US cellist and composer Joshua Roman has turned one of the most difficult experiences of his life into a project that now promises to help others living with Long COVID.

Roman has been named a recipient of the 2026 Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards, receiving a $25,000 grant alongside research partner Dr Elizabeth Bast to investigate whether music can ease the lingering symptoms of the condition.

Their study will focus on veterans with long COVID and compare the effects of different forms of musical engagement, including live interactive performances, livestreamed sessions and self-guided recorded listening.

Joshua Roman. Photo supplied

The project places Roman at the centre of a growing field known as neuroarts, which explores how creative practice can affect the brain, body and overall health. Named for celebrated soprano Renée Fleming, the awards support early-career collaborations between researchers and artists, with the aim of bringing the arts further into mainstream medicine and public health.

For Roman, the work is deeply personal.

In early 2021, the American musician contracted a severe case of COVID-19. Rather than a conventional respiratory illness, the virus left him with neurological complications and post-viral dysautonomia, a disorder affecting regulation of the nervous system. He experienced crushing fatigue and cognitive problems severe enough to threaten the career of one of classical music’s most adventurous cellists.

Out of that crisis came Immunity, a performance project blending music and storytelling that traces Roman’s journey through illness, fear, recovery and acceptance. Developed initially for Princeton University Concerts’ Healing With Music series, the program later expanded during Roman’s tenure as a Creative Associate at The Juilliard School.

In interviews, Roman has said the project was never conceived simply as a “long COVID concert”, but as a way to continue performing honestly after his illness changed him. That candour has resonated strongly with audiences, particularly those whose own invisible illnesses have gone unrecognised.

The new clinical trial with Dr Bast at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Florida, will test whether music can produce measurable physiological benefits. Researchers plan to track heart-rate variability, brain-heart coherence and inflammatory markers in 30 participants through a randomised crossover study.

The work comes as long COVID remains a major health challenge years after the pandemic’s peak. Millions continue to report persistent fatigue, cognitive dysfunction and other symptoms, often with limited treatment options.