Music of the Mind

Professor Milton Mermikides

Music

A human brain model positioned between a pair of black over-ear headphones, all set against a pink background

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Event information

Date: Wednesday, 15 Apr 2026

Time: 18:00

Type: Lecture

Location: Old Street

Venue: LSO St Luke's

Topics: Music Art Neuroscience

Part of:

The Music of Nature

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Where does music live in the mind? Is it an evolutionary byproduct, a trick of perception—or something deeper? From Pinker’s auditory cheesecake to sonic illusions like the McGurk effect and Deutsch’s phantom melodies, music plays with our senses in ways we barely comprehend. Yet its ties to language, memory, and emotion suggest it is fundamental to human thought. Can we see its traces in the brain? This lecture explores whether music is a fleeting illusion—or the key to understanding the mind itself.

Professor Milton Mermikides

Gresham Professor of Music

Milton Mermikides is a composer, guitarist, technologist, academic and educator in a wide range of musical styles and has collaborated with artists and scientists as...

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