Doctoral research

This practice-based doctoral project explores the intersections of archival inquiry, national traditions, and performer-led investigation in the contemporary Italian clarinet repertoire. It investigates how fragmentary works by 19th- and 20th-century Italian composers can act as catalysts for the creation of new compositions through dialogic collaboration with living composers. Rather than restoring what it is lost, the research treats fragments as “epistemic things” (Rheinberger, 1997), unstable objects that invite reflection, experimentation, and reinterpretation. Two strands of case studies structure the inquiry: one focuses on historically rooted pieces that reflect Italy’s operatic and folkloric idioms, and the other develops new works in collaboration with contemporary Italian composers, who creatively respond to archival materials by Gaetano Donizetti, Ferruccio Busoni, and Giovanni Orsomando. Each case study involves iterative rehearsal processes, public performances, recordings, and critical reflection. Grounded in artistic research methodologies (Borgdorff, 2012; Nelson, 2013) and performer–composer co-creation (Blain & Minors, 2020; Rosman, 2021), the project repositions performance as both a creative and scholarly act. It aims to reconnect, revive and reimagine the Italian clarinet heritage.
Artistic outcomes include a portfolio of newly commissioned compositions, modern notation editions of the manuscripts, public performances, studio and live recordings, and a reflective commentary documenting rehearsal processes and performer–composer interaction.

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Keywords
Clarinet; Artistic research; Fragments; Performer–composer collaboration; Italian music