Classical 24
Daily Dose Of Mozart May Ease Pain, According To New University Of Utah Study
By Nate Hegyi • Mar 29, 2019
iStock.com / manusapon kasosod
Originally published on April 2, 2019 9:16 am
Listening to Mozart may help drastically reduce pain and inflammation, according to a new study from researchers at University of Utah Health published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers of Neurology.
"Exposure to very specific music has a beneficial effect when it comes to pain relief," said Greg Bulaj, associate professor in medicinal chemistry at University of Utah Health and senior author on the paper.
In the study, mice were exposed to a specially-curated Mozart playlist for nine hours every night for three weeks.
Researchers found it helped the animals cope with pain from cuts or swelling compared to injured mice who didn't listen to the music. When combined with pain medications it often had an even stronger effect. Bulaj said science doesn't have an exact grasp on why the music works.
"This is the holy grail to understand what is so specific about this music," he said. "It's likely this is not about Mozart, per se, but what we call a 'Mozart-style' music."
Bulaj described a trilling and upbeat classical sound like that heard in the first part of Mozart's Sonata In D Major For Two Pianos, K.448 — one of the songs researchers played for the mice — can improve mental function and has helped ease the effects of epilepsy in children, according to prior studies.
The researchers collaborated with University of Utah music professors to help analyze that piece of music and find similar compositions for a playlist used throughout the study.
Bulaj said they are now laying the groundwork for a clinical trial to see if music could ease pain for people.
Copyright 2019 KUER 90.1. To see more, visit KUER 90.1.
New Company Brings Live Opera To Wyoming
By Erin Jones • Jan 18, 2019
operawyoming.org
Opera singers trained in Las Vegas and New York City have started a new company in Wyoming. Daniel Quintana and his wife, Emily Quintana, cofounded Opera Wyoming. The company continues its first season with "Shakespeare Goes to the Opera" on Friday, January 25, at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper. Wyoming Public Radio's Erin Jones spoke with Daniel Quintana.
Violinist Tim Fain Brings 300 Year Old Instrument Into 21st Century
By Caroline Ballard • Nov 30, 2018
Michael Weintrob
An interview with violinist Tim Fain.
Violinist Tim Fain's work has ranged from the traditional to the cutting edge – using screens, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence in his musical creations. He joined Wyoming Public Radio's Caroline Ballard to discuss his music.
Tim Fain will be performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Wyoming Symphony at the John F. Welsh Auditorium in Casper Saturday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Composer Combines Narration And Multimedia With Music In Premiere Of New Work
By London Homer-Wambeam • Oct 24, 2018
Robert Eddy
The University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra will premiere a new composition Thursday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m. at UW's Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. The performance of Gwyneth Walker's Earth and Sky will include multimedia elements including projections and narrators. The triple concerto will feature the Musica Harmonia string trio with the UW Symphony. As Walker told Wyoming Public Radio's London Homer-Wambeam, Musica Harmonia commissioned the piece.
Live Opera Comes To Stay In Wyoming
By Kamila Kudelska • Oct 11, 2018
Opera Wyoming
Friday evening, Casper residents can experience the first performance of the newly created Opera Wyoming.