NY Philharmonic & Cooper Union Presents Panel on Drug Use Within the Music Industry

On January 25, the two organizations will host a free panel discussing addiction’s criminalization and its impact on music from past to present

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a college institution allowing opportunities to address today's critical challenges. It is named after Peter Cooper, who believed in fair access to education.

Cooper Union will co-present a free panel exploring mental health, addiction, and social justice in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic, titled "Addictive Connections." The event will also feature music and archival recordings from Cooper Union’s digital platform, “Voices from the Great Hall.”

Guests on the “Addictive Connections” panel include Hip-Hop and theater artist Baba Israel, sound artist and composer Fay Victor, and NY Phil’s media production director Mark Travis. Together, they will discuss how the criminalization of addiction and drug use has impacted music and other creative arts over time. 

The event is part of Cooper Union’s The Gardiner Foundation Great Hall Forum program and the NY Phil’s The Unanswered Questions, a series building on the orchestra’s programming that aims to examine multifaceted societal issues.

The discussion will highlight artists Billie Holiday, Timothy Leary, Hector Berlioz, and Julius Eastman — the latter two whose works will be performed by NY Phil in February 2023. Moderating the panel will be litigator Leah Goodridge, the managing attorney for housing policy at Mobilization for Justice — a non-profit legal services and advocacy organization in New York City.

The free panel will be held on January 25, 2023, at 7 PM at The Cooper Union’s Great Hall located at 7 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003. Attendees must show proof of vaccination and facemasks are encouraged.

To register and for more about the panelists, click here.