Indre Viskontas has spent her life at the crossroads of two worlds that are often kept apart: art and science. An opera singer-turned-director who came of age during the “decade of the brain,” she has always felt a magnetic pull toward both music and neuroscience. Rather than choosing one path over the other, she has forged a career that beautifully integrates the two. With a Master’s degree in Voice Performance and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, Professor Viskontas is now Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of San Francisco, while also holding a cross-appointment at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her work moves fluidly between the concert hall and the laboratory, the rehearsal studio and the lecture hall. She has published more than 50 original papers and chapters on the neural basis of memory and creativity, while also directing operas that illuminate the richness of human experience. A gifted communicator, Indre brings science to life for broad audiences through her lectures, podcasts, and creative projects. Her passion lies not only in unraveling the mysteries of the brain but also in showing how art and science can deepen our understanding of ourselves and each other. In our conversation, she spoke about the transformative role of music in education, emphasizing the transferable skills that children gain when they engage with the arts alongside mathematics and the sciences. For Indre, music is not a luxury but a necessity—an essential part of what makes us human, shaping creativity, empathy, and resilience. This interview invites us to see the beauty of connections: between neurons and notes, data and drama, memory and melody.