Music as an invitation: liveness in digital piano performances through participating audiences (HORIZON)

Since the pandemic, the practice of online concerts has increased significantly. Whilst such practice offers many possibilities - such as the reach of remote audiences and the use of multimedia tools combined in the music performance – it also presents challenges to the relationship between performer and audience due to the lack of physical co-presence.

By inviting audiences to take active part in the creative process of a music performance, this project inquires about how the affective aspect created through the collaborative process may enhance the feeling of “being connected” whilst watching a music performance through the internet.

The first year of research included the development of a pre-recorded online concert with a group of 14 women from 7 countries. The participants attended a series of online workshops where, through conversations facilitated by the research-leader and following a Participatory Action Research methodology, the group decided which creative strategies they were to carry out.