How has music helped us give voice to emotional complexity and support mental health across time? Robert Schumann’s music gave form to inner conflict, vulnerability, and emotional intensity—offering a powerful example of how creative expression can hold psychological intricacy when words fall short. Today, growing evidence shows that engagement with music and the arts can support emotional regulation, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and foster connection, meaning, and hope amidst adversity. Bringing together artists, clinicians, and scholars, this conversation traces the enduring relationship between music and mental health, from Schumann’s era to contemporary practice. Together, speakers invite audiences to consider how music continues to help us listen more closely to the mind, deepen empathy, and create spaces for reflection and healing. This panel will feature closed captioning.

This event will begin with members of the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center playing a selection from Robert Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor.