Research Catalogue

an international database for artistic research

• 3. Internal publication Research published in this issue are only for internal circulation within the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague.
• 2. Royal Conservatoire Investigations Royal Conservatoire Investigations
• 1. Master Research Projects All research in KC

• Creating connections between production techniques and improvised music (2025) author(s): Vincent Nier Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  The debate between tradition and innovation has always been substantial within the jazz genre and its community. Even though jazz music and audio engineering grew hand in hand, the relevance of the recording medium has often been placed at the center of this discussion with artists constantly evolving and adopting new musical or technical innovations to fulfill their creative ambitions. Nowadays, the studio environment welcomes a new generation of audio literate improvising musicians, often influenced simultaneously by the jazz tradition, its modern sub-genres as well as the more recent genres and recorded art forms brought forth since the 1950’s. As a result, the audio production’s role has been increasingly growing in modern jazz studio projects. From an audio engineering standpoint, this research aims to explore how producers can introduce production techniques when recording to influence, inspire or enhance themusical improvisation in a modern jazz studio performance. Furthermore, the goal is to find efficient ways to integrate this approach into the overall production process and make the various steps associated coincide to create a stronger synergy between the performance and the project’s final output. Practical studio projects as well as interviews with the musicians involved are here used as a basis to investigate the challenges and considerations introduced when engaging with these concepts. The research demonstrates that production techniques can indeed uplift the modern jazz performance but in some cases also come in its way. When following the right methods, this process can be extremely fruitful and offer new exciting perspectives in terms of artistic collaboration and expression.
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• Creating Originality Through Heritage: A Drummer’s Process Toward Jazz Composition and Artistic Leadership (2025) author(s): Ewen Grall Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  This research investigates how cultural roots and origins can influence the composition process in the creation of original contemporary jazz music. The first section examines the jazz musician’s dilemma of honoring the past while shaping the future and the relationship between « Traditionnal Swing » and «Free and improvised Jazz », includes case studies, as his previous work as a drummer and new composer. The second section wants to explore the reflexion of jazz artists on questions like creation and innovation such as the drummer and composer Antonin Gerbal, in the format of an interview. The next one explores how jazz artist like Paul Motian incorporates their backgrounds into their music and revisit the rôle of instrumentist. Drawing inspiration from their work, It examins Breton heritage as a source for new compositional ideas. Through analysis and practical application, It integrates melodic structures and contemporary techniques, consequently merging traditional Breton elements with improvised music and free jazz language. As such this research highlights the challenges and opportunities of creating a music that bridges past and present, forging a unique voice within contemporary jazz composition.
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• Conveying Meaning in Poetry-Inspired Australian Woodwind Chamber Music (2025) author(s): Caitlin Benz Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  This research explores the intersection of poetry, Australian woodwind chamber music, and video as a tool for conveying poetic meaning in musical performances. While music has long drawn inspiration from poetry and literature, effectively communicating this meaning to audiences remains a challenge. One underexplored approach is the integration of video, which offers new dimensions of narrative expression and audience engagement. This study examines how visual media can enhance emotional and cultural connections by bridging the gap between poetry and instrumental music. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, musicians working with professionals in fields such as filmmaking and visual arts gain deeper insights into the music they perform. This creative exchange enriches the artistic process, fostering new interpretations and modes of expression. Existing research suggests that poetic language elicits strong emotional responses and fosters empathy, and the addition of video further amplifies these effects by providing a visual complement to the musical and poetic elements. Focusing on Australian composers such as Naomi Brown and Luke Severn, this study explores how their woodwind compositions engage with poetic inspiration and how experimental performances incorporating video influence audience perception. This research also addresses the challenges of conveying poetic meaning through instrumental music and examines case studies that highlight the dynamic interplay between these artistic mediums. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the synthesis of poetry, music, and visual media enhances both performer and audience experiences, serving as a powerful vehicle for emotional expression and societal engagement in contemporary woodwind chamber music performance.
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  Comprovisation: A Journey on How to Shape My Compositions Within a Large Ensemble (2025) author(s): Ester F. Mata Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Situated in the vast space between rigidly notated music and the realm of open improvisation, this research—embodied through a large ensemble for which I have written and conducted music—navigates the intersection of these two worlds in search of a sweet spot between fixed composition and creative spontaneity. Rather than treating the score as a static framework, the composition is approached as a living, evolving entity, where performers, conductor, and technology collaboratively shape the music in real-time. Throughout rehearsals and performances, musicians make interpretive choices, respond to cues from the conductor and their peers, and engage with interactive electronic elements, fostering an ongoing, dynamic dialogue. This process illuminates how variables such as individual interpretation, conductor influence, and rehearsal time can open new avenues for expression, allowing the written score to transcend its traditional boundaries. By embracing this fluidity and exchange, embodied through the term Comprovisation, the composition is continuously transformed, deepening the connection between musicians and the work, and unlocking new possibilities for artistic expression. Through some of my musical pieces as examples we will analyze how this experimental creative process was shaped.
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• Clarinet in Fado (2025) author(s): Miguel Ramos Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Coming from Portugal, my idea was to incorporate my culture into my research. One of the most well-known Portuguese music genres is Fado, an emotional genre that is admired around the world because the music is more felt than understood. As a Portuguese classical clarinetist, I will explore how the clarinet can be "used" in Fado, which is usually not the case. This is particularly interesting because I can combine all my interests, my culture, and my instrument, which will allow me to discover it and get out of my comfort zone.
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  Burning Down the House: The Voice at the edge of language (2025) author(s): Anat Spiegel Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  This paper documents a series of collaborative experiments in language, drawn from my practice as both a vocalist and a composer. These experiments explore the thresholds of meaning as it is constructed and dismantled through the vocal mechanism. In this paper I ask: How can the disintegration of language in vocal performance serve as a bridge between conscious and subconscious states, and what compositional and performative strategies can be developed to engage with this process? This research engages techniques such as Cutups, Text Butchering, and hyper-speed delivery, alongside meditation and poetry, to investigates how meaning can be stretched, fragmented, and reassembled in vocal performance. These methods challenge conventional notions of linguistic clarity, shifting the focus toward the embodied and sonic dimensions of speech. This work serves as an offering for vocalists and composers, poets and seekers, captivated, like me, by words and their ability to make or break realities. Each chapter is paired with a Tarot card, inviting the magical and intuitive to intermingle with the analytical. The Tarot serves not as an illustrative device but as a provocation—disrupting linear logic and making space for associative, unpredictable resonances. In doing so, this research proposes an expanded approach to vocal performance, one in which linguistic instability becomes a generative force rather than a limitation.
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