Original works written with and for people with Parkinson’s disease are to be premiered in a special concert at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester.
The Music for Parkinson’s concert, to be held on 30 January, will feature seven short pieces that have been written by seven composers from the RNCM in close collaboration with ten people with Parkinson’s (PwP) from across the UK. The composers are Professors Adam Gorb and Emily Howard, PhD students Cee Haines, Megan Steinberg and Simon Knighton, and undergraduate composition students Amit Manna and Ella Laughton. The programme will be performed on piano by PGDip student Yuanfan Yang and will include a panel discussion with some of the writers and their collaborators.
Extensive research has already proved the benefits of music for people living with conditions such as dementia, but so far little research has been undertaken specifically in relation to those suffering from Parkinson’s. This is therefore the first scientific project of its kind to explore the role of music in the lives of PwPs, and to create a catalogue of bespoke new music that can support people living with the neurological condition to help them to manage their symptoms, mood, and daily routine. It follows five years of study conducted by a team of international researchers led by Dr Michelle Phillips (Senior Lecturer in Music Psychology at the RNCM); the team is now seeking funding to support the second stage of its research to create a catalogue of original, fully available music to support PwP, plus guidelines for composers that could inform clinical use of music for the management of Parkinson’s.
More than 150,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK and around 10m people worldwide – a number that is expected to double by 2050, according to Parkinson’s Europe.
Music for Parkinson’s is at 6pm on Thursday 30 January; admission is free.
