Music, Math and Mind
David Sulzer
Clarke Forum to Explore Intersection of Music and Neuroscience
David Sulzer, a composer, author and neuroscientist, will discuss how music is heard and understood in the nervous system by humans and other animals with a cortex Monday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium. During this Clarke Forum event, he’ll also explore animals that can play music, including the Thai Elephant Orchestra, a 14-elephant group he cofounded with conservationist Richard Lair that performs on instruments he built.
Under Sulzer’s direction, the Thai Elephant Orchestra has released three CDs and has participated in enrichment projects for children around the world. Other musical projects include the People’s Choice Music: The Most Wanted and Unwanted Songs, created following poll results of likes and dislikes of the American population; song-cycle collaborations with Kurt Vonnegut; and many chamber and classical works. Sulzer has also performed and arranged music with John Cale, Bo Diddley, Van Dyke Parks, David Byrne and many jazz and experimental acts.
Additionally, Sulzer is a neuroscientist and professor at Columbia University whose lab investigates the synapses of the cortex and basal ganglia, including the dopamine system, in habit formation, planning and decision-making. His book Music, Math and Mind: The Physics and Neuroscience of Music is available through Columbia University Press. With computer musician Brad Garton he initiated the Brainwave Music Project, which allows musicians to perform using their brain’s electrical activity and teaches audiences about the nervous system. With chemist Roald Hoffmann, he ran the Entertaining Science series at the Cornelia Street Cafe. And he has a series of new pieces that use mathematic transformations including fractals and calculus to create new repertoire, such as a 20-minute version of Chopin’s Minute Waltz.
This program is part of the Clarke Forum's annual theme, Thought Experiments. Learn more about this event.
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Published September 28, 2025