Entertaining Science: The Big Bang And Its Boundaries at Cornelia Street Cafe

Stellar physics and music with Stephon Alexander and Robert Dick
The “music of the spheres” has been a topic for natural philosophers since ancient Greece, and Johannes Kepler even deduced what the solar system must sound like in concert, if we had the ears to hear.

Kepler’s intellectual descendent, theoretical physicist Stephon Alexander’s favorite formula is Einstein’s field equation, but his research is focused on moving very small and very large objects that extend beyond Einstein’s curved space-time, and even beyond the Big Bang. He is moreover a saxophonist who studied with Ornette Coleman, the late composer and performer who extended space-time in his own fashion....

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Stellar physics and music with Stephon Alexander and Robert Dick
The “music of the spheres” has been a topic for natural philosophers since ancient Greece, and Johannes Kepler even deduced what the solar system must sound like in concert, if we had the ears to hear.

Kepler’s intellectual descendent, theoretical physicist Stephon Alexander’s favorite formula is Einstein’s field equation, but his research is focused on moving very small and very large objects that extend beyond Einstein’s curved space-time, and even beyond the Big Bang. He is moreover a saxophonist who studied with Ornette Coleman, the late composer and performer who extended space-time in his own fashion.

The flute is the oldest surviving instrument of our species, with specimens made of swan bone over 35,000 years old. It too has apparent boundaries of technique and approach. Joining Dr. Alexander is the master flutist, Robert Dick, who has pushed these boundaries further than anyone else in the modern era.

Stephon and Robert will provide “stellar” physics, music, conversation, and boundless debate on this inaugural show of the 16th year of Cornelia Street Café’s Entertaining Science series.

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