Nuit de l’Imagination: Dreams

An afternoon and evening of activities, performances, and discussion exploring dreams.

Co-sponsored by the Columbia Global Paris Center and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

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Dreams can be understood as the images and narratives we experience during sleep, as personal or collective aspirations, and as a space for creative experimentation. They shape artistic practices, inform storytelling, and influence how we imagine possible futures.

This year’s Nuit de l’Imagination brings together artists and thinkers to approach dreams through performance, discussion, and participatory activities. The event invites audiences of all ages to consider how dreams function in both individual experience and collective life.

The evening program centers on a conversation and performance led by Magdalena Stern Baczewska, a current Fellow of the Institute for Ideas and Imagination. She will perform a selection of lullabies at the piano, drawing on this research and her recordings. A discussion with Jordan Stern of BLUESLEEP™ will follow, examining the bridges between music, sleep science, and wellbeing.

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Performers

Magdalena Stern Baczewska is an internationally recognized concert pianist, harpsichordist, and educator, currently Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of the Music Performance Program at Columbia University. Alongside her illustrious performance career, she has developed a body of work focused on music and sleep, including her Music for Dreams album series created in collaboration with BLUESLEEP™ researchers.

Jordan Stern, MD, is the Founder and Medical Director of the BLUESLEEP™ and a specialist in sleep medicine. A board certified Ear Nose and Throat surgeon fellowship trained in Head and Neck Surgery, he has over 20 years clinical experience. He has been recognized as one of America’s Top Doctors by the NY Times Magazine every year since 2008. He is an associate adjunct surgeon in the Department of Otolaryngology of the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary.

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Program

The afternoon is designed primarily for children and families, with participatory workshops and performances. The evening program shifts to a broader audience, bringing together discussion and a featured musical performance. Guests are welcome to register for either the afternoon or evening program, or attend the full event. See the Agenda below for the full program of activities.

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Nuit de l’Imagination

Organized by the Columbia Global Paris Center and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination, each year the Nuit de l’Imagination chooses a theme of global importance (Climate in 2023, Boredom in 2024, Neighbors in 2025) as a celebration of the work and collaborations that define Reid Hall.

Venue

This event will take place in Reid Hall’s Grande Salle Ginsberg-LeClerc, built in 1912 and extensively renovated in 2023 thanks to the generous support of Judith Ginsberg and Paul LeClerc.

Reid Hall, the Columbia Global Paris Center, and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination are not responsible for the views and opinions expressed by their speakers and guests.