Music on the Brain // Classic Flekkefjord
Monday 14 September 2026
At: 19:00
Location:
Elvegaten 1, Flekkefjord
What are the connections between music and the brain? Does music make you smarter? What are the links between music and emotions, language, and learning? These and many other topics will be discussed by pianists Julie Yuqing Ye and Håvard Ringsevjen in a concert-lecture about music and the brain. Håvard is also a doctor and a brain researcher at the University of Oslo, and will share fascinating facts and research, enhanced by piano performances for both two and four hands, on one or two pianos.
An example is when the theme of synaesthesia, a link between senses that some people have, is followed by a piece by Skryabin, a composer known for seeing colours when he heard music. The claim that Mozart's music makes children smarter is also explored, of course accompanied by his piano music. There will also be music by Schubert, Beethoven and Debussy, among others.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions after the lecture.
Regarding the athletes
Håvard Ringsevjen holds a master's degree in classical performance piano from the Norwegian Academy of Music, awarded in 2021, having studied under Jens Harald Bratlie, Einar Henning Smebye, and Håvard Gimse. Håvard is also a qualified medical doctor and has for several years worked as a brain researcher at the University of Oslo, where he obtained his PhD and researched the molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory.
Julie Yuqing Ye is a classical pianist based in Oslo. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in venues including the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, Oslo Concert Hall, the Edvard Grieg Museum at Troldhaugen, and Wigmore Hall and Milton Court Concert Hall in London. She completed her diploma studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2018, having previously undertaken her master's and bachelor's degrees at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Julie is a college lecturer in Music at Majorstua and, for the past two years, has been a mentor and teacher on the National Piano Initiative.
