Music Performance Commons^™

The Spaces Between: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Classical Music Performance Practice, Fifi Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In his theory of duration, the philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941) asserts that the present moment is “both a perception of the immediate past and a determination of the immediate future…a joint system of sensations and movements.” In an ideal musical performance, this sensori-motor apparatus guides every one of the performer’s decisions on stage, resulting in an aural experience that is spontaneous, visceral, and deeply personal. In practice, much of today’s classical music performance culture, which relies heavily on visual notation and prioritizes fidelity to the composer’s intent, is antithetical to fundamental artistic values such as creativity, individual self-expression, and direct …

Performance Practice As Compositional Style: Wet Ink’S Collaborative Work, Carrie Frey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In its twenty-five years in New York City’s new music scene, Wet Ink Ensemble has established a distinctive approach in which members blend the roles of performer, composer, and improviser. This dissertation investigates how the ensemble’s beginnings at the nexus of the experimental rock and avant-garde music scenes prepared it for a turn towards collaborative composition and improvisation. After defining essential elements of the ensemble’s performance practice, I analyze Eric Wubbels’ Auditory Scene Analysis (I) and Sam Pluta’s Lines on Black—compositions that exemplify opposing poles of notational specificity. I then trace the defined elements through two “Performance Practice” works, …

Tradition, Individuality, And Innovation In Western Classical Music Performance: A Quantitative Analysis Of Bach’S Fourth Cello Suite Prelude, Clare Monfredo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Why do we seek out new performances of a commonly performed piece of music? An essential tradition of Western classical music (WCM) is the performance of canonical works by composers, an activity that requires the interpretation and execution of written scores by individual performers. In this practice, performers are not only expected to determine the composer’s “intentions,” but also somehow (paradoxically) share these in a “unique” performance interpretation. In musical education, performers are trained by teachers to create these “unique” interpretations by learning how to intuit composers’ intentions in a system that passes down interpretative traditions through master-apprentice one-on-one lessons. …

Britten’S Violin Concerto And His Early Period—Score Analysis And Pacifist Narrative, Magdalena Filipczak

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study of Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, Op. 15, using the work as a lens through which to examine the composer’s early period. Rather than treating the concerto as a purely technical or stylistic artifact, the study situates it within the broader context of Britten’s formative years, his early artistic circles, the political tensions of the 1930s, and his evolving pacifist stance.

The final third of the dissertation offers a detailed formal and interpretative analysis of the full orchestral score, tracing an expressive arc across the entire work by identifying an idée fixe motif and following …

Asian American Artists, Improvisation, And Collaboration, Johnna Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of my dissertation is to explore how contemporary Asian Americans artist-performers have formulated their identities through collaborations with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The project addresses issues in the existing literature on this topic and provides an alternative framework of cosmopolitanism to understanding the multidimensional aspects of artistic collaborations. The dissertation examines the history of the AACM and the Asian American improvisers and reveals ideological differences among its members on how music should reflect their identities. These histories paved the way for the artist subjects of my three case studies: Miya Masaoka, Vijay Iyer, …

Good Vibrations: Folk Circles As Communication Environments, Missy Alexander

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

For over 25 years, I have participated in the creation of music and community through what are commonly called folk circles. Typically run as monthly gatherings, participants who range from complete beginners to seasoned pros, join together and share their favorite songs. These environments have clearly defined rules for participation (although rarely stated overtly), a strong ethos of mutual support, and frequently function as a path to friendships for people new to a community. This essay examines the folk circle as a communication environment and posits an explanation of why it is impervious to digital invasions.

Art Management Of Batavia Madrigal Singer (Bms) In The International Choir Competition, Agustinus Arbi Putra, Hery Budiawan, Rien Safrina

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This study aims to find out the management of the Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) choir, especially in achieving achievements at the international level. Batavia Madrigal Singers is a choir from Indonesia that is consistent in participating in and winning choir competitions at the international level. This study uses a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach through observation techniques, interviews, and literature studies. The results of the study show that the art management of Batavia Madrigal Singers includes (1) Planning, (2) Organization, (3) Leadership, and (4) Control. Based on the results of the research, it was found that Batavia Madrigal …

2025-2026 Performance Forum - August 29, 2025, Ziling Wang, Ian Lewis, Adolfo Ferrin Garcia Montañés, Nabil Hetman, Juan Diaz Quijano, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Patrick Hengstler, Kade Gordon, Dj Combs, Devin Foster

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Meaning Of Moshing: An Ethnographic Study Of The Relationship Between Hardcore/Punk Culture And Catharsis, Clayton Kempf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research looks at “moshing,” an aggressive style of dancing that occurs primarily at hardcore/punk concerts. Moshing involves people at a concert throwing their bodies, swinging their limbs, running into people, and hitting one another. I aim to explore how mosh pits and hardcore/punk culture provide participants with an emotional release through catharsis. Catharsis looks at releasing emotion to help alleviate pent-up stress physically and emotionally. A cathartic release can temporarily offer peace of mind, clarity, and joy that overrides the feelings of negative emotions and stress. I will examine the process people go through to reach this cathartic release …

Putting It Together, Bit By Bit: Partimenti For Guitarists, James Renwick

Soundboard Scholar

A review of Fenaroli's Musicali per i principianti di cembalo [Naples, 1775], edited for guitarists by Nicola Pignatiello, with translations of Fenaroli’s text by Robert Gjerdingen (Independently published, 2023), PDF available online.

Full Issue: Summer 2025

DePaul Magazine

In DePaul Magazine's summer 2025 issue, we celebrate The Theatre School's centennial by asking past and present faculty and administrators and illustrious alumni to comment on the venerable institution's enduring legacy of hands-on learning, collaboration and critical dialogue. Plus, learn about the remarkable relationship between the School of Music and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that connects music performance students to world-class musicians, see images of campus life snapped by a new student photo agency, and more.

Harmonic Convergence

DePaul Magazine

Learn about the remarkable relationship between DePaul University's School of Musica and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), which is anchored by the prevalence of CSO musicians who serve on the school's music performance faculty.

Key Center Workout: Scale Patterns For Trombonists, Ryan M. Heinlein

Sabbatical Projects

No abstract provided.

Ferdinand Rebay And The Sonata Paradigm, Luiz Mantovani

Soundboard Scholar

With an output of over thirty sonatas or sonata-structured works, Viennese composer Ferdinand Rebay (1880–1953) may be considered among the most significant composers of guitar sonatas; as yet, however, little has been written to place Rebay’s sonatas in historical context. Departing from a review of a guitar concert held in Vienna in 1925, which clearly indicates a shift in the perception of the instrument’s role and capabilities among mainstream audiences, I begin this investigation exploring the guitar club environment in German-speaking territories around the turn of the century, with a focus on the activities of the IGV (Internationale Gitarristenverband; International …

Integrating World Percussion Into Graduate Jazz Training: A Practitioner Reflection, Eugene Seow

Publications and Research

This reflection explores the pedagogical and artistic impact of a non-traditional instructional choice made during the author’s final semester of graduate study at Queens College (CUNY). Initially enrolled in the Jazz Studies: Performance Track (Drum Set), the author elected to substitute formal principal study lessons with a personalised programme of world percussion study under Professor Michael Lipsey. This decision, initially motivated by artistic restlessness, led to foundational experiences in frame drumming, South Indian rhythmic structures, gamelan ensemble, and classical snare etude work. The outcomes of this shift have since permeated the author’s teaching, performance, and curriculum development practice, including the …

Teaching Students Who Have Been Identified With Autism In The Private Piano Teaching Studio: An Application Of General Music Resources And Interviews With Specialists In The Field, Joy Parker

Dissertations

This dissertation is a practical resource for private piano teachers seeking to gain a better understanding of teaching students with autism. Resources used in general music instruction of students with autism were consulted, and relevant information was adapted for the private piano setting. Additionally, resources that are tailored to private piano teaching of students with an identified disability were consulted.

Interviews with three individuals who have experience working with individuals with autism were conducted, and methods and strategies that they found to be most successful were ascertained. One of the interviewees was Dr. Derek Polischuk, Professor of Piano and Director …

An Application Of Vocal Pedagogy For Thai Singers, Phitchaya Klimov

Dissertations

Vocal pedagogy incorporates diverse techniques and methodologies that aim to maintain longevity of the voice and to improve vocal performance, range, and tone. While vocal pedagogy has been extensively studied in Western music traditions, its application in the context of Thai singers remains unfamiliar. This dissertation will investigate the application of vocal pedagogy for Thai singers, with a focus on understanding the unique challenges faced by them. It will outline pedagogical approaches to address these challenges and will therefore lead to more authentic performances. “Complete mastery of the voice as an instrument is an idea toward which every singer must …

0895: Whear Family Papers, 1909-2019, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Dr. Paul W. Whear was a noted composer and Marshall University professor and founded the Huntington Chamber Orchestra. Nancy Robinson Voiers Whear was a renowned musician who worked in Morrow Library at Marshall University and wrote several articles that were published. Their children were Allen Whear, violoncellist, brother Bill, a prominent photographer, and Cynthia, another distinguished musician.

The Whear Family Collection includes original compositions and musical scores by Paul W. Whear, research materials used by Nancy Whear, photography by Bill Whear, and documentation of the musical career of Allen Whear. Also included are programs and other materials from the Huntington …

A Study Of The History, Repertory And Instrumentation Of The Band Of The Corfu Philharmonic Society From 1840 Until 1920, Foteini Angeli

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The Corfu Philharmonic Society band was founded in 1840 and is still active today. It is considered the one of the oldest continuously operating music education organizations in Greece. The people, repertoire, and instrumentation of this band influenced all other wind bands in Greece. There are important resources available on the topic, but dedicated research to the organization is in its infancy. Focusing on the changes in instrumentation through original manuscripts from the inaugural band (1840) through the end of the First World War reveals significant multinational influences that continue to be felt to this day. This is the first …

Crazy - Ep, Ben P. Focht

Music Summer Fellows

A collection of four songs, written, recorded, and mixed by me as part of an EP. Created under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Davis, and featuring fellow student Nico Yanzaguano on drums. Exploring the themes of power dynamics and identity, these songs display various stylistic elements highly inspired by grunge bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden. These songs are the result of two months of creation, exploring what it was like to write and produce original music.