Understanding dementia through music (The Lion's Face)

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• Wednesday 18 March 2009
• 7.00pm-8.30pm

There are over 700,000 people with dementia in the UK and this figure is predicted to rise to over a million by 2025. However, for such a widespread condition, the experience of dementia is often difficult for others to understand. This event aims to explore what people with dementia feel, through both a scientific and artistic perspective.

The event will begin with an introductory talk from Prof Simon Lovestone, Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, which will look at what we mean by dementia and how it arises. He will outline his pioneering research on understanding the molecular and cellular events that take place in the brain of somebody affected by Alzheimer's disease.

After the talk, The Opera Group will present an exclusive preview of their newly commissioned opera, entitled 'The Lion's Face', which has been supported by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award. Composer Elena Langer and poet Glyn Maxwell have worked with a wide range of people affected by the disease, resulting in an opera which describes the experiences of the dementia patient, the carer and the research scientist.

The performance will be followed by a panel discussion, chaired by Baroness Jay, featuring the Elena, Glyn and Simon, where audience members are invited to discuss with them the themes of the performance in more detail.

Tickets cost £8, £6 concessions, £4 Ri members