Renée Fleming. Photo by Andrew Eccles.
In the second half of an article about the League’s 2025 National Conference in Monday’s (6/16) Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Lottie Elizabeth Johnson writes, “A primary focus of this year’s League of American Orchestras Conference, held in Salt Lake City from June 11-13, was the role music plays in improving mental and physical health … Opera star Renée Fleming, who is a leading advocate for the connection between music and health, was the keynote speaker for the opening session. The renowned soprano previously came to Salt Lake City … to speak on this subject. In that speech, she shared how childhood music instruction can be beneficial for a child’s developing brain—especially in the areas of the brain responsible for processing sound, language development, speech perception and reading skills … She also noted that music plays a role in social cohesion, helping to form connections and bonds between people. The connections between music, medicine and science are real and proven, Steven Brosvik, president and CEO of Utah Symphony ǀ Utah Opera, told the Deseret News ahead of the League of American Orchestras Conference. ‘While we fully acknowledge that we’re not surgeons, we’re not curing cancer, we’re not researchers, we do know that bringing people together for a live social experience, listening to music, really does impact people’s lives in a positive way,’ he said.”
Read League President and CEO Simon Woods’s interview with Renée Fleming in Symphony at https://symphony.org/features/forward-thinking-a-voice-for-wellness/.
