In June 2014, Dutch opera singer Ambrož Bajec-Lapajne performed several couplets of Franz Schubert‘s classic Lied, “Gute Nacht“, while undergoing a craniotomy for a brain tumor, a procedure during which he needed to remain awake and responsive.

I’m a professional opera, concert and choral singer that was diagnosed with a brain tumour (a GBM as it turned out). The neurosurgeon’s advice was to do an awake craniotomy so that I could sing during the surgery (on June13th 2014) in order to avoid deficits after the procedure. The music neuro team of the UMC in Utrecht was also involved in order to assist the surgery. There is no blood or exposed flesh in the video. I sing two (first and last) couplets of Schubert’s lied “Gute Nacht”: the minor – major transition in order to see if I can still recognise the key change. …It’s been more than a year since and I’m doing fine, continuing my professional singing career.