THE EXTENDED CONDUCTOR
Exploring movement language and embodied artistic expression
Supervisor: Frank Havrøy
Co-supervisor: Kari Anne Bjerkestrand
Artistic aim
The aim of the project is to explore the (choral) conductor as a singular and creative performer, and, in continuation of this, to investigate the possibility of expanding the conductor’s artistic agency and space through the various phases of a work’s development, from origin to performance.
Rather than referring to technology or electronic extensions, “extended” here points to an expansion of the conductor’s role beyond its traditional dependency on the ensemble.
Research questions
In this artistic research project, I investigate what happens when the choral conductor is removed from their usual instrument, the choir, and placed in a performance setting where memory, inner hearing, imagination and bodily resonance become the primary material.
In my research, The Extended Conductor, I have come up with these questions:
To what extent can I, the choral conductor be seen as a singular performer, standing apart from my ensemble?
Is it possible for me – or even meaningful – to draw such a distinction, and could it open up a wider aesthetic space and a deeper sense of ownership in the shaping of art, both in the journey towards a finished work and in the act of performance itself?
Will such a setting shape the conception of myself as a musician?
What kinds of artistic expressions might unfold through such an exploration?
Methodology
Methodologically, the project is based on analyses of concerts, performances, and explorations, as well as the use of video as a tool to heighten awareness of and examine my own movement language. The work includes reflections before and after concerts, journaling and written notes, along with improvisations that create space for exploring new expressions. In addition, conversations with collaborators
contribute to the ongoing process of reflection.
Artistic results
«Det utstrakte» (performed 17.09.25) marked the conclusion of my artistic doctoral project The Extended Conductor at the Norwegian Academy of Music. In addition to this performance, the artistic results include videos, photos, dialogues and reflections from this exploration. This material will be available In The Research Catalogue.
Nina T. Karlsen (1983) is a graduate conductor, singer and church musician at The Norwegian Academy of Music. Since 2011, she has conducted and been artistic director of the chamber choir Ensemble 96, which has a particular focus on contemporary music and seeks to expand the traditional choir concert by means of collaborations with other artists, including dancers, actors and visual artists.
From 2012-2020 she was a cathedral musician in Tønsberg Cathedral, and she is now the artistic director of The Norwegian women´s choir.
Currently she is both a PhD research fellow and lecturer in conducting
at The Norwegian Academy of Music.
About the scenic work «Det utstrakte» (written in collaboration with Erik Dæhlin and Ultima):
A conductor before herself
In «Det utstrakte», conductor Nina T. Karlsen takes the stage alone—without a choir, without a score. She conducts from memory: fragments of choral works, songs, and vocal traces that have shaped her through a lifetime of rehearsals and performances. With her hands, face, breath, and gaze, she summons what was once sung. Stillness is filled with presence. Her breath resonates with the echo of the church.
When the choir eventually enters, they step into a space already charged with imagined sound and shaped by one person’s gestures, attentive listening, inner hearing and imagination. Another kind of music begins to unfold: one born of memory, attention, shared presence, new connections, and the resonance of the
room itself.
«Det utstrakte» is developed by conductor Nina T. Karlsen and composer, stage director, and scenographer Erik Dæhlin, in collaboration with The Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, Ensemble 96, and choreographer Kari Anne Bjerkestrand.
A staged performance that takes silence seriously, it explores the conductor as a musical, theatrical, and social figure. A quiet, attentive experience that asks: How much music can a single body hold?
A conductor shapes music without sound – through body, gaze, and movement, a shared image of something not yet heard begins to form.
Nina T. Karlsen and Erik Dæhlin about the title «Det utstrakte»: “It holds both the concrete – such as extending an arm or a sound – and the symbolic, like reaching toward something, beyond oneself, or between the inner and the outer”.
