Independent Project (Degree Project), 30 higher education credits
Master of Fine Arts in Music with Specialization in Improvisation and World Music Performance
Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg
Spring Semester 2025
Author: Anna Clara Gurjão Matos
Title: Building Bridges, Exploring Identity: A Musical Journey of a Brazilian Cantautora in an Intercultural Context.
Supervisor: Professor Anders Hagberg
Examiner: Senior Lecturer Thomas Markusson
ABSTRACT
This thesis presents the outcomes of my artistic research conducted as a master’s student in the Improvisation and World Music Performance program at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The present study investigates how a musical identity is constructed and reshaped over time, drawing from my background as a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, and examining how exchanges with musicians from different fields and exposure to new artistic inputs can influence my creative practice. Central to the research is finding tools to broaden my expressive possibilities within the song format, through the integration of improvisation, diverse ensemble instrumentation, and inventive strategies for communicating artistic intentions and political concerns through music and stage performance. This work also explores possible approaches for overcoming creative blocks and performance-related fears, especially those related to improvisation, seeking to cultivate a state of freedom, openness, fulfillment and joy while playing.
Key words: musical identity, intercultural contexts, Brazilian music, improvisation, communication, voice and guitar performance, songwriting, cantautora.
