The Gresham Festival of Musical Ideas
An event featuring discussions, presentations, and performances that explore and celebrate the intersection of music with other disciplines.
Date and time
Location
Gresham College
Barnard's Inn Hall Holborn London EC1N 2HH United KingdomAgenda
12:45 PM - 1:00 PM
Welcome “Prelude: Traces Through Time” by Prof. Milton Mermikides
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
“The Evolution of Music” with Gresham Professor of Physic Robin May
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
“The Virtues of Music” with Gresham Professor of Rhetoric Melissa Lane
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Drinks Reception - Live music in the courtyard and a Hidden Music exhibition
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM
“The Maths of Music (and the Music of Maths)” with Provost Prof. Sarah Hart
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM
“Waves Across the Piece” with Gresham Professor of IT Victoria Baines
6:00 PM - 6:45 PM
“Remixing the Music of the Spheres” with Gresham Professor Chris Lintott
6:45 PM - 7:00 PM
Closing remark “Coda: Circles in Time” and Thank You.
About this event
The Gresham Festival of Musical Ideas is a one-day event featuring discussions, presentations, and performances that explore and celebrate the intersection of music with other disciplines. In collaboration with Gresham Professors Robin May (Physics), Melissa Lane (Rhetoric), Sarah Hart (former Professor of Geometry), Victoria Baines (IT), and Chris Lintott (Astronomy), the festival examines music’s role as a metaphor, language, and tool for understanding the wider world. Charting an evolution of musical ideas, the day begins with the biology and co-evolution of human language and music, moves through Ancient Greek philosophies on music’s place in society, education, and virtue; and explores the mathematical principles that underpin both the explanation and creation of music. We trace the convergent technologies of the 19th-century Jacquard loom and the player piano, before concluding with an exploration of the links between music and space—from Pythagoras to contemporary astro-sonification projects—tuning our ears to the symphony of the cosmos itself.
This is a drop-in event, and attendees are welcome to join any of the events at their convenience.