advanced studies & research in music

The Orpheus Institute, founded in 1996 is an international centre of excellence with its primary focus on artistic research in music: “research embedded in musical practice and primarily guided by artistic objectives.”

The Orpheus Institute, in short:

• aninternationalteamofsenior,doctoralandvisiting musician-researchers• producingandpromotinghighqualityresearchintomusic• inadedicatededucationalandresearchenvironment• generatingnewknowledgein-and-throughmusicalpractice• keepingtheartist’sperspectiveasthestartingpointforresearch

Orpheus Institute hosts the international inter-university docARTES programme for practice-based doctoral study in music, and the Orpheus Research Centre, home to around 25 artist-researchers involved in advanced research.

docARTES is a doctoral programme for performers and composers. It offersauniqueenvironmentforcriticalreflectiononmusicalpractice.Since 2004, docARTES has nurtured more than 50 gifted performers andcomposerstobecomeequallytalentedartist-researchersthroughintensive advanced training within the Orpheus Institute.

Thecloselinkbetweeneducationandresearchwithinourfacilitiescreates an inspiring environment where artists can experiment, exchange ideasanddevelopnewknowledge.

Throughout our activities there is a clear focus on the development of a newresearchdisciplineinthearts,addressingtrendingquestionsandtopics at the heart of musical practice. To promote and disseminate thisknowledge,theOrpheusInstituteorganisesseminars,studydays,workshopsandmasterclasses,anannualAcademyandaResearchFestival. Next to that, the Orpheus Institute also has its own publication series.

All these aspects have made the Orpheus Institute what it is today: the leadingEuropeancentreforartisticresearchinmusicandaninfluentialdriving force for new developments in artistic practice, with an impact that is felt worldwide.

About the Orpheus Institute Research FocusThe Orpheus Research Centre was launched in 2007. Its mission istoproduceandpromotethehighestqualityresearchintomusic,theprocessesofmusicmaking,andourunderstandingofthem.Throughouttheresearchcentre’sactivitiesthereisaclearfocusonthe development of a new research discipline in the arts: one that addressesquestionsandtopicsattheheartoftheartist’smusicalpractice.

The artist’s perspective

TheOrpheusResearchCentreisthefirstofitskindtofocusitsresearch through the perspectives of the artist-researcher. The researchbuildsontheuniqueexpertiseandinsightsofmusiciansand is constantly dialoguing with other disciplines. It aims to serve as a magnet for artists who cannot avoid being researchers.

Based in Flanders, but international in its scope, Orpheus Institute anditsresearchcentreaimtoserveasa‘node’throughwhichnewresearch findings can be shared. Through its institutional partners and contacts, and via the dissemination activities of its researchers both within and outside the Orpheus Institute, the centre provides ameansoftransferringknowledgeefficientlyfromtheworldofresearch to that of musical practice and artistic education – and vice versa.

Research clusters and Principal Investigators

Orpheusresearchersworktogetherasaclose-knitcommunity.They develop individual research projects but also produce collaborativeworkandco-operateinresearchclusters.Eachresearch cluster - led by a Principal Investigator - has its own strengths and strategic goals but they all aim to understand musical processes in experimentation, using appropriate and newly developed research methods.

Declassifying the ClassicsRhetoric, Technology, and Performance (1750 – 1830)Tom Beghin (Principal Investigator), Eleanor Smith, Chris Maene & Tilman Skowroneck

MusicExperiment21Exploring New Paths in Music Performance in the Twenty-First CenturyPaulo de Assis (Principal Investigator), Michael Schwab, Valentin Gloor, Juan Parra Cancino, Bobby Mitchell, Lucia D’Errico, Jan Michiels, Paolo Giudici, Heloisa Amaral & Jan Schacher

HIPEXHistorically Informed Performances of Experimental MusicLuk Vaes (Principal Investigator), Nico Couck, Godfried-Willem Raes & Sarah Saviet

Performance, Subjectivity and ExperimentationCatherine Laws (Principal Investigator), Stefan Östersjö, Valentin Gloor & David Gorton

Clusters

People

Research FellowsPaulo de Assis (Portugal)Tom Beghin (Belgium/Canada)WilliamBrooks(UK)Valentin Gloor (Switzerland)JonathanImpett(UK)CatherineLaws(UK)Juan Parra Cancino (Chile/Belgium)MichaelSchwab(UK)LukVaes(Belgium)

Associate ResearchersKathleenCoessens(Belgium)Anne Douglas (Scotland)PaoloGiudici(Italy/UK)DavidGorton(UK)Chris Maene (Belgium)Jan Michiels (Belgium)DirkMoelants(Belgium)Stefan Östersjö (Sweden)Godfried-Willem Raes (Belgium)TilmanSkowroneck(Sweden)

Doctoral ResearchersHeloisa Amaral (Brazil/Norway)LuciaD’Errico(Italy)NicoCouck(Belgium)Tiziano Manca (Italy)BobbyMitchell(USA)EllieNimeroski(Canada)Jan Schacher (Switzerland)SarahSaviet(USA)

Research Steering CommiteeJonathan Impett, chairPaulo de AssisTom Beghin Peter DejansLukVaes

Research Advisory CouncilJo Bury, chair André De LeenheerDame Janet Ritterman GertrudSandqvist

Editorial BoardWilliamBrooks,chairPaulo de AssisEdCrooksPeter DejansHelena De PreesterJonathan ImpettMichael SchwabHeikeVermeire

StaffPeter Dejans, directorJonathan Impett, director of researchLukVaes,docARTES coordinatorHeikeVermeire,office managerKathleenSnyers,project managerJonas Tavernier,communication & event manager

Calendar 2015 - 2016Publications since 2013 Who is who at Orpheus Institute

Christian Wolff at OrpheusStudy Days with Christian Wolff28-29 September 2015

Orpheus Research Festival 2015A showcase of research, music and ideas30-2 October 2015

The Dark PrecursorInternational Conference on Deleuze and Artistic Research9-11 November 2015

Unfolding the ProcessArtistic Research in Context 17-19 November 2015, Oslo (Norway)

Composition and Test EnsembledocARTES focus session23-24 November 2015

Building Erard AnewProjectkick-off“DeclassifyingtheClassics”24 November 2015

What Do We Know in a Score?Study Days with Roberto Dani14-15 December 2015

Noise: Its Concept-Formation and its Conceptual ‘Transduction’Research Study Day with Cecile Malaspina23 and 24 January 2016

Heinz Holliger visits OrpheusStudy Days with Heinz Holliger8-10 February 2016

Performance, Subjectivity and Experimentation in Artistic ResearchAn Interdisciplinary Seminar24-25 February 2016

Virtual Works - Actual ThingsOrpheus Academy for Music & Theory with Lydia Goehr, David Davies,AndreasDorschel,JohnRink& Gunnar Hindrichs4-6 April 2016

A Cookbook of Practice-Led PhDs in MusicdocARTES focus session23-24 May 2016

OEMC - Orpheus Experimental Music ConsortResearch MasterclassJune 2016, Cini Foundation (Venice)

Haydn’s Chamber Music and the Art of ConversationArtist’researchworkshop22-24 June 2016

EventsPublications

Orpheus Institute Series, publishedby Leuven University Press

Experimental Affinities in MusicPaulo de Assis (ed.), 2015 (December)

Artistic Experimentation in Music: An AnthologyDarla Crispin and Bob Gilmore (eds.)2014

Multiple Paths (CD)Bach / Parra / TenneyJuan Parra Cancino, with Ensemble Modelo62 2014

Composing under the Skin: The Music-making Body at the Composer’s DeskPaul Craenen2013

Sound & Score: Essays on Sound, Score and NotationPaulo de Assis, William Brooks, Kathleen Coessens (eds.)2013

Experimental Systems: Future Knowledge in Artistic ResearchMichael Schwab (ed.)2013

international research environment

Orpheus InstituteKorte Meer 129000 GhentBelgium

t: +32 (0)9 330 40 81f: +32 (0)9 330 40 82

info@orpheusinstituut.bewww.orpheusinstituut.be