Professor emeritus Even Ruud (University of Oslo, Norwegian Academy of Music) is a music therapist, musicologist and psychologist. Ruud was central in the start-up of the Norwegian music therapy education, and has largely impacted the field of music therapy and music and health in Norway and worldwide. In his most recent book, “Toward a Sociology of Music Therapy: Musicking as a Cultural Immunogen”, Ruud demonstrates how various forms of “health musicking” help regulate emotions, build sustainable musical communities, and install meaning, hope, and a sense of existential “resonance” in life.
Diva & the Doctor is a duo with Angelica Kjos and Hans Petter Solli. The two met in the therapy room as patient and therapist. Today, the duo holds concerts and concert lectures all over the country. Angelica sings and talks about her hard-earned life experiences on the road to a life of full value, while Hans Petter plays the guitar and talks about how music and music therapy can help when life is at its darkest. Together, they tell a powerful story about the journey from patient to empowerment.
Ryan Mullins (University of Helsinki) has published over 30 essays on various topics in philosophical theology related to models of God, philosophy of time, personal identity, the problem of evil, disability theology, the Trinity, and the incarnation. He has published two books, The End of the Timeless God (Oxford University Press, 2016) and God and Emotion (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Mullins has held research and teaching fellowships at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Cambridge, the University of St Andrews, and the University of Edinburgh. When not engaging in philosophical theology, he is often found at a metal show.