Research Catalogue

This research investigates the performer’s role and autonomy in the interpretation and creation of mixed music with live electronics. The project begins with a multi-layered study of the interpretive process of Près (1992) by Kaija Saariaho — from the technical and expressive demands of the cello part, to the development of sensitivity toward the electronic transformations, and the testing of different performative configurations — and evolves toward the co-creation of a new work, Wolves and Wires (2025), in collaboration with composer Marta Domingues. In this later phase, the performer actively experiments with the relationship between gesture, sound, and the expressive and technical requirements of the electronic system. This artistic trajectory, developed across three research cycles, moves from interpretative inquiry to creative authorship. The first two cycles focus on the cellist’s practice strategies and technical awareness of real-time electronics, while the third introduces a collaborative process in which the performer contributes to the design of the electronic material, spatial configurations, and control systems. A defining outcome of this process is the physical repositioning of the performer within the quadraphonic field. In contrast to Près, where the performer remains outside the spatial projection, this immersive setup enables full auditory feedback and real-time interaction with the electronics. Spatial integration becomes a condition for performative autonomy, dissolving the separation between acoustic gesture and electronic transformation and allowing the performer to act as a unified sonic agent. The research reveals that autonomy in mixed music does not arise solely from technological control, but from a situated, embodied relationship with space, instrument, and system. These outcomes contribute to broader reflections on performer agency and offer concrete insights for practice, suggesting new models for collaborative and transdisciplinary creation in mixed music contexts.