of a Human Obsession" and "The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature." He worked as a producer and sound designer on albums by Blue Oyster Cult, Chris Isaak, and Joe Satriani; as a consultant to Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder; and as a recording engineer for Santana and The Grateful Dead.