FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Faculty members in the departments of music and food science, including Moon-Sook Park, Ronda Mains, Nophachai Cholthitchanta, Theresa Delaplain and Han-Seok Seo as well as guest artist Skirmante Kezyte, are collaborating on a project that uses music and aroma to relieve stress. This partnership resulted in what they are calling the Aroma Music Concert.  

The partnership began after the group uncovered a connection between music and sense of smell regarding the ability to decrease stress. Clinical studies have shown that listening to music decreases stress, anxiety and depression. In addition, there is clinical evidence that aromas, such as essential oils, are able to manage emotional status and reduce mental stress. The group believes that a well-selected combination of aroma and music may result in a synergy effect in relieving stress, a theory that they will explore with two concerts.

The Aroma Music Concert will give its first performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the Fine Arts Center’s Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. Its second performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the First United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville.

“Well-selected combination of aroma and musical pieces may result in a synergy effect in relieving mental stress,” said Seo, assistant professor of sensory science in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. “In fact, listening to soft music with citrus essential oil was reported to increase a relaxation effect in young adults. Thus, musical performance will be presented along with its harmonious aroma during a concert, which may maximize beneficial efficacy on mental health.”

Seo has been investigating a multisensory integration, with a focus on olfactory and auditory stimuli. He strongly suggests that those feeling stressed or depressed should attend the Aroma Music Concert.

 “I hope that the thoughtfully selected music repertoires – some wordless pieces for the introvert but peaceful emotion and other pieces for inspired and joyful emotion – would impact the audience’s emotion toward its positive state through musical and aromatic influences,” said Park, assistant professor of voice in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. “I also hope to provide the audience an unaccustomed but meaningful experience through this uniquely integrated performance of music and aroma.”

The concerts are free and open to the public thanks to support from the University of Arkansas office of the vice provost for research and economic development and the office of the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

The program will be slightly different for each concert. Works will include:

• Ave Maria by Adam Gumpelzheimer
• Ave Maria for soprano and flute by Giulio Caccini
• Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not by Johann Sebastian Bach
• Vocalise-étude for soprano and piano by Olivier Messiaen
• Baïlèro (Chante de Bergers de Haute-Avergne) arranged by Joseph Canteloube
• Vocalise, Opus 34, No. 14 for soprano and piano by Sergei Rachmaninov
• Suite from Victorian Garden’s Kitchen for clarinet and piano by Paul Reade
• Miniatures for flute, oboe and piano by William Grant Still
• I Hate Music: cycle of 5 Kid Song and West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
• Music and video excerpts from Jonathan Livingston Seagull, film by Hall Bartlett and songs by Neil Diamond
• Joy by Ricky Ian Gordon