“We recommend that you can do this experience either with your eyes closed or open – but it’s definitely better with hearts open,” says Mark Coughlan, the conductor of En Coda Symphony Orchestra as we settle in for the group’s hour-long sound-healing session. The man next to me chuckles.
It’s a sunny evening and 300 of us – attracted by the promise of a meditative, transportive and therapeutic experience – have gathered inside the Art Gallery of New South Wales for a one-off concert by the Perth-based group, comprising three instrumentalists who perform alongside an ensemble of 13 local string players.
