Beautiful Noise: The science and evolution of music

The origin and evolution of music is a topic of enduring interest. Why and when did humans create music for the first time? Why does it seem to be the deepest cultural expression of emotion. Why has it evolved in different ways in different cultures? What do we really mean by ‘music’? Illustrated with recorded sound bites, this cross-disciplinary panel discussion will investigate the science and cultural evolution of music.

The panel includes:

• Professor Robert Winston Professor of Science and Society and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies, Imperial College London and Chairman of the Royal College of Music (Chair)
• Dr Ian Cross, Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge
• Professor Emily Doolittle, Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory, Cornish College of the Arts
• Professor Steven Mithen, Professor of Archaeology, University of Reading
• Professor Vincent Walsh, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London