Collabographies: Tracing shared processes between performer and composer

Petra Valtellina

This research aims to address the question of how performer-composer collaborations can effectively generate a jointly composed flute piece. By examining two collaborative processes undertaken over the past year with different composers, this research seeks to identify factors that facilitated successful collaborations and those that posed challenges. Through comparative analysis, the goal is to identify strategies and approaches that could inform and improve future collaborations of this nature. This study ponders the contrast in the background of the two composers involved and the different experiments in role balance. As the performer, I serve as the common thread between these collaborations; variations in the outcomes result from interpersonal dynamics and the composers' differing levels of familiarity with the flute. The methodology employed aligns with the principles of Action Research, with iterative cycles of feedback, reflection, and adjustments during the collaborations, prioritising the process over the final product. Outcomes of this investigation include that complementary skills, clear expectations, transparent and unfiltered communication, external deadlines, defined final goals, and narrower guidelines might enhance collaborative engagement, improving satisfaction and musical products. Following the introduction, which addresses the motivations underlying this study, Chapters 1 and 2 will contextualise the topic of collaboration through a literature review and present the chosen methodology. Chapter 3 will delve into a comprehensive overview of the two collaborations, while Chapter 4 will propose a comparative analysis of these processes and report the limitations of this study. Conclusions will follow.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The list of people I want to thank for their help in developing this project is long; this makes me feel loved and supported.

First of all, I want to thank Gaspar and Jasper, who chose to share their time and to engage in a long and challenging process. I hope our collaborations will not terminate after this research: I consider it only as a first attempt to what could be done, and I am looking forward to continuing exploring and creating with you.

I am also thankful to Filippo, who accepted to play and record the duet with me, and who is also responsible for the designs included in this exposition.

I thank my research supervisor, Bastiaan van der Waals for his support and guidance since the beginning.

Thank you to Thies Roorda, my flute teacher, who continuously sharpen my critical thinking and gives me tools for reflection, verbalisation and understanding, not limited to the flute field.

Thanks to the people I encountered on the path and discussed my research with: Dai Fujikura, Franck Bedrossian, Martijn Padding, the mdi Ensemble members, the members of Ensemble Academy, but also every person who shared thoughts

and ideas on collaboration in the field of arts: Gianmarco, Arefeh, Cristiano, Enrico, Marta, Dario, Leila, Rosa, Livia, ... Most of my ideas stemmed from interactions, sometimes explicitly, some others less evidently.

I am deeply thankful to my family, who is always there for me: my dad, Alberto, and my brother, Carlo, for making the recordings of the final outcomes, my mother, Cristina, for the conversations and support, my cats for showing love in weird ways whenever I go back to Italy. Mamma, Papà, Carlo: thank you for your suggestions, the time you dedicated to me and to this project, the discussions and the way you make me reflect on what I do and grow. Thanks for your love, I really appreciate it.

Thank you to my uncle Enrico for the trust and support, and for sharing very interesting academic material With me.

Thank you to all my friends. Even if from far away, each of you has a part of me, and I owe who I am to the communities I am and have been part of.

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Petra Valtellina - Collabographies: Tracing shared processes between performer and composer - 2024