Opera Legend Renée Fleming

Headlines Successful Music and the Mind Event for Pennington Biomedical

Music enthusiasts and supporters of Pennington Biomedical came together for two very special events on back-to-back nights in May of 2022 to benefit Pennington Biomedical’s scientific programs and research.

Pennington Biomedical experts Drs. John Kirwan, Owen Carmichael, Tiffany Stewart and Jeff Keller teamed up with four-time Grammy® Award winner Renée Fleming to discuss the powerful connections between the arts and health at the Music and the Mind panel discussion. In addition to her National Medal of Arts and Tony nomination, Ms. Fleming is also a prominent health advocate and award-winning public speaker who serves as Artistic Advisor to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. She also works with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the Sound Health Initiative which explores and brings attention to research and practice at the intersection of music, health, and neuroscience.

The next evening, music enthusiasts joined Ms. Fleming as she performed selections from her expansive repertoire, with Inon Barnatan as her piano accompanist, at the Baton Rouge River Center Theatre for Performing Arts. Paula de la Bretonne, a Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation board member and granddaughter of Pennington Biomedical founder “Doc” Pennington, served as co-chair of the event, together with Diane Tate. Both were instrumental in bringing Ms. Fleming to Baton Rouge for these events.

“It was such a magnificent and unique opportunity to bring together all these renowned individuals in one room and have the opportunity for the community to join as well," Ms. de la Bretonne said. "I know my grandfather would have been proud to see Ms. Fleming at the Center, as well as showcasing the Pennington Biomedical panelists who participated with her in Music and the Mind. It was a certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Baton Rouge."

Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation President and CEO Rebecca Schutte shared that 100% of the proceeds from both events benefited Pennington Biomedical. “These Music and the Mind events allowed us to combine the best that science and music have to offer through the world-renowned research of Pennington Biomedical alongside one of the most internationally-acclaimed and popular singers in the world – Ms. Fleming,” she said.

“The local community has always been incredibly generous with their support. We want to especially thank all the sponsors who generously championed these extraordinary events,” she said. “We also want to thank our volunteer committee members and staff who were essential to making these events so successful."

Music and The Mind was made possible through the generosity of sponsors, including:

Title Sponsor

Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation

Maestro Anonymous

John G. Turner and Jerry G. Fischer

Virtuoso The Advocate

Annette Barton

Baton Rouge General Cox

Lipsey’s Lamar Advertising

Carole and Charles Lamar

Charlie Valluzzo

Melodic Partner

Blue Cross and Blue

Shield of Louisiana

Susan and Jack Dampf

Meredith L. Hathorn and Rawley M. Penick

Lee Michaels Fine

Jewelry

Long Law Firm

Naveon

Olivier Group

Josef Sternberg

Memorial Fund

Benn and Amanda

Vincent Charitable Fund

Concerto Club

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP

Fishman Haygood

Dr. John and Mrs. April Kirwan

Alice and Larry Kronenberger

Louisiana Seafood

Rouses Markets

Diane and Johnny Tate

Taylor Porter Law Firm

Wells Fargo Advisors