Guest, physician, pianist and composer
Dr Tony Cicoria
Dr Tony Cicoria is an orthopaedic surgeon, pianist and composer whose life changed after a 1994 lightning strike and near-death experience led to an intense connection with piano music.
EPISODE 284 · JUNE 2, 2024
Ep.284 Struck by Lightning
Dr Tony Cicoria recounts the 1994 lightning strike, near-death experience and sudden connection to piano music that transformed his life.
The encounter
Dr Tony Cicoria joins us from Maine to recount the event that transformed his life. In 1994, at the age of 42, he was struck by lightning near a public telephone at Sleepy Hollow Lake in Athens, New York.
Tony’s heart stopped and he experienced seeing his body below him, surrounded by bluish-white light. An intensive-care nurse waiting to use the telephone resuscitated him. After recovering, he developed an intense connection to piano music and began composing. Neurologist Oliver Sacks later featured his story in Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.
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Episode details
About this episode
LocationSLEEPY HOLLOW LAKE, ATHENS, NEW YORK, USA
Date & Time1994
PhenomenaLIGHTNING STRIKE / NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE / SUDDEN MUSICOPHILIA
Supporting material
Guest evidence
Featured material
Fantasia: The Lightning Sonata
Guest resources
Tony Cicoria on Spotify
Tony Cicoria on Apple Music
Wikipedia
IMDb