This dissertation explores performative perspectives on classical and contemporary vocal improvisation (CCVI) as a critical, creative tool for development of and research in vocal performance. It consists of one introductory part and five articles, with additional documentation on a homepage. The artistic projects have been performed in close collaboration with fellow classically trained singers and musicians. The practice of CCVI is contextualised in relation to vocal history, opera, improvisation practice(s) and research in vocal performance. The artistic methods of opera improvisation, lyrical improvisation and CCVI without words are described in text and video. The studies performed also investigate how theoretical concepts such as performativity, action and interperformativity can be used for articulating aspects of communication, creativity and knowledge in CCVI. Central to the thesis is a suggested model for analysing performativity in three dimensions: the structural, the sy...

Over the last century, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of music repertoire that utilizes other art forms to contribute to its effectiveness. We now routinely see musicians work alongside poets, visual or multimedia artists, dancers and/or other artists, or even incorporate theatrical elements into their own performances. Due to this increase, the advent of personal and large-scale technology, and other variables, there is a greater demand among audiences that a live music performance incorporate other art forms in some way. This paper gives a brief survey of the history of these developments, going back to Futurism in the early 20th century, through the contemporary composers. A central point of this lecture-document is that education in this historical background is not available widely enough to music students, who increasingly are attempting interdisciplinary repertoire, new and old, without being properly informed of the context from which it comes. To remedy this, I have designed a course specifically designed to assist music students to tackle this repertoire in a more informed way. The course draws on more than a century of history and my own collaborative experience, and invites guest artists from other disciplines to create a well-rounded and informative experience for the next generation of interdisciplinary collaborative artists.

In 2008, at the ASA/EAA symposium honouring pioneering scientist of singing, Johan Sundberg, the Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS) project was introduced as a major collaborative research initiative on singing [Cohen, Acoustics 08, Paris (2008), 3177–3182]. Over 70 collaborators around the world were to investigate singing from perspectives of development, education, and well-being. A digital library was to facilitate distant team members’ work on the same data, such as examples from voice studios around the world, performance stages, playgrounds, public places, solos, groups, classrooms, intergenerational or multicultural choirs, therapeutic settings or new tests of singing skills [Vincent et al. PEVOC9 (2011)]. Plans also included tools for annotation and analysis along with relevant documents and images. The present progress report on this endeavor describes preliminary prototypes, stages of development, and the current functional implementation. It is noted ...