The space we are in
(2024)
author(s): Sergio Sánchez Perera
published in: KC Research Portal
As musicians, we work in a variety of different spaces, some of which are unfamiliar and with their own dynamics. But in order to be as productive as possible, we have internalized the notion that, particularly as performers, we must keep our personal and professional lives apart.
In my personal case, after moving to the Netherlands to begin my master's program and finding myself without a place to live, I became aware of how much this circumstance affected my playing.
Despite the initial negative impact of the situation, I was able to see potential for an artistic endeavor, leading me to embark on the creation of an interdisciplinary piece titled "The space we are in" – a composition for amplified viola, tape, and video – in an attempt to materialize the feelings and thoughts surrounding my personal situation.
In this study, I documented each stage of the artistic development process, alongside an analysis exploring the philosophical and psychological connotations of the concept of space, and contrasting it with the idea of place. Additionally, I delved into intriguing concepts such as Kathleen Coessens' artistic web of practice and examined various artistic works where the interaction with space plays a significant role.
While working on this project, I discovered a specific interaction with my environment that not only helped me adjust to my new living situation but also –and this is something that I hope to share with the readers of this research– increased my sensitivity and helped me comprehend my artistic vision.
Musical Psycho Performance
(2024)
author(s): Gianmarco Moneti
published in: KC Research Portal
Although I love attending traditional classical music concerts, I have long felt that they missed certain aspects that would make them more relatable to the inner world of the audience. In this research exposition, I argue that this missing aspect is a social element and I guide the reader through a possible application of social themes to a classical music concert. On a formal level, I use the techniques of psychodrama – a form of group therapy – as a tool from which I borrow some fundamental concepts, along with the conception of characters, to understand how social themes can be addressed in a context in which multiple people connect to the same object. In this case, the object of common interest is the representation on stage. On a substantial level, I draw upon material I collected in my interviews with Clara Scarafia to study a social theme she has been directly involved with: suicide. The two levels are brought together in my pilot session, where I experiment through a sample of the complete performance I am designing and an audience questionnaire how psychodrama and the interview interact and influence one another. The goal is to show that the classical repertoire, with its complex emotional kaleidoscope and non-verbal language, can easily bear a social theme and enhance the collective reflection of relevant themes in our times.
"Inseparable": Music and Dance in a Cross-Disciplinary Practice
(2024)
author(s): Kalina Vladovska
published in: KC Research Portal
The following research observes the artistic creative process of a cross-disciplinary theatrical dance and percussion performance, called “Inseparable”. It discusses and analyses the process and methods behind the creation of the piece; the pros and cons of dance-percussion collaboration, and of working as a team of performer-creators; the involvement of a director; the creation of the final performance with a technical crew (light & sound); and the emergence of a mutual artistic language.
The cast includes Zaneta Kesik and Matija Franjes - two dancers (doubling as choreographers), and Joao Brito and Kalina Vladovska - two percussionists (doubling as composers), creating the narrative, dramaturgy, choreography and (some of the) music on their own. The director, Renee Spierings, was invited to be an external coach. Teus van der Stelt and Maurits Thiel - light and sound artists - took care of the final presentation. The four performances took place during and thanks to Muziekzomer Gelderland 2023 and were produced by Jarick Bruinsma.
Furthermore, in the research I discuss the social impact of the project's themes – technology addiction and human communication - and I examine a number of reactions and feedback from audience members.
The chosen form of presentation is a research exposition.
The Arabic Maqam on Double Bass
(2021)
author(s): Remy Dielemans
published in: KC Research Portal
After participating in a project, Remy awakened his interest in Arabic traditional music. Being trained as a jazz, pop and classical bassist, he found that this music left him clueless, but mesmerized. That was when he decided to learn more about this musical genre, and dedicated his Master’s degree to the subject.
In his research, Remy aimed to find ways to incorporate elements from traditional Arabic music into his own musical practice as a Jazz double bass player. To reach this goal, Remy researched both rhythmic and melodic aspects of the Arabic music tradition. The first step was to understand the theory and the melodic and rhythmic information involved, encountering challenging topics like quartertones and complex rhythms and song structures. Secondly he searched to find ways to translate the melodic and rhythmic elements on to the double bass, creating several exercises to gain familiarity with the material. The third step of the research was about applying his findings into his artistic practice. By composing new tunes and arranging existing songs, both from the traditional Arabic world as from the jazz genre, Remy aimed to let the discoveries of his research sink in in his musical creativity.
Remy’s presentation will take you through his journey discovering this music. He will guide you through the three steps of his discoveries, looking at the melodic elements of the Arabic musical tradition, and how he implemented these into his own musical practice.
Master Research exposition by Remy Dielemans
Jazz Double Bass, Royal Conservatoire the Hague
Supervised by: Loes Rusch
Master Circle Leader: Wim Vos
Constructing a framework for interdisciplinary performances featuring classically trained musicians and dancers or actors
(2021)
author(s): Joel Gester Suarez
published in: KC Research Portal
The research aims to construct a framework for interdisciplinary performances. This framework is organised in the different components that shape creative processes. The research follows a process that begins with my experience in the dance-music collaboration “The Devil on the Dance Floor”, which included my ensemble Quinteto del Diablo, dancer Rosanna Ter Steege, and stage director Laura Suárez. The insights gained from this project, as well as the interview with director and actress Laura Suárez, led to the theorisation of the framework.
The mentioned components are organised in a map. Each one of them serves as a possible starting point for a creative process. The propositions drawn from the framework support the notion of non-hierarchical creative processes. However, it also concludes that all the mentioned components have to be observed and worked with according to their qualities. After the layout of the framework, the interview with dancer and choreographer Mar López provides a critical comparison to support the theory through the experience of someone outside my environment. The last section analyses my master project, a piano-dance duo with Rosanna ter Steege, as a practical application of this theoretical framework. The research aims to set a framework that can help me and others, especially classically trained musicians, when working on an interdisciplinary performance. The format of the presentation is a research exposition.
Innovative Practice of Enhancing Musical Perceptions
(2021)
author(s): Noppakorn Auesirinucroch
published in: KC Research Portal
The human sensory system is complex and enigmatic but yet, attractive. Why are we continuously applying expressional words from another sensory modality and understanding it without any suspicion? In classical music, usage of the term dolce (sweet) to specify particular musical tones is frequently applied despite the word initially used to express a character of specific taste, which seems unrelated to music. This curiosity affects the researcher to explores a specific sensorial phenomenon, a crossmodal correspondence.
The study's objectives are to comprehend and utilise the topic of crossmodal correspondences to design multisensory performance with an emphasis on sound-taste associations. This exposition contains scientific reviews on crossmodal correspondences, interviews with a neurologist, and personal experience at a fine dining restaurant; additionally, the related subject, synaesthesia. Lastly, a review on the process of creating a flavour musical piece for solo guitar in collaboration with a prominent Thai composer, Piyawat Louilarpprasert, has been elaborated.
DEBUSSY AND MOVEMENT - IMANOL CASAN
(2020)
author(s): Imanol Casan
published in: KC Research Portal
For this project, Lien Baelde and I created a choreography based on "La Soiree dans Grenade" by C. Debussy. In order to prepare the choreography, I made an approach to the connection between music and dance and I analyzed the harmony and sctructure of the piece.
The objetive of the research is to see how my playing changes while working “La Soireé dans Grenade” with a dancer. To answer this question, I compare a recording before and after working with the dancer. This research concludes that mixing arts in the learning process has benefits in my playing, adding flexibility and tempo control.
How can I find my own voice through my instrument
(2020)
author(s): Julia Casañas Cast
published in: KC Research Portal
Many classical musicians can suffer from tension and nervousness during solo performance. This research looks at how practicing improvisation and creative body movement, as well as creating one’s own performance together with a dancer, can affect the feeling of freedom and enjoyment on stage.
The researcher explored a way to find her own voice. By practicing free improvisation she explored new possibilities of her playing and expression as she searched for freedom and development of creativity. This resulted in a generally more free and involved feeling on stage. In addition, body movement courses helped her to be more aware of her body on stage, resulting in a better sound quality.
A project was created to address the question of how to create one’s own performance that comes from the performers own voice. The project created was based on the poem Woman Inhabited by Words by Guisela Lopez – a poem that was very meaningful to the researcher. In the performance she improvised on the viola; the sound is modified by a computer, and at the same time a contemporary dancer improvised on the music.
In this way, the researcher combined her love of dance and of playing music to find a new depth in her performance and performance experience.
La pratica degli affetti - The practice of affections
(2020)
author(s): Elisa De Toffol
published in: KC Research Portal
Research question: How the relationship between seconda prattica (Claudio Monteverdi) and poetica del gesto (Luciano Berio) can be absorbed in a singing study process and which are the practical results/vocal consequences?
Abstract:
This research wants to investigate through a personal vocal approach the nature of the connection between music and text in Claudio Monteverdi’s and Luciano Berio’s compositions. It started with my personal wish as a singer to be able to express feelings behind words in such a way that the relation between both becomes more clear. I found in the connection between these two composers the perfect ground to build this vocal study path which I documented with recordings. This vocal path has proven to be full of inspiration and stimuli: on one side the open, honest and modern full of love language of Monteverdi, which shapes the harmony according to the meaning of the text (pone l’armonia serva all’orazione). On the other side the inspiring, rich, creative and fascinating writing of Luciano Berio that with his poetics of the gesture seems to reveal in a direct and elegant way a world of infinite possibilities of colorful combinations between musical sounds and words. This research exposition, is divided in four main chapters. The first one is an introduction to Monteverdi and his seconda prattica in which the doctrine of affections is exposed with a special focus at the Lamento d'Arianna along with my research about vocal interpretation. The second chapter describes the musical context in Italy at the beginning of the 20th-century observing how the new composers looked back at the past and in particular at Monteverdi and his contemporaries; in the third chapter Luciano Berio's poetics of gesture will be exposed and it will be observed how some of his composition refer to Monteverdi's seconda prattica. A final chapter will show, with a video recording, my vocal research during the approach to their music.