This Gresham College lecture explores whether music is a fleeting illusion—or the key to understanding the mind itself.
Kick-start your evening with a 60-minute Half Six Fix concert
Introduced by the artists involved, this event features an introductory talk with the composer of The White Book, Laura Bowler, in conversation with music writer and broadcaster Flora Willson.
The Music
Composer Laura Bowler’s new work for voice and orchestra is based on Booker and Nobel Prize-winning author Han Kang’s The White Book – a poetic meditation on colour, grief and the human spirit. A performer and vocalist herself, Bowler’s settings are sure to make the most of soloist Barbara Hannigan’s theatrical stage presence and their shared flair for the dramatic.
The Performers
Conducting this concert, and sharing the stage with her mentor Barbara Hannigan, is rising star Bar Avni, First Prize winner of the 2024 La Maestra competition in Paris.
