A lecture and a performance under the umbrella Music Beyond Music. Featuring a performance of Zusammen i by Jennifer Walshe - with students at the Iceland University of the Arts and Anthony Burr.

Hugarflug is an annual conference on research within the arts hosted by the University of the Arts. Furhter information here.

Abstract for my lecture:

Physicality as subject as well as visual presentation are becoming increasingly important in new music. More and more composers, performers, ensembles and institutions are focusing on work where interdisciplinary practices are in the foreground. In a text written for the Borealis Festival recently composer/performer Jennifer Walshe named her working methods the new discipline, referring to components such as physicality, theatricality and visual aspects as equally important as the sonic one. She consciously uses the word discipline because of its dual meaning: discipline referring to the practice as such, but also because we — the musicians — simply need to become more disciplined about our interdisciplinary approaches. We should take them more seriously.
There is nothing new about the new discipline. Throughout the 20th Century there have been many artistic waves and movements that have embraced cross art collaboration and approaches, such as Dada, Fluxus and experimental music (Cage and beyond). Yet when it comes to the classical music world, both the world of professional classical musicians and the classical conservatory training, musicians are reluctant to deal with the fact that we are actually bodies in space.
How does it affect the audience’s experience to attend a concert in a trailer, as opposed to a traditional concert hall? Does a small space make the audience feel more inclusive? How can we transfer our musical skills to other performative practices leaving our instrumental expertise aside, even just for a while? How can we blur the hierarchical boundaries found within classical music and make the audience and the performers feel more inclusive? These are examples of questions the will be addressed in the presentation.