Music and the Human Condition.

KANEKO and Applied Underwriters, Inc. are proud to present the 2019 Great Minds Lecture Series, where the brightest thinkers address topics with fresh, provocative perspectives.

How do acoustics influence our emotions? How does sound work in our mind before we are born? What are the universal qualities of music across our cultures? Through a unique and multi-faceted experience, KANEKO presented a collaborative lecture featuring nationally famed scholar Steve Everett in conjunction to an illustrative performance by one of the world’s leading pianists, Stefano Miceli; topics touched upon the cognitive benefits of sound and music and how they function on social, psychological and cultural levels throughout our lives.

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About Steve Everett: Steve Everett is Professor of Music and an American Composer. He teaches composition, music, and is the Executive Vice President and Provost at Adelphi University in New York. Previously, he served as the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Professor of Music, and Director of both the Music-Audio Research Center and the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence at Emory University in Atlanta where he taught for 23 years. He has been a visiting professor of composition at Princeton University and a guest composer at the Eastman School of Music, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, and the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève in Switzerland, and many others.

In addition to conducting opera and orchestral repertoire, he has presented over 200 works of contemporary music as co-artistic director and conductor of Thamyris New Music Ensemble in Atlanta from 1991-2006. He also founded and directed the Emory Javanese Gamelan Ensemble from 1996-2006. Everett’s recent compositions involve performers with computer-controlled electronics and have been performed in twenty-seven different countries.

He has received composition awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, and the Chamber Music America, among others, and is recorded on SCI, Crystal, Mark, Frog Peak, and ACA Digital Records.

About Stefano Miceli: Stefano Miceli has established a reputation as one of the foremost Italian pianists and conductors performing today. As a conductor, pianist, and regular guest artist, he has earned the applause of audiences at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Leipzig Gerandhaus, Berliner Philharmonie, Fenice Opera House, and Bejing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall. Micheli has led the Saizburg Orchestra, Leipzig Philanthropic Chamber Orchestra of La Scala, La Fenice Orchestra of Venice, Saigon Opera House Orchestra and many others. Stefano is the recipient of the Union League of New York’s 2016 Abraham Lincoln Meda (NYC), the Italian Academy’s 2012 “Bravo! Award” and the prestigious Silver medal from the President of the Republic of Italy (2008, Rome, Italy) for the performances in Italy and for his dedication to education. He lives in Greenwich, CT and serves as a board advisor at Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, New York.

About Applied Underwriters: Applied Underwriters, Inc. is proud to support KANEKO’s Great Minds Series. The company is a leading provider of business services and insurance, serving thousands of customers nationwide. Applied’s operational division is located in Omaha and currently employs nearly 700 people. Applied Underwriters is dedicated to the presentation of public discourse on topics of high intellectual interest and impact.

About Great Minds Series: KANEKO’s Great Minds Series highlights innovators and original thought leaders in fields relevant to KANEKO programs. This unique lecture series engages KANEKO members and visitors with “Great Minds” who are established and recognized by their peers within their respective fields or disciplines. Whether science, design or the arts, Great Minds speakers have demonstrated leadership within their respective fields and have a record of outstanding creativity and innovation. Great Minds speakers embody a creative philosophy that aligns directly with KANEKO’s mission of creative exploration.

Each Great Minds Series accentuates particular aspects of KANEKO’s seasonal themes. Past Great Minds speakers have included Grammy-winning artist, Rosanne Cash, animator Josh Cooley, social science researcher Stuart Brown and biologist Tyrone Hayes. These lectures continue to garner robust attendance and mark the pinnacle of each season for many KANEKO patrons