Hochschule Darmstadt, Darmstadt, 27-30 July 2025 (in collaboration with the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music)

SIMM research seminar #10 on participatory opera and music theatre projects:
The 10th SIMM research seminar will be organized by the Hochschule Darmstadt, in collaboration with the Academic Chair Jonet / CESAMM (Ghent), the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) and the research platform SIMM.

Following the 1st and 2nd such seminars on participatory opera and music theatre organised in June 2023 in Barcelona (see link here) and in September 2024 in London, this research seminar is planned to take place from 27 to 30 July 2025 at the Hochschule Darmstadt (DE).

The 3-day research seminar itself will be taking place from Monday 28th until Wednesday 30th July at the Darmstadt Hochschule, but on Sunday 27th July at 4 pm a public presentation is organised at the campus of the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music.  Lukas Pairon (also co-founder and former general director of the Ictus Ensemble) will first give a presentation of some examples of participatory opera and music theatre projects, as well as some examples of research in this field, and following this presentation an exchange will be possible with practitioners and researchers attending this public meeting.

The 10th research seminar will welcome a small group of up to maximum 20 post-graduate students, early-career researchers as well as experienced researchers – who are all involved in ongoing research on participatory opera and music theatre programmes – to spend a 3-day seminar during which they will share their research experiences with each other.

Prof. Dr. Sara Hubrich (Hochschule Darmstadt), Prof. Sean Gregory (Guildhall School) and Prof. Dr. Lukas Pairon (SIMM & Chair Jonet) will be the facilitators, who will help the participants in sharing their experiences and ideas and research methodologies.

The scientific committee for this seminar is composed of:  An De bisschop, (chairholder Chair Jonet), Sean Gregory, Sara Hubrich, Lukas Pairon, and Fiona Stevens (Hochschule Darmstadt).

You can also listen to the 2 episodes (#17 and #18) of the SIMM-podcast which we broadcasted on the practice and research on participatory opera and music theatre, including interviews with Imogen Flower, Graça Mota, François Matarasso, Paulo Lameiro, Sarah Théry and Claire Pasquier.

Call for participants:

Expressions of interest should be sent no later than 31 December 2024 by email to Lukas Pairon (lukas.pairon@simm-platform.eu).

This should include your name, institutional affiliation, current professional role(s), a maximum 200-word statement including relevant professional experience and background, why you wish to participate in this research seminar, and what your interest and experience is in research on the role of music composition in social and community music projects.

The selection of those welcomed to be part of this seminar will be communicated the latest before 30th January 2025.

There will be no registration fee, but those selected for this seminar will need to themselves cover their travel costs, meals and accommodation in Darmstadt.