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Indre Viskontas Highlight
Indre Viskontas
Neuroscientist & Opera Singer
Sometimes where you end up when you jump is a much more interesting place than where you would have been had you continued walking along the path.
About Indre
- I grew up surrounded by music, but it never seemed like something I would be able to make a career out of.
- As a child of immigrants, it was always very important to my family that I pursue a stable career.
- In high school, I was inspired by the books of neurologist Oliver Sacks—I found the subject matter very interesting and it seemed like a good career that my parents would be supportive of.
- I earned my bachelor’s degree and went on to earn my Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience—throughout this whole time in my life, I kept my interests in neuroscience and music very separate.
- After working so hard to earn my Ph.D., I wanted to devote time to the part of myself that was a musician and artist, so I went back to school to earn a master’s degree in vocal performance.
- Once I combined my passions, I found that each enhanced my understanding of the other—applying neuroscience to music made me a better performer while music helped me better understand the human brain.
- I’m currently a professor at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of San Francisco as well as the creative director of Pasadena Opera.
- Additionally, I host a podcast about science and society called Inquiring Minds.
