Gabrielian’s performance to combat stigma of mental illness

Tanya Gabrielian
Tanya Gabrielian

Gabrielian’s performance to combat stigma of mental illness

calendar icon09 Oct 2018    

LINCOLN, Neb.— Even though artists are notorious for dealing with mental health issues, the idea that art can only be created from suffering and pain is a self-defeating concept. Art is a celebration of life and a way to acknowledge that every person, regardless of their personal circumstances, can contribute beauty to this world. But the number of composers that have dealt with mental illness is staggering, as are the statistics of people in the world that deal with mental health issues in their own lives. As an artistic statement to combat the stigma, guest artist and pianist Tanya Gabrielian presents a free program at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 22 in Westbrook Recital Hall of pieces written by composers with mental illnesses. Featuring works by Handel-Liszt, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schubert, we can find solidarity through the emotional elements presented in their works. The aim is to enable the audience to gain awareness about these issues and to be supportive of those that deal with mental illness in their own lives. The variety of the program and the centuries that it encompasses also lead back to the thought that music is a universally encompassing art and contains truths that remain throughout the passing of time.