Ars Lyrica Promotes Wellness through Music with Partnerships and Programming

Ars Lyrica Houston, the Grammy-nominated early music ensemble, presents a week of digital programming to help encourage mental wellness as students return to school. Two educational episodes and a Concert & Conversations broadcast open the organization's digital subscription series with special guest Todd Frazier, Director of the Houston Methodist Hospital's Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM).

Music and Medicine have been linked for centuries: the Greeks ascribed both fields to the god Apollo, the 12th century yielded a treatise on treating the whole body by including songs sung by troubadours, and the Baroque was governed by the Doctrine of Affections which linked music to the humors of the body. It is only recently though that science has been able to explore quantifiable links between the two in the human brain. Music as medicine plays a significant role in the work of CPAM where Frazier directs the artistic program that integrates the arts into the hospital environment, creates therapy that utilizes the arts in clinical patient care, and research that seeks to harness the broadest potential of the arts in therapy, rehabilitation and human performance. "Because of the relationship of the arts community that CPAM has garnered, we have realized that there are all sorts of ways that artists can contribute to the patient experience and staff engagement at Methodist Hospital in the field of arts and health. I am really proud of that as an artist myself. The arts have value well beyond just the traditional concert hall," says Frazier.

Ars Lyrica has been privileged to be part of the programming of CPAM and to work with Frazier. Artistic director Matthew Dirst discusses their work together as well as the growth and impact of CPAM in Concert & Conversations on September 1 at 6 p.m. Accompanying this episode are two Musical Moments that help parents and students use music to enhance learning. "Music + Learning = Memory" and "Boost your Brain with Music" air at noon on the Thursday and Monday preceding. Kathleen Staten, teaching artist and staff member, will help parents use music in their lessons to make learning multi-dimensional, more productive, and fun as well as create curated playlists that boost brain activity. Ars Lyrica offers all of their educational programming free of charge. More information on these episodes and access to them is available on their website at www.arslyricahouston.org/virtual

More information:

Musical Moments | Boost your Brain with Music This free program airs online on Monday, September 1, at noon.Access this program with your RSVP at www.arslyricahouston.org/ to receive your code.

Musical Moments | Music + Learning = Memory This free program airs online on Thursday, September 3, at noon. Access this program with your RSVP at www.arslyricahouston.org/ to receive your code.

Concert & Conversations | Music's Healing Powers This program is free with subscription or $10 for the event. Register or subscribe at www.arslyricahouston.org/digitalsubscriptions and join the discussion on Tuesday, September 1, at 6 p.m.

Founded in 1998 by harpsichordist and conductor Matthew Dirst, Ars Lyrica Houston presents a diverse array of music in its original context while creating connections to contemporary life. Intelligent programming features neglected gems alongside familiar masterworks, and extracts the dramatic potential, emotional resonance, and expressive power of music. Its local subscription series, according to the Houston Chronicle, "sets the agenda" for early music in Houston. Ars Lyrica appears regularly at international festivals and concert series because of its distinctive focus, and its pioneering efforts in the field of authentic performance have won international acclaim.

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