Music on the Brain: Rewriting the Loss

Music on the Brain

Healing Grief Through the Unconscious Mind

Through the lens of ’s groundbreaking MRI research at Columbia University, we explore the "hidden" map of grief. Discover how our unconscious minds creatively "rewrite" the story of loss—distilling the enormity of grief into something that the conscious mind can “contain”.

Acclaimed pianist and vocalist performs original compositions from her deeply personal album dedicated to her mother, illustrating the profound connection between creative inspiration and the healing brain.

Featuring the Kelly Green Quartet with Luca Soul Rosenfeld (bass/guitar), Evan Hyde (drums), and Elijah J. Thomas (flutes).

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Music on the Brain is a collaboration between the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute.

Please note that reserved tickets will be held until 10 minutes before the program begins, after which any unclaimed seats may be released to attendees without tickets, subject to room capacity.

Noam M. Schneck, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology in the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Schneck studies the way that people adapt to the suicide loss of a loved one. Specifically, his research aims to identify unconscious processes of coping with the loss that help people grow and adapt while also allowing them to remain engaged in current life demands. These unconscious processes are identified using a machine learning based approach to functional magnetic resonance brain imaging called neural decoding. The goal of this research is to ultimately develop a treatment technique that would entrain greater unconscious processing of the loss.

“Kelly Green does something few artists can — she redraws the contours of jazz itself.” (Paris-Move)

Gather ’round, let me tell you a secret: Steinway Artist Kelly Green transforms emotional experiences into whimsical jazz worlds. She plays and sings with the mysterious knowingness of someone who has felt deeply and returned wiser, now offering musical gifts wrapped in rhythm and rhyme.

A pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader, Green leads her ensemble through intricate, lyric-driven ballads, high-energy swing, and heroic instrumental compositions. Her sets weave original works with reimagined pieces by Mulgrew Miller, Duke Ellington, Blossom Dearie, and more — bridging eras with a distinctive touch.

Critics call her “one of the most gifted vocalists working today” (Paris-Move) and “one of the most quietly revolutionary vocalists of her generation” (Thierry De Clemensat). Jazz legend Christian McBride describes her as “one of the most talented and spirited people I know.” In 2025, her magnetic performances and band chemistry earned her a Jazz Roads Touring Grant.

Green has performed and recorded with Christian McBride, Rich Perry, Steve Wilson, Scott Robinson, George Coleman, and Billy Hart, and has sold out venues including The Kennedy Center, Birdland, and the DC Jazz Festival. Her fifth album, — a surrealist, storybook journey through love, grief, and imagination — was released in August 2025 and won her two Global Music Awards for Best Jazz Album and Emerging Artist.

She is currently working on her latest album to be released in August of 2026 called Eat Your Greens featuring her quartet plus very special guests. 

Even in the largest halls, Kelly Green plays as if you’re the only one in the room.

www.kellygreenpiano.com

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Host or Publisher Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute