Pianist Fred Hersch on Responding to Illness Through Jazz (Healing with Music Series)

“A living legend” (The New Yorker) within jazz’s piano pantheon, fifteen-time GRAMMY nominee Fred Hersch was also one of the first openly gay, HIV-positive jazz musicians. Amidst the demands of an internationally celebrated career, he spent several months in an AIDS-related coma in 2008. He made his Princeton University Concerts debut as part of our Healing with Music series to discuss this profound relationship to music. ABOUT THE HEALING WITH MUSIC SERIES Humans have been using sounds as a way to exist and endure since the start of time. As we return to the concert hall after the trauma of a pandemic, we are guided by artists whose stories of resilience in facing illness and personal upheaval shed light on music’s profound impact in events combining conversation and live performance. This video profile was streamed as part of the live Healing with Music event. Learn more at puc.princeton.edu