International seminar

Initiated by dr. Giusy Caruso (chair of CREATIE research group at the Conservatoire); Joost Van kerkhoven (teacher of keyboard practice, literature of the 20th century at the Conservatoire); Fondazione Isabella Scelsi - Rome

This seminar focuses on the philosophical and practical aspects of music performance, specifically on the interplay between improvisation and composition, and the role of performers. The discussion is framed within the context of two significant anniversaries occurring in 2026: the centenary of the birth of Franco Evangelisti (1926–1980) and Hans Otte (1926–2007), composers whose work contribute to shaping 20th-century performance practice and research.
Evangelisti, a founding member of the improvisation group Nuova Consonanza, worked on the idea of music as a living process, where spontaneity and collective creativity redefine traditional notions of authorship. Hans Otte, known for his introspective and meditative compositions such as Das Buch der Klänge, blurs the boundaries between structured writing and the freedom of interpretation, inviting performers to inhabit a space of contemplative sound and to search for their own performative path. 
Artist-researchers and scholars from the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and from Fondazione Isabella Scelsi (Rome) will share their insights, offering different perspectives that bridge historical practice and contemporary experimentations. Their presentations will explore the ontology and identity of music performance examining improvisation as a form of real-time composition and the role of the performer as both interpreter and co-creator.

PROGRAMME

Room 58

12.00 - 12.15 Introduction: Giusy Caruso & Joost Van kerkhoven

12.15 – 12.45 Kevin Voets: Wim Henderickx Inner Life – music as encounter

In this lecture Kevin Voets presents the posthumous realization and premiere of the music theatre piece “Inner Life”, one of the unfinished works of Flemish composer Wim Henderickx (1962 – 2022). He explores how music can function as a space of encounter rather than mere performance. The lecture investigates three intertwined dimensions: the generation of musical material, the experience of music by performers and audience alike, and the broader meaning of art as a connective force. The lecture argues that a potent transformative potential of music theatre lies in its capacity to invite communal participation and transcend cultural boundaries.

12.45 – 13.15 Irmela Heimbächer: Franco Evangelisti and Nuova Consonanza: improvisation vs composition

This lecture examines the dual role of improvisation and composition in the work of Franco Evangelisti and the activities of the Nuova Consonanza group. Founded in Rome in the early 1960s, Nuova Consonanza became a pivotal laboratory for exploring new musical languages, where boundaries between written structures and spontaneous creation were deliberately blurred. Evangelisti’s vision emphasized collective creativity, integrating aleatory techniques, graphic notation, and free improvisation as compositional tools. Through selected works and archival materials, we analyze how these practices shaped a distinctive aesthetic that challenged traditional hierarchies of composer and performer. The discussion highlights the tension and synergy between predetermined frameworks and real-time invention, situating Evangelisti’s approach within the broader context of European experimentalism. Ultimately, this inquiry reveals how Nuova Consonanza redefined the relationship between improvisation and composition, influencing generations of avant-garde musicians.

13.15 – 14.15 Lunch

14.30 – 15.30  Joost Van kerkhoven & students - “Acousmatic composition as a conceptual framework for teaching free improvisation”

This lecture introduces a novel approach to teaching improvisation by replacing traditional “call and response” exercises with curated fragments of Musique Concrète. Students analyse and internalize these sonic materials beforehand, enriching their improvisatory vocabulary with diverse gestures, textures, and colours. Drawing inspiration from the practice of accompanying a given melody, these exercises aim to expand creative possibilities beyond conventional frameworks. The methodology is grounded in the theory of “sonic energies” developed by Prof. Annette Vande Gorne and the GRM in Paris, offering grammatical and semantic tools to guide conscious choices in gesture selection. Additionally, research by Lasse Thoresen and Pierre Schaeffer informs the electronic component, particularly in the solfège and description of sound objects. These initial experiments represent the first stage of a broader project seeking a unified framework for acoustic and electronic composition.

15.30 – 16.00  Sara Simionato, Dago Sondervan, Umut Eldem – The future of Music performance:  Music Impro & AI
 
This presentation introduces 'Intuitive Composing in Jazz', a research project exploring how musical AI tools such as Somax2 influence the creative process in contemporary jazz composition and improvisation. Combining artist interviews, transcription and analysis of human–machine improvisations, the project develops new methodologies for working with technology while examining how intuition and embodiment evolve within this dialogue.
16.00 – 16.30  Coffee break (Witte Foyer)

Witte Zaal

16.30 – 17.00     Frank Agsteribbe – Early Music : an assemblage of composition and improvisation

The distinction between meticulously notated compositions and improvisation has historically been less distinct than it is today. Even within Early Music, the regulative force of the Work Concept (what is acceptable or unacceptable; possible or impossible; allowed or forbidden) has ensured that Early Music is increasingly confined within fixed codes. The Early Music project of the research group UP - Performance in Perspective aims to question the entire body of previously composed music from the perspective of assemblage, following the concepts of Deleuze, de Assis, and Born. Musicians, researchers, concert organizers, and music philosophers are working together to develop a contemporary perspective on repertoire and interpretation, including diverse and inclusive ways of engaging with previously composed music.

17.00 – 17.30     Jeroen Malaise - The Art of Preluding

According to the renowned pianist, composer, and pedagogue Carl Czerny, The Art of Preluding is the very first step into the realm of improvisation. Improvised preludes were a regular feature of piano concert programs in the 18th and 19th centuries. Such preludes were not only used as introductions to repertoire pieces, but also to warm up the fingers and to set the audience in the right mood. For musicians, this practice provides an opportunity to develop a personal connection with the various keys and their associated playing techniques. Practicing this discipline enhances tonal understanding, develops technical skill, stimulates the imagination and it lays a foundation for creational practices. More information can be found at www.the-art-of-preluding.com.

17.30 – 18.15    Giovanni Trovalusci - Combinations and elements in the performance practice of Franco Evangelisti, Giacinto Scelsi and Sylvano Bussotti: between written, aleatory and improvised music.

This lecture explores the performance practice of works by Franco Evangelisti, Giacinto Scelsi, and Sylvano Bussotti, focusing on the interplay between written notation, aleatory processes, and improvisation. These composers challenge traditional boundaries by integrating open forms, graphic scores, and indeterminate elements, requiring performers to navigate a continuum between strict interpretation and creative freedom. Through selected examples, their compositional strategies are examined to underline the unique combinations of sonic material and gesture, and how performers negotiate these frameworks to shape coherent musical discourse. The discussion highlights the role of performer agency, the balance between constraint and spontaneity, and the aesthetic implications of these hybrid practices. Ultimately, this inquiry situates their work within a broader context of twentieth-century experimentalism, offering insights into the evolving relationship between score, sound, and interpretation.

break 18.15 – 18.30 Coffee break (Witte Foyer)

18.30 – 19.15  Ingo Ahmels – Hans Otte: Sound of Sounds

Hans Otte’s piano cycles Buch der Klänge (Book of Sounds) and Stundenbuch (Book of Hours) reveal a unique approach to sound that contrasts sharply with John Cage’s radical concept of “all sounds.” Otte’s method is evolutionary and tactile—an improvisatory search for the “sound of sounds” through gradual exploration and refinement, which Ahmels describes as “sound kaleidoscopy.” Rather than aligning with American minimalism, Book of Sounds emerges from Western traditions, echoing repetitive structures found in Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Ravel’s Jeux d’Eau, and Schubert’s Winterreise. Its reception in the 1980s often carried an esoteric tone, reflecting a cultural climate of spiritual introspection amid Cold War anxieties. Otte systematically recycled and filtered material, a process reminiscent of Bach’s own compositional practice, extending into works like Mémorial and Wassermannmusik. In Stundenbuch, Otte distilled his ideas into two-voice textures, creating concentrated harmonic interplay akin to Bach’s inventions, while integrating aphorisms and drawings. His guiding questions—“What can be left out? How little is necessary?”—echo Hermann Hesse’s notion of art as affectionate attention followed by critical selection. Otte’s cycles thus stand as meditative sound worlds, shaped by Western heritage yet deeply personal in their quest for essence.

19.15 – 20.15 Performance: Giusy Caruso, piano

Programme: F. Evangelisti Proiezioni Sonore / H. Otte “Das Buch der Klänge”