This research concert will provide insight into how live music and meditation can be used therapeutically for people with Parkinson’s disease. This may contribute to the development of new musical approaches that can improve the quality of life and coping in everyday life.
We invite people with and without Parkinson’s disease to participate as audience members. Participants will be invited to wear a sensor vest (Equivital eq LifeMonitor) that measures physiological responses through micromotion, breathing, and heart rate. Attendees' body motion will also be recorded anonymously with thermal video. The data collection is handled by RITMO researchers and is voluntary.
The experiments will conclude with a short panel discussion between the performers and researchers, followed by a “data jockeying” session where participants can get a glimpse of the recorded data.
What do we want to find out?
What happens in the body and brain – both collectively and individually – when we listen to music with different degrees of attention.
Why is this relevant?
In a time characterised by distraction and high pace, the ability to listen with presence has become increasingly rare – but also increasingly important. For people with Parkinson's disease, music can support timing and rhythm in movement, emotional regulation and the experience of flow and coherence in the body.
The project investigates whether mindful listening can enhance these effects and whether this can be documented through both subjective experiences and measurable data. The results may provide new insights into how music, attention, and the body are connected – and how music can be used more purposefully in health, therapy, and everyday life.
Program
- 17:00-18:00: Participants get equipped with sensors
- 18:00-19:00: Concert program with Annabel Guaita, Piotr Marcinów
- 19:00-19:30: Panel discussion with Joel Glover, Finn Upham og Annabel Guaita, led by Alexander Refsum Jensenius
- 19:30-19:45: Data jockeying by Finn Upham
Participation
Registration is now closed. Data collection is voluntary, and data is handled anonymously.
About the listening body
The Listening Body is a concert experience of classical piano works, where meditation, reflection, and deep listening set you on a journey that gradually opens you to a new way of experiencing music—and yourself. The concept was developed by pianist and listening guide Annabel Guaita and meditation teacher Piotr Marcinów. It was first presented at Hardanger Music Festival 2024 and later that year at Bergen Kulturnatt. In 2025 the project continued at Norway's Yoga Festival, where it was one of the most popular and distinctive contributions.
About MusicLab
MusicLab is an innovation project by RITMO and the University Library. The aim is to explore new methods for conducting research, research communication, and education. The project is organised around a concert in a public venue, which is also the object of study. The events also include an edutainment element, featuring a panel discussion with world-leading researchers and artists, and "data jockeying" through live analysis of recorded data.?
About Annabel Guaita
With an artistic doctorate in music, Annabel Guaita has always been a curious and searching musician, with a fundamental belief that learning in music never ends. This has led her to new encounters with people and musical collaborations, and has given her a rich, nuanced language for communicating music. Not only through her fingers on the piano, but verbally and gesturally, she leads the audience into the works she performs. She works as an associate professor at the Grieg Academy. She can look back on extensive touring activity and several CD releases on Lawo Classics. In addition, she runs her own podcast, also called Lyttelos. Annabel has Parkinson’s disease, but has found ways to live well with the condition. She is currently touring with the show “Playing with Parkinson”, in which she conveys how curiosity and hope can change perspectives on illness and adversity, and the importance of listening actively and with presence—both to music and to life itself.
About Piotr Marcinów
Piotr Marcinów has also been a searching soul. At the age of 16, he decided to become a Buddhist monk. After spending much of his childhood in cold hospitals in communist Poland, with books as his only pastime, it was philosophy that became his salvation. Life took a different direction, leading to a master’s degree with a focus on early Buddhist philosophy. This brought him to India, where he has lived for several extended periods. He is also a trained muscle therapist and has his practice in Bergen, Norway. With over 30 years of experience in yoga, meditation, and pranayama, he has developed a deep understanding of the body, the mind, and their interplay.
Funding
The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway, the Dam Foundation, the University of Oslo, and the University of Bergen.