Arts Society Fylde Lecture: April 2027

A lecture by Professor Alan Silman on cellist Jacqueline du Pré's career and how multiple sclerosis affected her life and playing.

The Arts Society Fylde welcomes guests to an illustrated lecture by Professor Alan Silman, an Oxford epidemiologist who researches how medical problems shaped the lives of famous figures in the arts. This talk examines cellist Jacqueline du Pré's meteoric rise, her celebrated recordings of the Elgar Concerto, and the long-delayed diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that ended her playing career. Using her recordings and contemporary documentary clips, the lecture traces her musical career alongside her illness, ending with a story of human resilience.