Musical Invention And Vocal Idiom: Exploring Expressive Agency And Empathy Through Composition
For centuries, composers and singers have pushed each other’s horizons to create a rich repertoire of vocal works at the heart of the classical music canon. In contemporary music, however, a tension is increasingly felt between the composer’s desire to be inventive and the physical limitations set by the singer’s body. Today the conservative nature of operatic tradition is often misunderstood by composers as old-fashioned and an obstacle to musical innovation whereas many new, experimental works dismiss the very techniques singers spend their careers trying to master. As a composer, coach, and conductor of opera, I see this dichotomy as a fruitful challenge. My question remains: How can a holistic understanding of the vocal idiom enable composers to invent and organize musical material in new ways? How can composers and performers work together to create new works which challenge conventions and push the expressive limits of singing? In short, how can we look back to move forward?
This artistic research project explores the conventions of classical singing to create innovative compositions rooted in the vocal idiom. Through collaborating directly with singers and examining the composer-performer relationship, I investigate expressive agencies of lyric diction, bel canto vocal techniques, and the role empathy plays in compositional processes. This artistic research project seeks to bridge classical vocal traditions with contemporary composition practices while unraveling the complexities of vocal music, integrating expressive techniques, and understanding empathic processes. By addressing key research questions and employing interdisciplinary methodologies, this dissertation aims to illuminate the emotive power of the human voice and its implications for musical creation, setting the stage for an in-depth exploration of musical invention and the vocal idiom.
Raphael Fusco
Composition, Piano
Italian-American composer, keyboardist and conductor Raphael Fusco has been hailed by the international press as “one of the most outstanding composers of his generation (El Mundo),” and “a leader in the opera world today (Operawire).”
His genre-crossing compositions have been commissioned by Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Cecilia Chorus of New York, I Cantori New York, Hartford Chorale, Opera Lucca, Classic Lyric Arts Festival, I Porporini and members of the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestras. His works have been premiered in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kimmel Center Philadelphia, Lincoln Center, St. Bavo Kerk Haarlem, Gaudì’s Casa Milà in Barcelona, Église de Saint Séverin in Paris, Dvorak House in Prague and Teatro Titano in San Marino.
His song cycle Quarantine Camp was awarded 2nd Prize in the 2023 NATS Art Song Composition Competition and he conducted the world premiere of Le parole dei mesi in Novafeltria, Italy. In 2022 he conducted the world premieres of his An American Requiem in the Herz Jesu Kirche of Graz and his cantata La contesa canora in Lucca, Italy. In July 2021 he conducted the premieres of his operas Der Telefonist in Oldenburg, Germany and inSOMNIA in Amberg, Germany (“a multifaceted, atmospheric sound-painting” Mittelbayerische Zeitung). His debut album REMIXED featuring original compositions for solo piano praised for their “stunning sonic ideas” (Jazz Corner) was released in 2019. In 2016 he premiered his concerto for saxophone Alternate Routes with GRAMMY Award winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis.
Mr. Fusco has received awards from the American Prize for Music, NATS Art Song Composition Competition, Fyfe Choral Composition Competition, Aliénor International Harpsichord Competition, Padre Martini Fugue Award, Bohuslav Martinū Composition Award, as well as grants from the National Italian American Foundation and Exploring the Metropolis. His works are published by Universal Edition Vienna and Verlag Ries & Erler Berlin. Since 2019 Raphael Fusco has served as Senior Artist in the Institute for music theater at the University for Performing Arts in Graz, Austria where he is pursuing a doctoral degree in artistic research.
As a pianist and harpsichordist Mr. Fusco has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theatre, Gotham Chamber Opera, Graz Opera, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. In 2013 and 2015 he was artist-in-residence at the Piccola Academia di Montisi where he composed on one of the world’s finest collections of historical keyboard instruments.
Raphael studied composition, piano, and conducting at the Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Conservatorio G. Verdi di Torino, Vienna Konservatorium, and Paris Schola Cantorum. A passionate educator, he has given masterclasses at the Escuela Superior de Canto de Madrid, Manhattan School of Music, Boston University, Opera Lucca Festival and Classic Lyric Arts Festival in Italy.
Katharine Dain
Soprano, Rigorosum Performer
American Soprano Katharine Dain performs opera, song, chamber music, and orchestral repertoire internationally. Her debut album *Regards sur l’Infini* with pianist Sam Armstrong won the 2021 Edison Klassiek Award for Best Debut and received widespread acclaim, while their second album *Forget This Night* was named BBC Music Magazine’s CD of the Month. Recent highlights include being Artist-in-Residence with Finland’s Tapiola Sinfonietta, and performing with the Dutch National Opera, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and at major venues across Europe and North America.