Research Grants

Voiceworks Digital Song/Text Project:

a collaboration between Birkbeck Centre for Poetics, Wigmore Hall & Guildhall School Principal Investigator: Dr Carol Watts, Birkbeck College Co-Investigators: Dr Richard Baker & Julian Philips

Collaborations
London Centre for Arts & Cultural Exchange (LCACE)
The Guildhall School is one of 9 organisations in the UK involved with LCACE, a university initiative promoting the exchange of knowledge in Londons arts and cultural sectors.

www.voiceworks.org.uk

European Association of Conservatoires (AEC)

Polifonia Project
www.polifonia-tn.org
The Research Working Group is chaired by the Assistant Principal. Outputs include a Pocketbook focusing on developing research within conservatoires (to be published in late 2010) and an international programme of professional development and collaboration between teachers in music academies and conservatoires.

Recent events include:

Measuring listening through time: cognition and emotion: a seminar by Professor Stephen McAdams,
McGill University

Promoting social engagement and well-being in older people through community supported participation in musical activities
Principal Investigator: Professor Susan Hallam, Institute of Education, University of London Co-Investigators: Dr Helena Gaunt, Dr Andrea Creech, Dr Anita Pincas
www.ioe.ac.uk/study/departments/cpe/31139.html www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk/

Impressions of Spain: Albniz and his contemporaries: a week of concerts and lectures which
commemorated the centenary of the death of Isaac Albniz. Curated by Professor Barry Ife, Principal

www.innovativeconservatoire.eu
Photo: Sander Veenhof

Liszt & the Literary imagination: a lecture demonstration

by Paul Roberts, Research Associate & professor of piano

Touching the Ether to Hatching Aliens for flute & piano: a workshop exploring the process of notation with
respect to the non-standard flute techniques within Ian Clarkes new compositions

Innovative Conservatoire (ICON)

An international group of conservatoires dedicated to developing collaborative research and teacher development.

Emotion and Executive Function during Music & Dramatic Performance

Principal Investigator: Professor Lawrence Parsons, University of Sheffield Co-Investigator: Dr Helena Gaunt

Institute of Musical Research (IMR)

A partnership aimed at developing research training for students and engaging the wider research community with practice-based research. www.music.sas.ac.uk
Touching the Ether Performance Notes

Institute of Education, University of London Creative learning and original music performance project
Directed by Professor John Rink, Cambridge University, as part of the AHRC Research Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice (CMPCP)
www.cmpcp.ac.uk
An established research partnership led by Professor Susan Hallam and Dr Andrea Creech at the Institute of Education and Dr Helena Gaunt at the Guildhall School. www.ioe.ac.uk

Identity, aspirations and motivation in musicians: a symposium including presentations from Dr Don Lebler, Queensland Conservatorium and Dr Andrea Creech, Institute of Education, University of London

Photo: Greg Funnell

Getting it right? Performance Practices in Contemporary Music: a conference directed by

Julian Anderson with keynote speaker Helmut Lachenmann (pictured).
I look back with great feelings of pleasure to the conference: the content was very interesting, the networking and organisation great and the keynotes superb!

Centre for Orchestra

Launched in April 2009, the Centre for Orchestra brings together the Guildhall School, the LSO and the Barbican Centre in a major new initiative in orchestral training, education and early career support for young professional musicians.

For details of forthcoming research events visit

www.gsmd.ac.uk/research
Cover image: Tales from Ovid (2006)

Management team
Dr Helena Gaunt, Assistant Principal (Research & Academic Development) Rebecca Heath, Academic Services and Research Co-ordinator For details of research active staff visit www.gsmd.ac.uk/research

Guildhall School of Music & Drama Silk Street Barbican London EC2Y 8DT

2007

www.gsmd.ac.uk/research

2ND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

www.lcace.org.uk/

Initiated in 2008 this research forum brings together staff, students and guests of international standing to create a live laboratory of exploration and debate.

THE REFLECTIVE CONSERVATOIRE

International Reflective Conservatoire Conference
March 2009 saw the 2nd International Reflective Conservatoire Conference: Building Connections hosted by the Guildhall School. The event was attended by over 200 delegates & presenters from 23 countries. Keynote presenters were: Professor John Sloboda, Sir Christopher Frayling (Royal College of Art) and Professor Barry Ife (Principal), Sir Nicholas Kenyon (Managing Director of the Barbican Centre) and Kathryn McDowell (Managing Director of the LSO). The 3rd International Reflective Conservatoire Conference will take place on 2427 March 2012. Abstracts from 2009 and further information on 2012 are available at www.gsmd.ac.uk/conference

The Guildhall School is provided by the City of London as part of its contribution to the cultural life of London and the nation

2010

Research & Knowledge Exchange

Current Projects & Recent Outputs

Knight Crew by Julian Philips
Premiered in March 2010, Knight Crew by Julian Philips, who is Joint Head of Composition at the Guildhall School, investigates a symbiotic connection between new opera development and opera education and where this might take the art-form in the future. A three-part documentary series about the opera has been commissioned by BBC2 for transmission in June 2010. My three year creative residency at Glyndebourne has been an extraordinary opportunity to explore and question the operatic art-form. Funded by the AHRC, the residency has allowed me to develop a series of creative projects that investigate and question the operatic medium: Followers, a site-specific promenade opera and The Yellow Sofa, a chamber opera for 10 singers and small ensemble. Knight Crew marks the culmination of the residency a full-length youth opera for Glyndebournes main stage written for 150 young singers and instrumentalists, an amateur chorus and six professional singers. Julian Philips www.knightcrewopera.com

The impact of music therapy in treating post-traumatic stress disorder led by Ann Sloboda
This pilot study, a collaboration between the Guildhall School and East London Foundation NHS Trust, utilised a randomised controlled trial design. The study measured whether music therapy had an effect on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Results showed a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms after music therapy and interviews indicated that patients viewed music therapy as both positive and helpful.

Presence: How to Use Positive Energy for Success in Every Situation by Patsy Rodenburg
Patsy Rodenburgs work as a voice coach has increasingly been focused on understanding better the different kinds of relationships between technique and bodily awareness in actors and musicians: actors generally have a greater awareness of their bodies and a greater sense of presence, whereas musicians have much more developed technique but much less awareness of their physical presence. By studying the relationship between technique and presence in actors and musicians, she has been able to improve the technical command of actors and enable musicians to access the artistry beyond their technique. This new publication builds on her findings and proposes a general theory of presence in a variety of situations. a

The Comedy of Change (2009) for twelve instruments

Score by Julian Anderson, Choreography by Mark Baldwin, Photography by Hugo Glendinning
Commissioned jointly by the Asko Ensemble of Amsterdam and the Rambert Dance Company The Comedy of Change may be played either as a concert work or as a ballet, with specially composed choreography by Mark Baldwin. The work is in honour of Charles Darwins bicentenary and celebrates On the Origin of Species. The basic notion is that everything changes, all the time, but at different speeds and for different reasons. The rate of change in a rock, for example, can seem slow, whilst the rate of change in the The Comedy of Change,choreography by behaviour of an animal which stands on that Mark Baldwin, score by Julian Anderson and rock may seem, by comparison, extremely fast. photography by Hugo Glendinning. Through the creative process, Julian and Mark were in constant consultation Julian Andersons workfitted well into this aura of with Professor Nicky Clayton eccentric adventure. Originally a dance score, it evokes of Clare College, Cambridge, a the profuse quirkiness of Darwinian evolution in a mix of leading researcher into change quasi-Messiaen birdsong, scurrying insect-like figuration in animal communication and and an irresistible array of gorgeous textures. behaviour patterns. The Times, April 2010

Cor applicatio The na e n

Photo: Mike Hoban

Understanding Audiences Research programme directed by Professor John Sloboda

I love the lyricism of it. Think of Puccini punctuated by occasional Lloyd Webber moments suffused with Bernstein-ian rhythms and Brittenesque harmonies. Most of all I love seeing over 100 young people learning and achieving so much together.

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Repertoire for the 21st century:
plays; film/TV scripts; composition; creative/ improvised pieces

ty tivi ctice in society acnal pra

Helping performers, sponsors and teachers obtain a better mutual understanding of audiences in ways which will be directly relevant to their future work.

The Stage, March 2010

Contemporary Opera
The evolution of opera as an art form is becoming a focal point of research activity at the School. Recent successes include the Queens Anniversary Prize for Opera, Julian Philips operas Knight Crew and The Yellow Sofa (supported by his AHRC funded creative residency at Glyndebourne) and Julian Andersons commission for English National Opera due for completion in 2012, with librettist Frank McGuinness and director Pierre Andre.

This programme aims to explore the ways in which performers become aware of and develop relationships with audiences. A number of seed projects began early in 2010: investigating the relationships between jazz musicians and their audiences; understanding how collaboration between musicians and actors impacts on their engagement with audiences; exploring orchestral musicians perceptions of their relationship to audiences in the concert hall and other contexts.

The science and art of artistry:

development of technical skill; artistic insight; presence; creativity

The nature, value and purpose of Masterclasses Research programme

Percentages of students describing their aspirations for learning from masterclasses

Advice on practising 2.9% Different teaching methods 8.0% Improve musicianship 15.5% Improve performance skills 21.2% To be insprired 7.2% New ways of thinking 34.9% Advanced technical advice 31.9% Opinion on the profession 3.8% Musical interpretations 21.2%

Performance practices:
historical; contemporary

Professional orchestral musicians in the twenty-first century

What does it take to become one and to sustain being one?
Initiated within Centre for Orchestra, this study aims to yield insights into the experiences of musicians in western classical orchestras: what skills and qualities are required, what factors help sustain the quality of the work and bring satisfaction, what are the challenges? Findings will be used to enhance the education and training of musicians, and to inform debate about the ongoing development of orchestras in the twenty first century. Beginning with musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and senior students from the Guildhall School, the study will extend to cover a larger sample of orchestral musicians, including players from the Associate Orchestras at the Barbican: the New York Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Royal Concertgebouw and the LA Philharmonic.

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny: Photo Clive Totman

Lads in their Hundreds directed by Iain Burnside

Iain Burnside is known for his provocative and imaginative programming, interweaving text & music from a variety of genres, persuading audiences to listen to familiar works from a fresh perspective, making unexpected connections between the old and the new. Burnsides fourth foray into this terrain, Lads in their Hundreds, takes this a step further, stretching the usual parameters of song recitals by adding theatrical elements: staging, lighting, costumes & props. The process, from auditions to performances is being filmed to capture precisely how such a project, largely created during the rehearsal period, comes together.

Directed by Dr Helena Learning by watching 3.2% Knowledge about repertoire Gaunt (Guildhall School), Professor Susan Hallam and Dr Andrea Creech at the Institute of Education, University of London. The first phase of this study focused on students perceptions of masterclass experiences in terms of purpose and value. This emphasised the significance of masterclasses in validating students as members of a professional community of practice, and demonstrated significant differences across gender and instrument groups in students approach to the learning experience. The second phase will aim to analyse the formats of different types of masterclasses and their impact.

Anything the master thinks is important 10.5% 6.7%

Tales from Ovid Production led by Christian Burgess

Tales from Ovid, a theatrical response to Ted Hughes treatment of ten of the Metamorphoses of Ovid, brought actors, musicians and a composition student together to devise the performance together in a rehearsal room. As the work developed, the traditional roles of the different disciplines became blurred, to the extent that by the time of the performance the company had merged into a single homogeneous unit. The search for a new theatrical language drawing on the training and the expertise of a diverse group of young artists was, and continues to be, at the heart of an on-going exploration of the potential offered by a multi-disciplinary conservatoire. The final production was arguably considerably stronger as a result of the range and diversity of creative input, and has led to a developing belief in the benefits of a less disciplinespecific approach to training.

Gabriel Faur: The Songs and their Poets by Graham Johnson

Co-published by the Guildhall School and Ashgate Publishing, 2009

Inspired by a concert series at the School placing the complete songs of Faur alongside a selection of his piano works, Graham Johnsons new book emphasises the context of the songs within Faurs own life story and the rich culture of the period, as well as providing revealing detail about the poetry and poets he set. Each of Faurs 109 songs receives a separate commentary and the final chapters bring to the surface practical implications for the way this uniquely subtle repertoire is performed.

An ideal guide to one of the most important figures in the song repertoire, valuable to performers and listeners alike.

BBC Music Magazine

Tales from Ovid (2006): Photo Nobby Clark

Highlights
September 2008 October 2008
Emotion and Executive Function during Music & Dramatic Performance project awarded funding by The Leverhulme Trust (Lead Partner: University of Sheffield). Eugene Astis research project culminates in the publication of a collection of Mendelssohns previously unpublished songs by Brenreiter, followed by a Hyperion recording.

Forthcoming
April 2009
Co-production agreed with Yale University Press for Graham Johnsons Companion to Schubert Song.

November 2008 February 2009 March 2009

Submission to the RAE 2008. Guildhall ResearchWorks: a series of researchfocused events launched. Projection in Performance Conference in association with Complicite and LCACE led by Ben Sumner. 2nd International Reflective Conservatoire Conference: Building Connections.

May 2009
Submission to the ESRC New Dynamics of Ageing strand successful (Lead Partner: Institute of Education, University of London).

June 2009
Formation of the Research & Knowledge Exchange Strategy 20092013. Music & Morality Conference convened by Guy Dammann in collaboration with the Institute of Musical Research (IMR). MAP/Making: Looking to the future of Music, Art and Performance: a collaboration between the Guildhall School & Royal College of Art sees a performance at the Bath International Festival.

July 2009
Professor John Sloboda appointed Visiting Research Fellow. Research agenda identified within Centre for Orchestra.

August 2009 September 2009

QR funding secured as a result of the RAE2008. Premiere of Julian Philips new chamber opera The Yellow Sofa at Glyndebourne. Guildhall School launches distinctive new DMus in Composition. Urtext edition of Beethovens Violin Concerto Op.61 with fingering & bowing by Detlef Hahn published by Brenreiter.

October 2009
Paul Roberts, Dr David Dolan & Dr Helena Gaunt present at The Performers Voice Symposium, Singapore. Book Launch for Graham Johnsons new publication Gabriel Faur: The Songs and their Poets. Guildhall School joins the AHRC Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice (CMPCP), collaborating on Professor John Rinks project Creative learning and original music performance. Nell Catchpole awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize.

November 2009
Study Day:Uniting the true with the beautiful Music and Text in the Age of Goethe held at the Guildhall School in collaboration with the IMR, convened by Norbert Meyn.

March 2010
World Premiere of Julian Philips opera Knight Crew at Glyndebourne. Voiceworks Digital Song/Text Project: a collaboration between Birkbeck Centre for Poetics, Wigmore Hall & Guildhall School of Music & Drama funded by the AHRC (Lead Partners: Birkbeck College and the Wigmore Hall). Two members of staff admitted to the AHRC Peer Review College.

April 2010
Getting it right? Professor Carl Schachter, Performance Juilliard School visits the School for a series of lectures. Practices in Contemporary Music Paul Roberts examines the Conference, directed literary inspiration behind by Julian Anderson Liszts Annes de Plerinage as with keynote part of his ongoing enquiry speaker Helmut into the literary background Lachenmann held at of major piano works in the LSO St.Lukes. nineteenth-century.

August 2010
UK premiere of Julian Andersons Fantasias for Orchestra at the BBC Proms.

Autumn 2010
Completion of a research documentary for the Lads in
their Hundreds

December 2010
Premiere performances of Julian Philips new work for the Britten Sinfonia.

Late 2011
Paul Roberts new publication Reflections:
The Piano Music of Maurice Ravel a companion to Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy, published

March 2012
Graham Johnsons Companion to Schubert Song published by Yale University Press in association with the School. Laura Roberts Clara Schumann publication with Ashgate publishing in association with the School. 3rd International Reflective Conservatoire Conference held at the Guildhall School on 2427 March.

Also in 2012
Dr Richard Bakers commission for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. The piece will build on research into the possibilities offered by electronic percussion interfaces. Completion of Julian Andersons new opera commission by English National Opera. Glyndebourne takes Julian Philips opera The Yellow Sofa on national tour. Julian Andersons cocommission from the London Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic for a set of virtuoso orchestral tudes. World premiere in London, March 2012.

production, directed by Iain Burnside.

by Amadeus Press (1996, reprint 2001), published by Amadeus Press.