Press Release: Saratoga Performing Arts Center Announces Music and Mind with Renée Fleming: Harnessing the Arts to Heal and Connect
July 25, 2025
Saratoga Performing Arts Center Announces
Music and Mind with Renée Fleming:
Harnessing the Arts to Heal and Connect
Free event at Spa Little Theater hosted by Renée Fleming alongside psychology and neuroscience researcher Dr. Psyche Loui, creative arts therapist Bree Beaudette, and SPAC’s VP of Education Dennis Moench
Saratoga Springs, NY (July 25, 2025) – Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces “Music and Mind with Renée Fleming: Harnessing the Arts to Heal and Connect” on Thursday, August 14 at 4 p.m. at Spa Little Theater. Five-time GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Renée Fleming—curator of the groundbreaking anthology Music and Mind—will host a dynamic discussion with a panel of experts, exploring compelling research on the powerful connections between the arts and health. Slated for August 14 at 4 p.m. at Spa Little Theater, the event is free to attend. For details or to register, visit spac.org.
“Over the course of my 45 years working in the arts industry, I have seen—viscerally and visually—the profound transformation that the arts can bring to individuals and communities. And now, with a growing body of scientific research, we know what many of us have long intuited: the arts are also essential to our mental and physical health,” says Elizabeth Sobol, Chief Executive Officer of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “Welcoming Renée Fleming and this extraordinary panel to SPAC is a continuation of our mission—to deepen the understanding that the arts are not a luxury, but a necessity. At a time when disconnection and ‘othering’ threaten to fray the fabric of our society, the arts offer a path to healing—to mending, to meaning. This conversation is part of our ongoing work to explore how the arts can help us reconnect, repair, and ultimately, thrive.”
This exploration will begin with an introduction from Renée Fleming, highlighting the intersection of music, neuroscience, and healthcare, alongside personal stories and insights from her career. She will also share findings from her book Music and Mind, which features discoveries on how the arts support healing in areas ranging from pain relief and the treatment of anxiety and depression, to regaining speech after stroke or brain injury, to improving mobility for individuals with conditions like Parkinson’s disease and MS. In addition to these therapeutic applications, the book delves into topics such as evolution, brain function, childhood development, and the role of technology in arts and health.
Brief presentations will follow: psychology and neuroscience researcher Dr. Psyche Loui will speak on music-based interventions for individuals with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s; licensed creative arts therapist Bree Beaudette will discuss art therapy techniques that promote healing and personal growth; and SPAC VP of Education Dennis Moench will explore SPAC’s commitment to inclusive arts programming, cultivating access to shared creative experiences for all minds and bodies. A panel discussion led by Fleming will follow, culminating with a Q&A and book signing.
The schedule of events is as follows:
4:00 p.m. | Introductions and Presentations
4:45 p.m. | Panel Discussion
5:10 p.m. | Q&A
TBD | Book signing with Renée Fleming
“Music and Mind with Renée Fleming: Harnessing the Arts to Heal and Connect” is presented as part of SPAC’s Healing Arts @ SPAC initiative, which launched in 2020 and reflects the organization’s embrace of an expanded definition of the arts to include performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, culinary arts, healing arts, and beyond. The event is free to attend, however seating is limited. Visit spac.org or click HERE to register.
This event precedes Renée Fleming with The Philadelphia Orchestra: Voice of Nature on August 15 at SPAC. The performance begins with inspiration from the GRAMMY Award-winning album Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene, in which Fleming explores humankind’s evolving relationship with nature, performing works ranging from Handel to Björk and The Lord of the Rings, with a beautiful projected film created for the program by National Geographic. The second half of the program features beloved arias and songs, from Puccini to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Visit spac.org for details or to purchase tickets.
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Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is internationally celebrated for her vocal and dramatic artistry, as well as her dedicated advocacy for the powerful impacts of the creative arts in health. Honored with five GRAMMY® awards and the US National Medal of Arts, she has sung not only in the world’s leading opera houses and concert halls, but also for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. In 2023, the World Health Organization appointed her as a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health.
Renée’s anthology Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness was published in 2024. She created a live program called Music and Mind, which she has presented in more than 70 cities around the world. She is now an advisor for major initiatives in this field, including the NeuroArts Blueprint at Johns Hopkins University. In 2024 she launched the Renée Fleming NeuroArts Investigator Awards, funding interdisciplinary research projects by early career scientists in collaboration with creative artists.
Her other honors include the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and honorary doctorates from 10 major universities. www.reneefleming.com
Dr. Psyche Loui
Psyche Loui is Associate Professor of Creativity and Creative Practice in the Department of Music and director of the MIND (Music, Imaging, and Neural Dynamics) lab at Northeastern University. She holds a PhD in Psychology from University of California, Berkeley, and dual undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Music from Duke University. Dr. Loui studies the neuroscience of music perception and cognition, tackling questions such as: What gives people the chills when they are moved by a piece of music? How does connectivity in the brain enable or disrupt music perception? Can music be used to help those with neurological and psychiatric disorders? Dr. Loui’s work has been supported by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, received multiple Grammy awards, a young investigator award from the Positive Neuroscience Institute, and a Career award from the National Science Foundation.
Bree Beaudette
Bree Beaudette, LCAT (she/her), is a licensed creative arts therapist and has a background in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology interventions, and DBT. Bree is experienced in providing person-centered care uniquely tailored to the needs of her clients, including children, adolescents, and adults. Bree utilizes art therapy techniques as a way to communicate with clients and promote healing and personal growth. Bree has experience treating Anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, ASD, and Mood Disorders, as well as supporting clients through the grieving process and life transitions. She is also a strong advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and provides gender and queer affirming care. Her number one goal as a therapist is to make sure her clients feel safe and supported.
Dennis Moench
As leader of the education department at SPAC for the past 10 years, Dennis has overseen the rapid development and exponential growth of SPAC’s year-round offerings, currently reaching more than 50,000 students annually and collaborating with over 120 local schools and nonprofit organizations. Prior to his arrival at SPAC, Dennis was an accomplished stage actor, performing on Broadway and in venues across North America with the companies of Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, All Shook Up, Altar Boyz, and Fame. He studied theatre, music, and dance at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and he holds a BFA in Drama from NYU. As an educator, Dennis has more than two decades of experience as a teaching artist and has developed and taught various programs in dance, theatre, and vocal performance.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters. Its tranquil setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws lovers of arts, culture and nature for performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Saratoga Jazz Festival, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC also hosts imaginative programming such as Caffè Lena @ SPAC and initiatives in culinary, literary, healing and visual arts.
SPAC is a 501c3 charitable organization. Donations and proceeds from fundraising events benefit the Center’s thriving education program, community outreach efforts, and the vibrancy of its programming. For more information visit spac.org.