SHS harpist and bassist Natalie Meyers has synesthesia: the conjunction of two senses that most of us feel separately. Whether it be seeing a whirlwind of colors while listening to music, or tasting words, synesthesia can take many forms. We talked to Natalie about making music with this unique condition.

Q: What would you like people to understand about synesthesia?

A: I wish people understood more that I’m not just making it up. I can’t just assign colors and textures to sounds and words at will; it all is just normal and natural to me. I mean it is all in my head but not in that way.

Q: How does your synesthesia influence your experience and interpretation of music?

A: All sounds appear as colors in my head which comes in handy for playing instruments. If a note is out of tune, I can tell because the color will be slightly different.

Q: How does synesthesia affect your daily life outside of music?

A: It can subtly influence the way I do everything. I’ll avoid putting certain words together in sentences because the colors don’t look right next to each other. I used to feel bad adding numbers together in math class because they have opposite personalities.

Natalie is a living testament to the fascinating ways our brains can perceive the world. Her experience offers us a glimpse into a combination of vibrant colors and textures that most of us can only imagine.