Meditations on Listening, a creative exploration of the conductor's role and a development towards a post-conducting practice

Halldis Ronning

Halldis Rønning's artistic research contributes to the field of conducting, transdisciplinarity and listening practices. She seeks to open the traditional conductor's role towards co-creative practices and find new artistic expressions of conducting. Can conducting be conceptual art? Can it be performance or dance? How can it relate to visual art? Her motivation to open up the role is rooted in a wish to deepen her listening practice as a conductor. This deepening includes creative, spatial, embodied, visual, imaginary and relational listening. Listening as artistic quality and as artistic process. The work starts in the experimental art field and ends up in the Concert Hall with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. There is a feministic context to the research and she touches upon topics such as mutual exchange, space to create, agency and control. But also the conducting body as an expression in itself, in relation to nature or an orchestra.

Start page Reflection and artistic result Acknowledgements References

I would like to thank the entire Faculty of Performing Arts for giving me this opportunity. It has been an incredible experience. Thank you for your support and our fruitful collaboration.

I would especially like to thank the Conducting Department for their consisting and positive suppert during the whole PhD period. This has meant a lot to me personally and has contributed to making the project stronger. Thank you!

A warm and heartfelt thank you to my main supervisor Brynjar Åbel Bandlien. You have been the best support I could have possibly had. I have learnt so much about artistic research, about myself, about artistic processes and about trust from you.

Thank you for the mutual listening!

I would like to thank my wonderful co-supervisor Henrik Hellestenius.

You have been an incredible help in so many situations, always prepared to assist in the most brilliant way. I am very grateful for all your support.

I would like to thank all the musicians in Stavanger Symphony Orchestra for your wonderful playing, dedication and positive attitude!

And a warm thank you to the amazing staff at the Orchestra! Your dedication, warmth and skills have really impressed me.

I think mutual trust made this project go so well.

I would like to thank Nils Henrik Asheim for fruitful artistic input about the project.

I would especially like to thank Sofia Jernberg who stepped in on short notice and gave an outstanding performance.

I would like to thank all the performers of Harfntinna/Black Obsidian for the rich and continually inspiring journey we have had together.

I would like to thank nyMusikk Stavanger for a great collaboration with the Meditations on Listening concert and aftertalk.

I would like to thank Christian Blom at NOTAM for excellent and brilliant technical assistance and really good collaboration.

I would like to thank the Grieg Research School for the oportunity to make the video Being Conducted By The Ocean together with Eirik Aurlund Sæle.

And last but not least i would like to thank my family, collegues and friends for great conversations and support!!

I am looking forward to the continuation of this work.

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