Deafness is a hardship for anyone, but for a musician it is catastrophic. When Ludwig van Beethoven first experienced loss of hearing as a young man, he contemplated suicide, but he made the decision to resist his suicidal impulses and instead fulfill his artistic destiny. Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Juilliard-trained concert pianist Dr. Richard Kogan gives a lecture/concert that examines how Beethoven became a greater composer once locked inside the silent world of his imagination. Dr. Kogan explores the psychological basis of Beethoven’s creative life and will illuminate the discussion with performances of some of Beethoven’s most extraordinary music.

Enjoy pre-lecture refreshments in the Summer Dining Room from 6:00pm – 6:45pm.

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Richard Kogan has a distinguished career both as a musician and as a physician. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and Artistic Director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program, he has been praised for his “exquisite playing” by the New York Times, and the Boston Globe wrote that “Kogan has somehow managed to excel at the world’s two most demanding professions.”

Dr. Kogan has gained renown for his lecture/recitals that explore the role of music in healing and the influence of psychological factors and psychiatric and medical illness on the creative output of composers such as Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Bernstein, and Joplin. He has been a featured presenter at music festivals, medical conferences, and scholarly symposia throughout the world.