Fragments of Memories | San Francisco
Event Details
Fragments of Memories merges music, theater, and storytelling to explore the psychological dimensions of aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This interdisciplinary performance illustrates multiple forms of aging—healthy aging, with its quiet struggles, alongside two distinct types of dementia—each rendered with emotional nuance and scientific insight. Rather than following a single narrative of decline, the performance offers a sensory, multidimensional experience that invites reflection on memory, time, and identity through a deeply human lens.
The story centers on Mr. K, portrayed in three versions of aging: one shaped by normal aging, one marked by memory loss of Alzheimer’s, and one challenged by the apathy of FTD. Guided by an Artificial Intelligence narrator, Mr. K’s inner world unfolds through intimate dialogues and emotionally charged music. Each piece—performed by a live chamber ensemble—translates the symptoms of these conditions into sound, inviting the audience not only to understand but also to feel how memory and identity unravel.
Fragments of Memories bridges art and science, inviting audiences to experience the landscape of aging and dementia. Composed, written, and directed by İdil Özkan, Atlantic Fellow and Hellman Artist in Residence at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center, the work is deeply personal, drawing from her experience with dementia through her father, as well as months of scientific immersion as an Atlantic Fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute at UCSF.
The premiere takes place June 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM at the San Francisco Community Music Center, featuring actors Geoff Hoyle, Melinda Matice and musicians:
- Atlantic Fellow Aaron Colverson (UCSF) – Violin 1
- Jessica Folson (SFCM) – Violin 2
- Josh Choi (SFCM) – Viola
- Hung-Yu Lin (SFCM) – Violoncello
- Kaan Kumru (UCSF) – Clarinet
- Atlantic Fellow Daniel Macri (UCSF) – Synthesizer
- Atlantic Fellow İdil Özkan (UCSF) – Piano
Following the performance, a panel conversation with Özkan and leading UCSF neurologists and GBHI faculty members Kate Rankin and Bruce Miller, as well as Claire Day (Alzheimer’s Association) and Jary Larsen (AFTD Board Member), offers an opportunity to collectively reflect on memory, identity, and what it means to remain human in the face of loss.
Contact
For any questions, please contact Sara Wessen Chang at sara.wessen.chang@ucsf.edu.
