(New York Times) – At the Singing Circle in Amsterdam, people with cognitive decline join together to lift their spirits and improve their lives.

They had come to the Concertgebouw for Singing Circle (“Zing-Cirkel”), a monthly program for people with brain diseases or injuries, or other troubles linked to memory or speech. Many of them face daily challenges to make sense of the world around them. But their objective here is simple: All they have to do is sing.

The program is run by Maartje de Lint, a former opera singer, who has been running another initiative called Singing for Health for about 15 years. She began offering the Singing Circle program at the Concertgebouw in October 2024, with a few sporadic trial sessions. This year, the Concertgebouw plans to host it once a month. (Read More)