Embodied Cognition: The Music Within with Vijay Iyer
From See See by Ceci by Dr. Cecilia Ponce Rivera
February 18, 2026 · 1h 38m · Season 4 · Episode 2
About this episode
Vijay Iyer discusses the concept of embodied cognition in music and the collective experience of live performance.
Let yourself be drawn into the world of one of the most prolific, shape- shifting presences in 21st century music. Vijay Iyer is a Grammy-nominated composer, pianist, bandleader, and the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University. He is a MacArthur Fellow, described by The New York Times as “a social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway.” In a profound conversation, Vijay Iyer takes us on a journey of discovery, into what embodied cognition truly means and where music begins. He invites us to explore the extraordinary phenomenon of synchrony: how musicians lock into pulse together, and how an entire audience can exhale as one at the close of a performance. Iyer speaks of live music as a form of ritual, a collective agreement to step out of everyday life and into something else, together. He also reflects with great warmth on his collaborations with artists such as the drummer Tyshawn Sorey and the legendary trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, describing the deep listening, humility, and compassion that make their music possible. He opens our eyes to think deeply about jazz, “not…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Cecilia Ponce Rivera
Guest: Vijay Iyer
Topics covered
- embodied cognition
- music
- jazz
- collaboration
- live performance
- ritual
Keywords
- embodied cognition
- music
- jazz
- live performance
- collaboration
- synchrony
- ritual
- Tyshawn Sorey
- Wadada Leo Smith
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Harvard University, The New York Times
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