Our latest publications

• Andersen, Jesper; Lartillot, Olivier & Serafin, Stefania (2026). Exploring Real-Time Visualizations as Support for Concert experiences for Hearing-Impaired. In Comai, Sara & Tzompanaki, Aikaterini (Ed.), GoodIT '26: Proceedings of the 2026 International Conference on Information Technology for Social. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400724831. p. 550–560. doi: 10.1145/3794786.3830797. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study evaluates two visualization strategies designed to enhance concert experience for individuals with hearing impairments. One visualization was integrated into a performance by a classical string quartet, while the other accompanied a band performance. A total of 67 participants, including 39 individuals with hearing impairments, evaluated their experience through questionnaires. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 participants from the hearing-impaired group. Analysis of the questionnaire data revealed no significant differences in visualization preferences between hearing impaired and normal hearing participants, though individual preferences varied considerably. The interview data offered valuable insights into participants’ subjective experiences. Several participants reported that the visualizations were cognitively taxing and, at times, distracting, pulling their focus away from the music rather than enhancing it. Many expressed a preference for clearer introductions to the visualization strategies before the concert, indicating that a better preparation for the audience could help alleviate cognitive load. Overall, the findings suggest that, while real-time visualizations hold promise as an accessibility tool, their current implementation may not sufficiently enhance the concert experience for hearing-impaired audiences. Future research should focus on simplifying the visual design and incorporating pre-concert orientation. These results contribute to the growing body of knowledge on inclusive practices in the performing arts and highlight important avenues for continued research and development.

• Encinas, Enrique; Morrison, Andrew; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Dolejšová, Markéta & Hill, John (2026). Rhythm and Residue: Vyping as Prompting Inside the Post-Discursive Interface. In Havinen, Laura & Hägglund, Susanne (Ed.), Adjunct Proceedings of the 14th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400727986. p. 1–9. doi: 10.1145/3821402.3830167. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prompt engineering strategies emphasise clarity, specificity, and well-structured input, on the assumption that large language models (LLMs) require clean input to interpret user intent. But LLMs are pattern interpolators: they “absorb” noise through statistical reconstruction rather than strict symbol matching. Text-centric HCI has studied this tolerance for two decades without integrating it into prompt engineering as a resource. We introduce vyping as an intentional mode of prompting in which one types into LLMs at the speed of thought, without correction. We developed vyping through sustained first-person inquiry. It can be seen as a micro-practice inside a broader post-discursive turn in which meanings increasingly travel as rhythms and patterns through latent-space proximity rather than as precisely-formed symbols. The mismatch between current LLM interfaces and their (human) users has led to two common layers in implementation: (1) an orthographic residue at the interface (autocorrect, spellcheck, tidy-prompt guides), and (2) an impairment parse shadow at the training layer, a form of overalignment in which the model reads orthographic deviation as a sign that something is wrong with the user. Overall, we offer three attunements (ease, reach, and pulse) as alternatives to efficiency-first prompt engineering, and situate the practice within critical HCI traditions of seamful, frictional, and embodied interaction. The critique is structured around a seed prompt that suspends the impairment parse and makes vyping livable; its section headings are taken from the prompt’s own rules. A copy of the seed prompt is provided at the end.

• Encinas, Enrique & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). The Perfect Wrong Note: Vyping and the Keyboard as Musical Interface for Human-LLM Interaction. In Gaster, Benedict & Tragtenberg, João Nogueira (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.20784433. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Human interaction with large language models (LLMs) is commonly framed as information exchange, optimized for efficiency and correctness. This paper proposes a different framing: keyboard-as-instrument, where typing to an LLM becomes a form of musical practice. Drawing on the lineage of keyboard instruments, the action-sound framework, and the aesthetics of failure in jazz improvisation and glitch music, the paper introduces vyping (typing without looking) as a technique that treats degraded input as an expressive gesture. When a person vypes, inter-onset intervals and keystroke dynamics carry embodied information that the LLM can integrate, in a process closer to musical comping (responsive accompaniment) than to improvisation proper. Three artifacts (ll00mtube, clix-vibe, and KeyMeter) illustrate this approach, making the temporal and sonic dimensions of typing visible and audible. The paper argues that typos can function as grace notes: productive deviations that open new directions. It proposes reverence (nuance, grace, and respect) as a design orientation for human-AI interaction, while acknowledging the discomfort of caring for a tool entangled with extractive labor and concentrated corporate power.

• Bishop, Laura; Niemand, Anna; D'Amario, Sara & Goebl, Werner (2026). Moving together, feeling together: Body coordination, pupil size, and musical togetherness in classical duo performance. Psychology of Music. ISSN 0305-7356. doi: 10.1177/03057356261436796. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigated the relationships between bodily expression, bodily coordination, mental effort, and self-reported experiences of musical togetherness. Singer-pianist duos performed pieces of classical repertoire before and after rehearsing together. Video, head motion, respiration, and pupillometry data were collected. Afterwards, the performers watched a video of their post-rehearsal performance and made continuous ratings of how together they felt. They also provided written descriptions of the cues that informed their togetherness judgements. Our analyses showed stronger head coordination between partners and larger pupil diameter during high-togetherness phrases than during low-togetherness phrases for one of the pieces. Inhalation synchrony and quantity of head motion did not differ between high- and low-togetherness phrases. Pupil size was greater during pre-rehearsal performances than during post-rehearsal performances, suggesting that demands on attention might have reduced after players had jointly constructed a shared interpretation and grown more accustomed to performing together. A thematic analysis of written responses showed that performers’ concept of togetherness related to coherence in musical parameters, moving and breathing together, and sensations of feeling together, shared musical emotion, and effortlessness. We discuss these findings in relation to the musical togetherness model.

• Pilkov, Ivan; Bishop, Laura & Cancino-Chacón, Carlos (2026). Estimating pianists' hand and finger kinematics with markerless motion capture. In Guyot, Patrice & Bosselut, Gregoire (Ed.), MOCO '26: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Movement and Computing. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400725005. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Highly-skilled pianists demonstrate fluent and efficient hand and finger motion. Recent developments in video-based methods for markerless motion capture that rely on deep learning algorithms offer a less intrusive and resource-intensive alternative to traditional marker-based infrared ones. In this work we present an initial look into how such a markerless motion capture system could be developed and utilized for the study of pianists’ hand and finger kinematics. We collect data from different pianists performing technical exercises and present an analysis of the kinematics of hand and finger motion that arise when pianists are challenged by playing at fast and slow tempi. We investigate different kinematic measures and analyze the recorded MIDI to assess the pianists’ strategies for timekeeping and hand coordination and discover certain indications for smoother motions and better control at intermediate tempi. Our results are also in line with previous work in the field and point towards the suitability of this approach for studying pianists’ hand movements.

• Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Upham, Finn & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Exploring Methods for Measuring Audience Body Motion in Concert Halls. In Bukvic, Ivica Ico (Eds.), Proceedings of the Sound and Music Computing Conference 2026. SMC Network. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Measurement of audience members’ body motion in ecological concert settings must navigate environmental constraints, access to audience members, privacy considerations, and behavioural norms of the performance event. This study compares five distinct technologies for capturing motion from “audience member” participants under simulated symphonic concert conditions: visible-range imaging (RGB), near-infrared imaging (IR), thermal imaging, thermal data, and torso-mounted accelerometry. Seven quantity of motion (QoM) time series were generated from these measurements, each cleaned and normalised to reveal similarities and differences in the information they provide regarding four concert-typical behaviours: Large Actions such as posture changes, Applause, Stillness, and Respiration. Results show comparable, though not identical, quantity of motion measurements across devices in this simulated concert setting. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various signals, share recommendations on key measurement parameters, and discuss scaling these motion capture methods for larger audiences in real concert halls.

• Solli, Sandra; Doelling, Keith B; Danielsen, Anne; Cang, Mathieu Pham Van; Endestad, Tor & Arnal, Luc H. (2026). Motor contributions to temporal prediction extend beyond periodic rhythms | Scientific Reports. Scientific Reports. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-62759-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The auditory system requires a reliable and rapid tracking of the temporal dynamics of sounds. While moving in sync with a rhythm can improve timing perception, most research has focused on isochronous rhythms, conflating periodicity with predictability. This study aimed to determine whether the benefits of auditory-motor synchronization extend to aperiodic rhythms with predictable temporal structures and to uncover the neural correlates associated with the motor-enhanced benefit in timing performance. Participants listened to periodic (isochronous) and aperiodic (tempo-changing) rhythms while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. They imagined the continuation of each rhythm for two beats and judged the timing of a final target sound while either tapping along or listening attentively. Results showed that participants could synchronize their movements across all rhythm types. However, movement differentially affected temporal judgment across rhythms. Tapping significantly improved timing accuracy for isochronous and decelerating rhythms, demonstrating that strict periodicity is not a prerequisite for motor benefits. However, tapping impaired performance for accelerating rhythms. Behavioral evidence, supported by ERP findings, suggests that movement-induced delayed expectations during acceleration may override the predictive benefits of motor alignment. Thus, while the motor system supports general predictive processing beyond periodicity, accelerations and decelerations involve distinct predictive and motor processing demands.

• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius & Zeiner-Henriksen, Hans T. (2026). LLMs and Custom GPTs as a Tool for Academic Research | 2 | Innovation. In Andersen, Claus Sohn; Gullö, Jan-Olof; Hepworth-Sawyer, Russ; Marrington, Mark; Paterson, Justin & Toulson, Rob (Ed.), Innovation in Music: Current Research Perspectives. Routledge. ISSN 9781032757858. p. 3–11. doi: 10.4324/9781003475675-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores the accuracy and usefulness of OpenAI’s large language models (LLMs), particularly focusing on a customized GPT model trained on a specific dataset of musicology research. The research compares the performance of the custom model against the general ChatGPT-4.o model in an academic setting. The customized GPT, tailored to retrieve information from a controlled set of scholarly articles, was tested by a group of musicology experts, including authors whose works were part of the dataset. Results indicate that the custom GPT generally provides more precise and research-based responses compared to the general model. However, issues such as hallucinations, inconsistent performance, and ethical concerns regarding copyright and the use of LLMs in academic work were observed. The study concludes that while customized GPTs can enhance academic research, their use should be approached with caution due to ongoing challenges in accuracy and ethical implications.

• Madaghiele, Vincenzo; Fasciani, Stefano; Kelkar, Tejaswinee & Erdem, Cagri (2026). Modeling Relations Between Musical Events in Continuous Time with Transformer Models for Live Co-Improvisational Interactions | Zenodo. In Coelho, Guilherme (Eds.), Proceedings of International Conference on AI and Musical Creativity. AI Music Creativity (AIMC). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22276042. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents a live semi-autonomous system that co-improvises with a live musician using a model learned from the relationship observed in paired recordings of an improvising duo. This responsive system is based on a deep learning approach that models the relations between sequences of events produced by co-playing musicians in continuous time, using transformer models. We present the architecture for simultaneous sequences of sonic events and provide a quantitative evaluation on several representative tasks. Results are compared against a canonical transformer and a multichannel Factor Oracle, the latter being a widely used model for live sequence-based symbolic music generation. We detail a live implementation employing concatenative synthesis and introduce a customization procedure in which the generative model is iteratively retrained on curated, satisfactory sections from sound recordings of actual human-system co-improvisational interactions. This iterative fine-tuning enables the model’s stylistic output to diverge from the original training corpus. Two musical use cases demonstrate the application of this technique.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina & Høffding, Simon (2026). Empathy, Absorption, and the Feeling of Being Moved by Music. In Schiavio, Andrea; Vuoskoski, Jonna K & Kim, Youn (Ed.), Music and the Cognitive Humanities: Interdisciplinary Insights. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780197755600. p. 196–217. doi: 10.1093/9780197755600.003.0009. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The findings of a recent research concert, MusicLab Copenhagen, illustrate that musical absorption and feeling moved by music appear to be highly similar and interrelated experiences, contributing strongly to listeners’ enjoyment of the music. Both experiences also seem to have an important socio-affective dimension, leading to enhanced positive affect and increased feelings of connectedness to the performers and other audience members. This chapter employs the framework of cognitive humanities, integrating perspectives from music cognition and phenomenology, to clarify the conceptual overlap as well as the subtle differences between the constructs of musical absorption and feeling moved by music. It also outlines a common underlying process: empathic “feeling into” the music.

• Dysers, Christine; Edwards, Peter & Lochhead, Judith (2026). Introduction: Absence and Music Thinking, Music of Absence: An Aesthetics of Loss in the New Millennium. Edinburgh University Press. ISSN 9781399555807. p. 1–20. doi: https:/edinburghuniversitypress.com/media/resources/9781399555807_Introduction_Music_of_Absence.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This collection of essays studies how music of the twenty-first century resonates with sentiments of despondency and loss in the context of the multiple existential crises of the time: climate change, political violence, financial crises, racial inequities and technological acceleration. Investigating musical expressions of absence across a wide variety of genres and philosophical approaches, the collection aims to stimulate an interdisciplinary conversation about music as an alternative mode of thinking at a time when established frames of reasoning are called into question. Themed sections engage with the multiplicity of emergent meanings that absence alludes to, opening new lines of inquiry into how music enacts new forms of being in the world and creates pathways to better futures.

• Edwards, Peter (2026). The Lament, Loss and the Power of Speaking in Music, Music of Absence: An Aesthetics of Loss in the New Millennium. Edinburgh University Press. ISSN 9781399555807. p. 119–129. doi: https:/edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-music-of-absence.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This collection of essays studies how music of the twenty-first century resonates with sentiments of despondency and loss in the context of the multiple existential crises of the time: climate change, political violence, financial crises, racial inequities and technological acceleration. Investigating musical expressions of absence across a wide variety of genres and philosophical approaches, the collection aims to stimulate an interdisciplinary conversation about music as an alternative mode of thinking at a time when established frames of reasoning are called into question. Themed sections engage with the multiplicity of emergent meanings that absence alludes to, opening new lines of inquiry into how music enacts new forms of being in the world and creates pathways to better futures.

• Haug, Judith Irmela (2026). Mündlichkeit – Schriftlichkeit. In Friederike, Wißmann,; Barbara, Alge, & Wolfgang, Auhagen, (Ed.), Musik. Begriff – Konzept – Kulturelle Praxis. Laaber-Verlag. ISSN 9783890077215. p. 187–196. Full text in Research Archive
• Smykovskyi, Andrii; Kerrebroeck, Bravo van; Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina & Palmer, Caroline (2026). Individual Tempo Asymmetries and Coupling Dynamics in Dyadic Musical Synchronization. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. 48, p. 4659–4665. doi: https:/escholarship.org/uc/item/40q8w4b4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Interpersonal synchronization supports social interaction by enabling coordinated behavior and shared emotional experience, yet how emotions influence the mechanisms underlying synchronization remains poorly understood. We investigated how emotional feedback influences auditory–motor synchronization between dyadic partners with faster and slower Spontaneous Production Rates (SPR). Nonmusicians completed a joint tapping task with pre-feedback, feedback (matched or mismatched positive or negative), and post-feedback phases. Temporal asynchronies were modeled using a delay-coupled oscillator model to estimate participant-specific coupling parameters. Model comparisons between delay-coupled and zero-delay models showed that allowing for a delay significantly improved model fit. Slower-SPR partners coupled more strongly than faster partners, while feedback valence did not affect coupling strength. Coupling strength was positively associated with arousal in pre-feedback trials and with perceived synchronization success under mismatched feedback trials. These findings demonstrate the role of intrinsic frequency differences and shared feedback structure in organizing interpersonal synchronization and its subjective correlates.

• Madaghiele, Vincenzo; Fasciani, Stefano & Erdem, Cagri (2026). Personalising behaviours of the multi-agent autonomous looper with a corpus of annotated co-performances. Organised Sound. ISSN 1355-7718. p. 1–12. doi: 10.1017/s1355771826101484. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article introduces a method to personalise the behaviour of a music co-improvisation system using a genetic algorithm that iteratively identifies optimal configurations governing the system’s behaviour according to a musician’s aesthetic objectives, using a corpus of annotated co-performances. The corpus annotations represent the decisions the semi-autonomous system should learn to make in different musical contexts, reflecting the musicians’ styles, ideas and aesthetic preferences. We apply this approach to personalise the multi-agent autonomous looper (MAAL), a co-improvisation system that autonomously samples and loops segments of an improvised performance by integrating machine listening with a rule-based framework. After detailing the design of the evolutionary search algorithm, we present the results of a study involving five expert improvising musicians. These musicians applied the proposed method to personalise the MAAL and co-improvised with it. We assessed the extent to which the MAAL’s behaviour, adapted to their personalised data, aligned with their individual aesthetic preferences. Findings show that automating the functions of sampling and layering loops seems to invite explorative and responsive creativity and that personalisation can facilitate co-adaptation between musicians and artificial agents by establishing a defined aesthetic vocabulary of co-creative behaviours.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Frödén, Lucy Cathcart (2026). You are a shining diamond inside: Sonic citizenship at sites of exclusion. Seismograf Peer. 34. doi: 10.48233/89. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  How might the notion of sonic citizenship hold potential to expand and reimagine our ideas of citizenship? This audio paper seeks out sites and structures where citizenship is contested, exploring how such systems of exclusion are expressed and resisted in sonic terms, and how practices of sounding and listening might offer more inclusive and convivial ways to imagine how and to what we belong. By tuning in to sonic fragments from a prison choir in Dublin, a band in Oslo, a sweat lodge community in Iceland, and artists in Australian immigration detention, together we explore how to listen through walls and beyond carceral systems, towards collective futures.

• Polak, Rainer; Danielsen, Anne; Jacoby, Nori; Pearson, Lara; Horlor, Samuel & Aubinet, Stephane Vincent B [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Culture in psychology and neuroscience: Concepts, relevance, and empirical evidence in rhythm perception. Physics of Life Reviews. ISSN 1571-0645. 58, p. 196–222. doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2026.07.002. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Perceptual systems adapt through individual experience across the lifespan, an ability referred to as plasticity. To understand perceptual plasticity, a promising avenue is to investigate how perception is shaped by cultural experience, as a process deeply embedded within collective practices of cultural production and social learning. The current review synthesizes findings from recent behavioral experiments investigating cross-cultural variation in rhythm perception. Specifically, these studies show that fundamental perceptual processes, such as event timing and rhythm categorization, display shared features but also systematic differences across cultural groups. Critically, these differences correlate with statistically prominent and socially relevant features of cultural production, revealing how perceptual systems are tuned to their music-cultural environments. Yet, how can cross-cultural differences in perception be related back to the collective practices that produce the diversity of cultural environments in the first place? To bridge this gap, we propose perceptual niche construction as an evolutionary approach that positions culture as both a source and a product of perceptual plasticity. That is, cultural experience tunes individual perception, yielding culturally diverse perceptual processes. These processes, in turn, function as cultural selection pressures shaping collective practices across nested timescales, thus contributing back to the diversity of cultural environments in which perception is tuned. Notably, this approach has important implications for research in psychology and neuroscience: it operationalizes culture as communities of practice, highlights the relevance of contextually situated research, and accounts for the coevolutionary nature of culture-driven perceptual plasticity.

• Lehtonen, Lasse; Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina; Peltola, Henna-Riikka; Ahlsved, Kaj & Tuuri, Kai (2026). Videopelien musiikin kokeminen ja musiikilliset käytänteet. Musiikki. 56(2), p. 15–45. doi: 10.51816/musiikki.185954. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Videopeleistä on muodostunut viime vuosikymmeninä merkittävä osa nykykulttuuria. Lukuisat ihmiset pelaavat ja kokevat niitä arjessaan. Artikkelissa neljä musiikintutkijaa esittelee eri näkökulmista, miten he tutkisivat videopelien musiikkia, sen kokemista ja käytänteitä. Tarjotut näkökulmat liittyvät esimerkiksi ludomusikologiaan eli pelimusiikin ja -äänen musiikkitieteelliseen tutkimukseen, mediatutkimukseen, musiikkipsykologiaan, musiikkisosiologiaan sekä etnomusikologiaan ja kulttuurintutkimukseen.

• Afsari, Kiyan; Barachi, May El; Ritz, Christian; Copiaco, Abigail & Fasciani, Stefano (2026). Low-latency six-channel Bi-LSTM for near-real-time epileptic seizure detection. Discover Artificial Intelligence. 6(1). doi: 10.1007/s44163-026-01340-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper proposes a deep learning framework for near-real-time epileptic seizure detection using EEG data, designed to address two critical limitations of existing approaches: high detection latency and full-channel EEG dependence. The model employs a Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory architecture to capture temporal dependencies in EEG signals, processing overlapping 0.5 s windows to enable low-latency sequence-to-sequence classification. Experiments are conducted on the publicly available CHB-MIT Scalp EEG dataset, evaluating different feature inputs including raw signals, channel means, and continuous wavelet transform representations. To address the well-known class imbalance problem in seizure detection, a dataset balancing strategy is applied to improve recall and minimize undetected seizures. A composite scoring metric is introduced to evaluate models jointly on accuracy, detection delay, and false negatives under clinically motivated weightings, providing a more meaningful basis for model selection than accuracy alone. Through systematic architectural search and correlation-based channel selection, the final model operates using only six EEG channels, reducing electrode requirements by 74% compared to the standard 23-channel setup. The system achieves an accuracy of 87.75% with a recall of 77.3% and an average detection delay of 1.33 s, representing a clinically meaningful improvement over prior studies reporting delays of 5–10 s on the same dataset. Performance is further reported in terms of specificity, F1-score, and false alarm rate per hour to provide a complete characterization under class imbalance. The reduced six-channel configuration is validated across all patients using Monte Carlo cross-validation and demonstrates strong suitability for wearable devices and edge computing platforms, where computational efficiency, patient comfort, and real-time responsiveness are critical design constraints.

• Upham, Finn; Göksülük, Bilge Serdar & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Laughter in the making: social bonding and coordination in dance practices. Frontiers in Psychology. 17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1754425. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Laughter is a ubiquitous human behavior with distinct social functions and evolutionary value. And yet its role in artistic and cultural practices has rarely been investigated, except in explicitly humorous performances. This study highlights laughter's central role in the participatory and developmental phases of dance. Grounded in social function frameworks, we argue that laughter functions as a vital mechanism of layered coordination, supporting group dynamics beyond verbal interaction. Through a multimodal analysis of three distinct dance contexts—an amateur line dancing lesson, a Norwegian folk dancing session, and professional duo improvisations (co-located and remote)—we investigate how and why laughter emerges in real-time creative and learning processes. Using video, physiological (heart rate, core body motion), and phenomenological data, we show that laughter is not a break in action but an integral, embodied tool for coordination development. Our exploratory study demonstrates that laughter serves to acknowledge mistakes, negotiate decisions, express difficulty, and share joyful success in dance. Critically, the quality and shared nature of laughter instances were shaped by the available communication channels, the modalities involved, and the direction of interaction. We conclude that laughter is a powerful, efficient form of embodied communication that helps dancers navigate uncertainty, build interpersonal synchrony, and co-construct shared understanding. These results underscore the importance of studying the evolutionary and social value of artistic practices as lived, co-created experiences beyond their most professional and elite forms.

• Haug, Judith Irmela (2026). Circle Diagrams in the Music Theory of the Islamic World. In Muzzulini, Daniel (Eds.), The Art of Musical Diagrams. From Boethius to Albersheim and Beyond. Peter Lang Publishing Group. ISSN 9783034363556. p. 115–146. doi: 10.3726/b23428. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish music treatises feature a variety of diagrams and charts. In addition to instrument schematics and demonstrations of fret positions on the neck of the ʿūd, arc diagrams of Pythagorean origin are common. Constituting another major group of visuals, circle diagrams were used to demonstrate both rhythmic and melodic modes. They represent the sequence of beats in the cycle, their quality and quantity, as well as tonal relationships, the order of intervals within a scale, or transpositions. Concepts of cyclicity and circularity occupy such a central place that treatises carry the word edvār (“the circles”) in their title. Edvār is the plural of the Arabic dawr, meaning rotation, turn, or cycle, cf. Kitāb al-adwār (“Book of Circles”2) of Ṣafīaddīn al-Urmawī (d. 693/1294), the founder of the Systematist school. The writings of ʿAbdolqāder Marāġī (d. 838/1435) are another prominent example for this tradition. Concurrently, theorists of the Anatolian school such as Ḫıżır b. ʿAbdullāh (mid-ninth/fifteenth c.) or Yūsuf b. Niẓāmeddīn Ḳırşehrī (MS dated 873/1469) used circle diagrams to establish connections between melodic modes and extramusical concepts, especially astrology and humoral medicine. Focusing on the ninth/fifteenth to twelfth/eighteenth centuries, the contribution aims to trace the history and investigate the importance of circle diagrams in the music theory of the Islamic world, exploring their meanings and gaining an overview over this rich tradition.

• Fasciani, Stefano (2026). Teaching Interactive Music Systems: a Research-Oriented, Project-Based Graduate Course in a Multidisciplinary Master’s Program. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. ISSN 2220-4792. 2026, p. 709–721. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.20784254. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents a project-based, research-oriented graduate course in Interactive Music Systems delivered to a multidisciplinary cohort at the University of Oslo, grounded in a strong NIME perspective and constructive alignment among intended learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities, and assessment tasks. A flipped-classroom model and a Bela + Pure Data toolchain scaffold eleven workshops, progressing from foundational electronics and mapping to a standalone, performable digital musical instrument prototype showcased in a final course concert. Portfolio-based assessment combines open documentation with a short NIME-style academic paper. Analysis of student data and feedback from 2022 to 2024 indicates high engagement and strong outcomes, successful research integration, several projects accepted in the NIME paper track, and robust deliverables. Student feedback highlights hands-on strengths and high satisfaction, while persistent challenges remain around fabrication and time constraints, which in turn inform actionable guidance for NIME pedagogy.

• Madaghiele, Vincenzo; Fasciani, Stefano; Kelkar, Tejaswinee & Erdem, Cagri (2026). Autonomous Listening-Based Synthesizer Control with Reinforcement Learning for Live Sound Matching. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. ISSN 2220-4792. p. 751–758. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.20784273. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper, we build on a previously proposed method for training an artificial agent that performs live control of sound synthesizers, using reinforcement learning and machine-listening to match the sound of a live musician. The agent listens to an incoming live audio stream and attempts to match its sound according to specific audio descriptors by controlling the parameters of an arbitrary synthesizer. We introduce a reinforcement‑learning model with a continuous action space that integrates sound synthesis during training and live performance. We propose five complementary reward functions for matching target sounds, and evaluate their effectiveness in three scenarios: in‑domain matching of synthesized target sounds, out‑of‑domain matching of synthesized targets, and out‑of‑domain matching using a corpus of musician‑recorded audio. Finally, we compare the proposed reward functions across these scenarios, we discuss a live implementation and we present the results of quantitative experiments evaluating the matching task.

• Fong, Daniel Xiong Yang (2026). Hetero/Homo/Trans-Sexualities: Diffractive Readings of a Queer Production of Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Journal of the Royal Musical Association. ISSN 0269-0403. p. 1–33. doi: 10.1017/rma.2026.10063. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract This article explores how a queer production of Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor generates a variety of meanings about gender and sexuality, troubling the opera’s conventional cis- and heteronormative narrative and themes. Specifically, it examines the fluid relationships between the production’s materials, activities, and ideas that constantly evoke new meanings. To aid this endeavour, the author adopts Gilles Deleuze’s conception of the possible and the virtual and his understanding of sexualities. Consequently, elusive genders and sexualities emerge alongside normative and recognizable non-conforming ones. The article thus underscores how queer initiatives are pushing operatic genders and sexualities beyond their conventional forms.

• Danielsen, Anne; London, Justin; Langerød, Martin Torvik & Câmara, Guilherme Schmidt (2026). All About That Bass Drum? Asynchrony Effects on the Perceived Timing of Compound Musical Sounds. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. ISSN 0077-8923. 1560(1). doi: 10.1111/nyas.70306. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  When a sound occurs (i.e., its acoustic onset) is not the same as when we perceive that sound to occur. The latter location is known as the “P‐center” in both music and language perception, and can be a few to over a hundred milliseconds after a sound's acoustic onset. While P‐center perception in music has received scrutiny, it remains unclear how P‐centers emerge when multiple instruments play together, particularly when they are not perfectly synchronized. Here, we investigate the effect of different degrees of instrument asynchrony on the P‐center of their combined sound. In two experiments, participants aligned a click probe to pairs of instruments used in popular music with varying asynchronies (0–±80 ms). Results show that increasing asynchrony shifts the P‐center of the compound sound later in time. Moreover, fast‐attack instruments (e.g., kick drum) exert a strong pull on the P‐center; fast–slow pairs largely retained a single P‐center anchored to the fast‐attack sound. By contrast, pairs of fast‐attack sounds with ≥40 ms asynchronies between their individual P‐centers provided evidence of perceptual segregation of the sound into two events. The findings show how inter‐instrument asynchronies and attack characteristics jointly structure the perceived timing and unity of compound musical sounds.

• Câmara, Guilherme Schmidt; Spiech, Connor; Solli, Sandra; Bang, Birger; Rogulina, Olga & Laeng, Bruno [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Just noticeable difference thresholds of asynchrony and non-isochrony in a Multi-Instrumental groove-based context. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. ISSN 0001-4966. 159(5), p. 4668–4688. doi: 10.1121/10.0043887. Full text in Research Archive
• McNeill, Fergus; Frödén, Lucy Cathcart; Thomas, Phil Crockett; Escobar, Oliver; Urie, Alison & Scott, Jo Collinson (2026). Making Light of Imprisonment: Humour, Connection and Resistance. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology. ISSN 0306-624X. doi: 10.1177/0306624X261455072. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Sounding Human: Music and Machines, 1740/2020. By Deirdre Loughridge. Music & Letters. ISSN 0027-4224. doi: 10.1093/ml/gcag043. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  ‘It isn’t real music!’ As I write this review there is an ongoing debate in Norwegian media about a band that has been booked to play in a festival next summer. The band is composed of human performers, but they are playing songs generated by AI. Or, more precisely, they have written the lyrics themselves and then fed them into a commercial AI-based music service that has created a melody and accompaniment. Is this ‘AI music’? Is it ‘real music’? Is it more or less ‘real’ whether they play acoustic instruments or laptops on stage? And, ultimately, does it matter who made what if people want to listen? To understand today’s disruptive introduction of AI-based commercial services better, it may help to look more closely at history. This is where Deirdre Loughridge’s book is a timely and valuable contribution. It reveals that human fascination with—and harsh scepticism of—machine-generated music is nothing new.

• Polak, Rainer (2026). Performance in the Round: Embedded Audiency at Music–Dance Events in Mali. Journal of the Royal Musical Association. ISSN 0269-0403. 151(1), p. 161–181. doi: 10.1017/rma.2026.10066. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract In many West African dance-drumming genres, the emphasis is on involving the gathered community in the performance, inviting them to take turns dancing. In such performance contexts, there is no audience in the strict sense, no group of participants who are not themselves directly involved as performers. Based on ethnographic case studies of music–dance events in rural southern Mali, this article argues for the concept of embedded audiency, showing how musicians provide dancers with the crucial contributions of audiency to performance: focused attention, social recognition, and meaning.

• Polak, Rainer; Pearson, Lara & Horlor, Samuel (2026). Round Table: Audiency beyond the Concert Hall: Theory and Ethnographic Case Studies. Journal of the Royal Musical Association. ISSN 0269-0403. 151(1), p. 147–160. doi: 10.1017/rma.2026.10064. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In recent years, the neologism audiency has found traction as a direct counterpart to the term performance , not least among theatre and performance scholars. 1 It announces audience research that is inclined to understand phenomena of witnessing as action and as involved in processes that stand in a mutually constitutive relationship with performance. This contrasts with the more familiar focus on groups of people (‘audiences’) and their constituent role identities (‘audience members’). Building on existing work, this round table seeks to further develop the audiency perspective by applying it to contexts outside of concert scenarios and other events characterized by a stable separation of counterposed performer and audience groups. We propose that considering audiency as action and opening it up to a wider range of musical contexts, ranging from rituals to games and from work to healing, can bring a deeper sense of its centrality in musical life.

• Serdar, Bilge; Tidemann, Aleksander & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Performative Togetherness in networked music–dance performance. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media. ISSN 1479-4713. p. 1–22. doi: 10.1080/14794713.2026.2657654. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article examines how performative togetherness is constructed in a technologically mediated music–dance performance environment. While togetherness is often associated with co-presence and effortless flow, networked contexts introduce perceptual reconfiguration that makes it fragile and effortful. We present the research concert Telematic@PopSenteret, a networked performance involving dancers and musicians distributed across two floors in a museum, connected through audio–video transmission. Using interviews and audio-video recordings, we explore how latency, fractured perception, and the absence of bodily cues transformed the performers’ coordination and induced cognitive strain. We discuss how performative togetherness – defined as the sense of shared meaning-making that emerges through attentional, sensory, and adaptive negotiation – was maintained during the performance.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan; Frödén, Lucy Cathcart & Hortman, Emil Cabral (2026). Sounding Citizenship in the Carceral State: On Voice, Hip Hop, and Power in Prison. In Skjerseth, Amy; Jarman, Freya & Andre, Naomi (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Voice and Identity. Routledge. ISSN 9781003494515. p. 342–359. doi: 10.4324/9781003494515-25. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The many idioms we use in relation to voice illustrate how the concept is understood in ways that layer the literal and the metaphorical. Phrases like “make your voice heard” or “raise your voice” connote not only the act of vocalizing and the sound waves and relational potential generated by it, but also broader questions of representation, democracy, protest, and citizenship. This chapter explores some of the multiple and complex meanings of voice and being heard in the context of music-making in the Norwegian prison system, asking whether and how music-making and vocal expression in carceral contexts can function as a pathway toward rights and citizenship. The reflections shared here are early findings from research carried out as part of the Prisons of Note project, which seeks to explore the relationship between prison music, including music education, music therapy, music-making and listening initiatives, and the sociocultural, political, ethical, and aesthetic implications of this creative practice. This chapter takes a dialogical and fragmented form, weaving together theoretical references from musicology, sound studies, and comparative penology; direct quotes from the voices of participants; and the authors’ own reflections on researching music in prisons. This experimental approach will evoke the flow of voices in conversation, bringing to the page modes of questioning, interjecting, embracing the tangential, and circling back. By making clear the situatedness of each voice represented, the chapter also functions as a critique of lingering expectations of neutrality or objectivity in the academic register and demonstrates the value of tuning in to the subjective.

• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2026). A Framework for Human–AI Dance Creation: The Machinic Movement Matrix. In Guyot, Patrice & Bosselut, Gregoire (Ed.), MOCO '26: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Movement and Computing. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400725005. p. 1–9. doi: https:/dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3802842.3802849. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article proposes a conceptual framework for analyzing human–machine co-creation in dance through the lens of embodied interaction and human–AI collaboration. While the integration of AI in the performing arts has expanded rapidly, critical tools for evaluating the nature and degree of machine participation in computational creativity and interactive performance remain limited. To address this gap, the paper introduces a three-axis analytical model that characterizes human–AI interaction through generativity, responsiveness, and agency distribution. Together, these dimensions form a taxonomy of machinic agency in choreographic processes, classifying machine roles as tools, catalysts, puppets, or collaborators. This work contributes to the growing field of dance technology by providing a theoretical framework and analytical vocabulary for understanding how kinematic communication and relational agency unfold in creative practice. It further proposes a set of conceptual categories—intermedial dance, choreorobotics, high-tech puppetry, AI dance, cyborg dance, and human–AI dance—to distinguish among diverse modes of human–machine performance interaction, offering researchers and artists a structured approach for analyzing and designing embodied human–machine dance collaborations.

• Louviot, Manon (2026). A Southern-Central European Tradition of Benedicamus Domino Melodies and Tropes. Muzyka. ISSN 0027-5344. 71(1), p. 67–146. doi: 10.36744/m.4824. Full text in Research Archive
• Serdar, Bilge; Tidemann, Aleksander & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Mixed Method Audio-Video Analyses of Felt Togetherness in a Networked Music-Dance Performance. In Guyot, Patrice & Bosselut, Gregoire (Ed.), MOCO '26: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Movement and Computing. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400725005. doi: 10.1145/3802842.3802884. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents a mixed-method approach to investigating the felt experience of a networked music–dance performance. Using this approach, we explore how a sense of togetherness emerges even when performers are distributed across distant spaces. Drawing on data from the Telematic@Popsenteret research concert, we propose a three-layered analytical framework that integrates computer-based audio-video analyses with qualitative observation, and post-performance interviews. By combining sound–motion synchrony and temporal coupling with performers’ and audience members’ experiential accounts, we examine how dancers and musicians negotiate coordination and shared presence in a telematic environment. Our findings suggest that togetherness in such settings is not merely a matter of temporal alignment, but a dynamically constructed, multimodal process involving perceptual adaptation, cross-modal attunement, and affective awareness.

• Kjus, Yngvar; Kraugerud, Emil & Skjerdal, Øyvind (2026). Tutoring, Selling, Gearfluencing, or What? An Exploration of the Motives and Methods of Online Introductions to Music Production Technology. In Andersen, Claus Sohn; Gullö, Jan-Olof; Hepworth-Sawyer, Russ; Marrington, Mark; Paterson, Justin & Toulson, Rob (Ed.), Innovation in Music: Current Research Perspectives. Routledge. ISSN 9781032757858. p. 44–54. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Nanette (2026). Enacting Musical Creativity: The Value of Human Agency in the Face of AI. Journal of Consciousness Studies. ISSN 1355-8250. 33(3), p. 123–144. doi: 10.53765/20512201.33.3.123. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In his recent critique of well-established simplified comparisons between the human mind and AI, Alva Noë encourages us to 'rage against the machine' (Noë, 2024). In this article, I build on Noë's timely encouragement, and sketch perspectives from both music studies and enactivist philosophy in order to interrogate what musicking might add to the debate. As a case study, I explore the recent public discourse surrounding the AI-band The Velvet Sundown and consider the implications — mental health related and ethical — of engaging with AI-generated music. I draw on current scholarship on musical creativity and AI to discuss the possibilities and limitations of creative agency in AI, laying the foundation for why human creative agency should be regarded more valuable than the artificial creativity that AI offers. I also discuss some ethical implications of sharing agency with AI, suggesting that we should continue to foster attunement to our creative agency and capabilities, as empowered but also vulnerable musicking human agents. I argue that musicking offers an enactive entanglement through which we are granted an opportunity to embrace risk, resist rules, and learn new modes of orientation and reorientation that serve as empowering tools for navigating our way through the resistant path to being human.

• Talamini, Francesca; Grassi, Massimo; Altoè, Gianmarco; Brattico, Elvira; Caclin, Anne & Carretti, Barbara [Show all 115 contributors for this article] (2026). Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians. Scientific Data. 13(1). doi: 10.1038/s41597-026-06654-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Music Ensemble dataset is a large-scale, cross-national database that provides detailed information about the musical, cognitive, personality, and demographic profiles of young adult musicians and nonmusicians. Data were collected from 1438 participants (aged 18–30) across thirty-five research sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Participants completed an in-person, in-lab battery of objective tests, including measures of verbal, visuospatial and musical short-term memory, executive functions (updating component), nonverbal reasoning, verbal comprehension, and music perception skills. The battery also included standardized and custom self-report questionnaires assessing music sophistication, music reward, personality traits, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics. Music Ensemble was preregistered, and the research protocol followed a standardized procedure across sites. The dataset also includes a large subsample of musicians and nonmusicians that are pair-matched for age, gender, and education (678 pairs). It enables well-powered investigations into the relationship between musical expertise and individual differences in cognition, personality, and demographic variables. It is also suitable for training in statistical and psychometric methods.

• Plath, Mirjana (2026). Adjö Mimi! Margit Rosengren and the Transfer of Popular Musical Theatre to Sweden in the 1920s. In Gentili, Barbara; Kühl, Paolo M. & Rowden, Clair (Ed.), Opera in Transnational Contexts. Circulating Identities and Cultures. Routledge. ISSN 9781032861111. p. 192–209. doi: https:/www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003521402-18/adj%C3%B6-mimi-mirjana-plath. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This chapter examines the transfer of popular musical theatre from Vienna to Sweden in the 1920s. Operetta was highly popular in Sweden from the mid-nineteenth century until the 1960s, with strong connections to German and Austrian theatre practices. Despite claims of a decline in quality during the 1920s and 30s, the genre thrived in Sweden. Swedish operetta star Margit Rosengren played a significant role in successful productions at that time. Her case exemplifies possible patterns of transfer of popular musical theatre from German-speaking cities to Sweden, and shows the popularisation and commercialisation of operettas in Stockholm. A case study on Ralph Benatzky’s Adjö Mimi! [Adieu Mimi!] (1927), featuring Rosengren, reveals strategies for cultural adaptations for Swedish audiences. The representation of localities and gender in the operetta links to the reception of operettas in Swedish provincial towns, as well as the personal decisions of the artistic team involved in the staging.

• Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Burnim, Kayla; Upham, Finn; Kelkar, Tejaswinee & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). LightHearted—A Framework for Mapping ECG Signals to Light Parameters in Performing Arts. In Brooks, Anthony L. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 14th EAI International Conference on ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation, ArtsIT 2025. Springer. ISSN 9783032269997. p. 719–738. doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-26999-7_18. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents LightHearted, an open-source Python framework for mapping the heart’s electrical activity from electrocardiography (ECG) signals acquired from performers to stage lighting in a concert setting. The aim is to provide dynamic lighting coupled to the physiological processes occurring during performance. Drawing upon critical approaches towards using biosignals in interactive systems and live concert research, we outline the framework’s design and implementation and present a case study with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. This paper highlights both technical and conceptual challenges of integrating biosensor-based lighting into a large-scale orchestral context. Results from a post-concert audience survey (N = 324) suggest that while responses to the lighting were mixed, it was generally not perceived as distracting and would be welcomed for use in future concerts.

• Al-Ghawanmeh, Fadi; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Smaili, Kamel (2026). Arab music improvisation corpus for research (AMICOR): development and machine translation experiments | Language Resources and Evaluation. Language Resources and Evaluation. ISSN 1574-020X. 60. doi: 10.1007/s10579-026-09905-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Under-resourced languages (and musics) pose a challenge to machine translation (MT). The challenge is greater when the content of the collected dataset is a varied sample taken from a data population that is even more diverse and dynamic. This is the challenge of Arab music vocal improvisation (mawwal). Here, we present the development of AMICOR, a parallel dataset consisting of vocal improvisatory phrases and their corresponding instrumental responses (or tarjamat in Arabic, which literally means “translations”) in the mawwal tradition. These melodic phrases are handled as “sentences” from the viewpoint of natural language. When developing the dataset, we integrated musicological insights in order to evaluate music theoretical differences between sub-datasets, primarily regarding their size, sentence length, performance quality, and shared musical identity. We then experimented with MT to generate instrumental responses to new vocal sentences, comparing several translation modeling configurations that differ (1) in translation approach (Neural MT (NMT) versus Statistical MT (SMT)), and (2) in the dataset handling approach in respect to the maqam (an Arabic musical term referring roughly to a melodic mode), comparing an individual model for each maqam versus a unified model for all maqamat. We found that merging related sub-datasets does not necessarily lead to better results, and may even favor simpler and shorter sentences with lower performance quality and less sophisticated patterns. This issue applies to both NMT and SMT; however, it is greater for NMT. A comparison of confusion matrices of individual-maqam models suggested that, in such a small dataset, the gap between SMT and NMT performance increases further if the styles, or skills, of potential users differ from those who built the dataset used in the training. Our discussion asserts that key factors in system design are the musical background and performance decisions of vocalists who may use such responsive generative models, as well as dataset size and performance quality.

• Guo, Jinyue; Tørresen, Jim & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Investigating Auditory–Visual Perception Using Multi-Modal Neural Networks with the SoundActions Dataset. Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval. 9(1), p. 85–85. doi: 10.5334/tismir.223. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Musicologists, psychologists, and computer scientists study relationships between auditory and visual stimuli from very different perspectives and using various terminologies and methodologies. This article aims to bridge the gap between phenomenological sound theory, auditory–visual theory, and audio–video processing and machine learning. We introduce the SoundActions dataset, a collection of 365 audio–video recordings of (primarily) short sound actions. Each recording has been human‑labeled and annotated according to Pierre Schaeffer’s theory of reduced listening, which describes the property of the sound itself (e.g., ‘an impulsive sound’) instead of the source (e.g., ‘a bird sound’). With these reduced‑type labels in the audio–video dataset, we conducted two experiments: (1) fine‑tuning the latest audio–video transformer model on the reduced‑type labels in the SoundActions dataset, proving that the model can recognize reduced‑type labels, and observing that the modality‑imbalance phenomenon is similar to the added value theory by Michel Chion and (2) proposing the Ensemble of Perception Mode Adapters method inspired by Pierre Schaeffer’s three listening modes, improving the audio–video model also on reduced‑type tasks.

• Marin-Bucio, Diego; Danielsen, Anne; Doumbia, Noumouke & Polak, Rainer (2026). Memory in performance: kinesthetic and procedural dimensions of skill acquisition in dance improvisation. Frontiers in Psychology. 17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1751590. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Improvisation is central to creative behavior across artistic and everyday domains, yet it is often portrayed as either pure freedom or rule-bound execution. While research in music and dance has shown that improvisation draws on structured kinesthetic vocabularies, less is known about how cultural rhythm and embodied memory interact in real time within and across genres. This study addresses that gap through ethnographic fieldwork in West Africa, where the first author, trained in contemporary dance, engaged in learning and performing Malian djembe dance. Drawing on autoethnography with a phenomenological orientation, alongside participant observation and conversations with Malian drummers and dancers, the analysis examines how kinesthetic and procedural memories inform real-time performance. Findings suggest that improvisation operates through culturally specific ways of sensing and attending to movement: dancers navigate genre-specific repertoire, rhythmic cues, and bodily affordances to evoke and transform embodied material. However, rather than merely reproducing fixed repertorial units , dancers also reconfigure embodied resources such as movement qualities in responsive and inventive ways. Our research supports the view of improvisation as structured play rather than unbound invention and advances the discourse by emphasizing the reconstructive play of embodied recall—how cultural and personal memories are recomposed in performance. Overall, the study contributes to understanding improvisation as a cognitive and cultural process: not the free invention of form but the creative reorganization of embodied memories within shared perceptual and rhythmic systems.

• Abrahamsson, Liv Merve Akca; Frühholz, Sascha & Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2026). Domain-specific perception of emotional intensity in brief musical and vocal expressions. JASA Express Letters. 6(2). doi: 10.1121/10.0042460. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Auditory emotional intensity perception was investigated using behavioral ratings of voice and music stimuli. Principal component analysis revealed distinct domain-specific structures [principal component 1 (PC1) 48%, PC2 11.2%), with the primary dimension for music intensity judgments explaining larger variance. Domain-specific analyses converged on a two-dimensional valence–arousal space, indicating shared structure yet differing variability. These findings advance theoretical understanding of how emotional intensity is organized across auditory domains of voice and music and highlight music as a particularly rich substrate for inter-individual differences in affective intensity perception.

• Madaghiele, Vincenzo; Lund, Leonard; Holzer, Derek; Kelkar, Tejaswinee; Tatar, Kıvanç & Holzapfel, Andre (2026). Expanding the machine: Notating generative synthesis with a state-based representation and a navigable timbre space. Organised Sound. ISSN 1355-7718. doi: 10.1017/S1355771825100915. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Notating electroacoustic music can be challenging due to the uniqueness of the instruments employed. Electronic instruments can include generative components that can manipulate sound at different time levels, in which parameter variations can correlate non-linearly to changes in the instrument’s timbre. The way compositions for electronic instruments are notated depends on their interfaces and the parameter controls available to performers, which determine the state of their sound-generating system. In this article, we propose a notation system for generative synthesis based on a projection from its parameter space to a timbre space, allowing to organise synthesiser states based on their timbral characteristics. To investigate this approach, we introduce the Meta-Benjolin, a state-based notation system for chaotic sound synthesis employing a three-dimensional, navigable timbre space and a composition timeline. The Meta-Benjolin was developed as a control structure for the Benjolin, a chaotic synthesiser. Framing chaotic synthesis as a specific instance of generative synthesis, we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the state- and timbre-based representation we designed based on the thematic analysis of an interview study with 19 musicians, who composed a piece using the Meta-Benjolin notational interface.

• Riaz, Maham; Erdem, Cagri & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Inverse and indirect mappings in embodied AI systems in everyday environments. Frontiers in Computer Science. 7. doi: 10.3389/fcomp.2025.1603769. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores how musicking technologies—interactive systems with musical properties—can enhance everyday public environments. We are particularly interested in investigating the effects of musical interactions in non-musical settings, such as offices, meeting rooms, and social work areas. Traditional music technologies (such as instruments) are built for goal-directed, conscious, and voluntary interactions. We propose a new perspective on embodied AI through systems that utilize indirect, inverse, unconscious, and, at times, involuntary interactions. Four different sound/music systems are examined and discussed with regard to their activity level: a reactive “birdbox,” a reactive painting, active self-playing guitars, and interactive music balls. All these systems are multimodal, containing sensors that detect various physical inputs to produce sound and light, and having varying levels of perceived agency. The paper explores differences between direct/indirect and regular/inverse embodied AI paradigms. This study demonstrates how minimalistic interactions have the potential to yield complex and engaging musicking experiences, challenging the norms of overly intricate AI implementations.

• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius & Brøvig, Ragnhild (2026). Hey Siri, Can You Write Me a Chipmunk Soul Track? A Snapshot of AI Tools Currently Used in Music Production. In Andersen, Claus Sohn; Gullö, Jan-Olof; Hepworth-Sawyer, Russ; Marrington, Mark; Paterson, Justin & Toulson, Rob (Ed.), Innovation in Music: Current Research Perspectives. Routledge. ISSN 9781032757858. doi: 10.4324/9781003475675-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article provides an overview of current AI-assisted tools used in music composition and production and demonstrate their application through research-based music production. By highlighting the diverse range of applications and levels of automation offered by AI tools, we nuance the discourse focused on AI-generated tracks and challenge the assumption that using AI necessarily equates to cheating. We demonstrate how musicians can harness AI to support their artistry without overshadowing human expression, ensuring that creativity and integrity remain at the forefront

• Brøvig, Ragnhild & Grydeland, Ivar (2026). Love Your Latency: The Glitching Spatiotemporality of Telematic Music Performances. In Andersen, Claus Sohn; Gullö, Jan-Olof; Hepworth-Sawyer, Russ; Marrington, Mark; Paterson, Justin & Toulson, Rob (Ed.), Innovation in Music: Innovative Creative Practice - 1st Edition. Routledge. ISSN 9781032757834. doi: https:/www.routledge.com/Innovation-in-Music-Innovative-Creative-Practice/SohnAndersen-Gullo-Hepworth-Sawyer-Marrington-Paterson-Toulson/p/book/9781032757834. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Innovation in Music: Innovative Creative Practice is a groundbreaking collection, bringing together contributions from instructors, researchers, and professionals, focusing on the joy of discovery in the context of music production, music technology, and music performance. With chapters on augmented creativity, single tonality chord songwriting, musical instruments as live samplers and playing field recordings in music production, this book is recommended reading for students, researchers, and professionals looking for global insights into the fields of music production, business, and technology.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Frödén, Lucy Cathcart (2026). Crackle and flicker: Music and multisensory experiences in prison. The Routledge International Handbook of Sensory Criminology. Routledge. ISSN 9781032618258. doi: 10.4324/9781032618258-17. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Routledge International Handbook of Sensory Criminology reimagines what criminology can become when we take the senses seriously. Centring the sensory as fundamental to the experience of harm, justice, and resistance, this groundbreaking volume brings together 29 chapters from scholars across disciplines, career stages, and geographies. Together, they explore how power is heard, felt, inhaled, touched, and moved through, from courtrooms and prisons to museums, marine ecologies, colonial archives, transitional spaces, high‑crime zones, and urban streets. The Handbook opens up new pathways for criminological inquiry, offering rich, situated analysis of how the sensory shapes and is shaped by structures of criminalisation, exclusion, and survival. Contributors engage themes including punishment, victimhood, environmental harm, archival memory, decolonial justice, and innovative methodologies. Rather than offering a prescriptive vision, the volume offers a provocation: to expand the criminological imagination and embrace new ways of knowing, sensing, and intervening. This Handbook is an essential reading for students, scholars, and early career researchers in criminology, sociology, law, anthropology, geography, gender studies, politics, and cultural studies, as well as those interested in decolonial approaches, sensory methods, and interdisciplinary justice research.

• Scott, Melissa J. & Al-Ghawanmeh, Fadi (2025). Generative AI for the music classroom: selected key topics and supporting tools. Ethnomusicology Forum. ISSN 1741-1912. 34(2), p. 283–288. doi: 10.1080/17411912.2025.2562609. Full text in Research Archive
• Dybsand, Øyvin (2025). Vorwort – Preface – Préface. In Andreas, Pernpeintner, (Eds.), Johan Halvorsen: Passacaglia and Sarabande. Urtext Edition. p. III–VII. Full text in Research Archive
• Grassi, Massimo; Talamini, Francesca; Altoè, Gianmarco; Brattico, Elvira; Caclin, Anne & Carretti, Barbara [Show all 110 contributors for this article] (2025). Do Musicians Have Better Short-Term Memory Than Nonmusicians? A Multilab Study. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science (AMPPS). ISSN 2515-2459. 8(4). doi: 10.1177/25152459251379432. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Musicians are often regarded as a positive example of brain plasticity and associated cognitive benefits. This emerges when experienced musicians (e.g., musicians with more than 10 years of music training and practice) are compared with nonmusicians. A frequently observed behavioral finding is a short-term memory advantage of the former over the latter. Although available meta-analysis reported that the effect size of this advantage is medium (Hedges’s g = 0.5), no literature study was adequately powered to estimate reliably an effect of such size. This multilab study has been ideated, realized, and conducted in lab by several groups that have been working on this topic. Our ultimate goal was to provide a community-driven shared and reliable estimate of the musicians’ short-term memory advantage (if any) and set a method and a standard for future studies in neuroscience and psychology comparing musicians and nonmusicians. Thirty-three research units recruited a total of 600 experienced musicians and 600 nonmusicians, a number that is sufficiently large to estimate a small effect size (Hedges’s g = 0.3) with a high statistical power (i.e., 95%). Subsequently, we measured the difference in short-term memory for musical, verbal, and visuospatial stimuli. We also looked at cognitive, personality, and socioeconomic factors that might mediate the difference. Musicians had better short-term memory than nonmusicians for musical, verbal, and visuospatial stimuli with an effect size of, respectively, Hedges’s g s = 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.94, 1.22]; large), 0.16 (95% CI = [0.02 0.30]; very small), and 0.28 (95% CI = [0.15, 0.41]; small). This work sets the basis for sound research practices in studies comparing musicians and nonmusicians and contributes to the ongoing debate on the possible cognitive benefits of musical training.

• Fong, Daniel Xiong Yang (2025). Producing the Norwegian Queer Opera Singer: A Diffractive Analysis of Queer Enactments and Regulations in Opera. Contemporary Music Review. ISSN 0749-4467. doi: 10.1080/07494467.2025.2585742. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The extent of queer inclusion in Norway and opera culture has been widely debated among scholars, with them vacillating between acknowledging marked aesthetic and social progress and the continuing discrimination and erasure of queer people in both contexts. These debates are exacerbated by the lack of scholarship on Norwegian queer opera singers. This study addresses these issues through its ethnographic investigation of Norwegian queer opera singers. Specifically, by adopting Karen Barad’s Meeting the Universe Halfway (2007. Durham, NC: Duke University Press) agential realism and diffractive analysis, it examines the wide spectrum of materialities and discourses that impact the gender and sexuality enactments of said singers, such as the prevailing gender concepts and pedagogical materials that masculinise the male operatic voice. Ultimately, the study challenges the notion of Norway as a conclusively ‘queer friendly’ country by revealing the ongoing and potential constraints and tensions faced by Norwegian queer opera singers. In response to such negativity, this study demonstrates how different ‘touches’ (Barad, Karen. 2012. “On Touching—The Inhuman That Therefore I Am.” Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 23 (3): 206–223) within Norwegian opera culture might produce new and self-affirming queer operatic lives.

• Demir, Arife Dila & Madaghiele, Vincenzo (2025). Reinterpreting Anatolian rugs through multi-sensory experiences. Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences (BICCS). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Anatolian rugs convey layered stories and meanings through their colourful motifs, reflecting both cultural traditions and the personal interpretations of the weavers. In our research, we explore alternative ways to communicate these narratives through multi-sensorial experiences, creating immersive engagements. Using interactive connected smart (ICS) materials such as sensors and microcontrollers, we develop a multisensory rug that mediates touch and sound interactions. In addition, we emphasize the importance of acknowledging our situatedness as makers: whether we come from within or outside the culture in which we work, our backgrounds and tools shape how we approach craft traditions. Thus, we reflect on how we can remain respectful to the traditions while reinterpreting them through our positionalities and contemporary methods.

• Upham, Finn & Rosas, Fernando E. (2025). When and How the Audience Moves. Music & Science. 8, p. 1–24. doi: 10.1177/20592043251398280. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Audience motion is a defining component of the face-to-face concert experience. Motion is also a common component of individual audience members’ reactions and actions to live performances. This article investigates patterns in chest-mounted accelerometer measurements from audience members at a chamber music concert experiment. The aim is to contextualize their behavior during music performance using a sequence of exploratory analyses. Combining insight from subjective reports of audience motion; musical, environmental, and biological frequencies; and similarity of motion timing with neighbors or more distant participants, both in-hall audience participants and live-stream viewers show two distinct music–motion patterns: either unobtrusive dynamic stilling or noticeable tempo-matched bouncing. Audience motion outside of music, during applause, speeches, or survey writing, also shows distinct average quantities of motion and degrees of shared information between seat neighbors, prompting a discussion on the constrained opportunities for audience action and social interaction at live classical concerts. Although exploratory, these extensive analyses provide a useful foundation for future work to further understand audience behaviors in concert music settings and beyond.

• Spiech, Connor; Câmara, Guilherme Schmidt; Fuhrer, Julian & Virginia, Penhune, (2025). 4/4 and more, rhythmic complexity more strongly predicts groove in common meters. Communications Psychology. 3. doi: 10.1038/s44271-025-00360-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The pleasurable urge to move to music, termed “groove,” is thought to arise from the tension between top-down metric expectations or predictions and rhythmic complexity. Specifically, groove ratings are highest for moderately complex rhythms, balancing expectation and surprise. To test this, meter and rhythmic complexity need to be manipulated independently to assess their impact on groove. Thus, we compared Western listeners’ ratings for musical clips of varying rhythmic complexity composed in either the most common Western meter (4/4) or less common meters (e.g., 7/8). In several behavioral studies (Experiment 1, N = 143; Experiment 2, N = 120; Experiment 3, N = 120), we used Bayesian regression to show that groove is greatest for moderately complex rhythms, but only in 4/4. In non-4/4 meters, simpler rhythms elicited the greatest groove. This provides support for the theory that bottom-up rhythmic features interact with meter in a way that shapes the pleasurable urge to move to music.

• Coulon, Emmanuel; Baum, Sacha; Lenc, Tomas; Polak, Rainer & Nozaradan, Sylvie (2025). Neural representation of the musical beat is facilitated but not contingent on the repetition of rhythmic patterns. Scientific Reports. 16(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-30780-1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music often entails perception of periodic beats which serve as internal temporal references to coordinate movements to music. Crucially, beat perception arises even in syncopated musical rhythms, which only weakly cue the beat periodicity. However, syncopated rhythms are often looped in music, suggesting that repetition of rhythmic patterns may facilitate beat perception by providing a periodic structure at a supra-second timescale. Here, we tested this hypothesis by recording separately electroencephalographic (EEG) and behavioral responses (finger tapping) while participants listened to different syncopated rhythmic sequences. These sequences either consisted of a repeated pattern (repetition of 4.8 and 9.6-s-long patterns) or were generated without repetition. Despite the degradation of pattern repetition, neural activity showed a periodized representation of the rhythmic input across conditions, at periodicities corresponding to those expressed in behavioral responses. However, this neural activity was further enhanced in the condition with shorter repeated patterns. Thus, pattern repetition was not necessary but strengthened the neural representation of the beat, demonstrating that supra-second periodicities in the rhythmic input further enhance sub-second periodicities in neural activity. These findings highlight the multiscale temporal processing of musical rhythm, and, more generally, complex rhythmic inputs involved in interpersonal interaction and communication.

• Simionato, Riccardo & Tidemann, Aleksander (2025). Compressing Neural Network Models of Audio Distortion Effects Using Knowledge Distillation Techniques. Proceedings of the 1st AES International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Audio (AIMLA). 1(1), p. 117–126. doi: https:/aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23001. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Neural networks have proven to be effective for modeling analog audio effects using a black-box approach. However, few can guarantee lightweight solutions suitable for real-time environments where the models must run concurrently on consumer-grade equipment. This paper explores knowledge distillation techniques for compressing recurrent neural network models for audio distortion effects, aiming to produce computationally efficient solutions with high accuracy that maintain compact model size. In particular, we consider an audio-to-audio LSTM architecture for regression tasks where small networks are trained to mimic the internal representations of larger networks, known as feature-based knowledge distillation. The evaluation was conducted on three different audio distortion effect datasets with experiments on both parametric and non-parametric data. The results show that distilled models are more accurate than non-distilled models with equal parameter size, especially for models that exhibit higher error rates. Furthermore, we observe that smaller complexity gaps between student and teacher models yield greater improvements in non-parametric cases.

• Bravo, Pedro Pablo Lucas; Szorkovszky, Alexander; Fasciani, Stefano & Glette, Kyrre (2025). HS-ims: A Platform for Human-Swarm Interactive Music Systems. In Tei, Kenji & Zambonelli, Franco (Ed.), 2025 IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems (ACSOS). IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). ISSN 9798331502157. doi: 10.1109/ACSOS-C66519.2025.00067. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper introduces HS-ims, an integrated virtual environment designed for developing real-time musical multiagent systems. It addresses the need for technological platforms that emphasize sound applications, flexible prototyping, and comprehensive data collection from these multi-agent systems. HS-ims offers a 3D virtual environment with built-in sound synthesis via binaural audio, an Open Sound Control (OSC) API implementation that is language-agnostic, and a data collection module. The platform operates with an External Controller managing multi-agent logic. We present relevant performance metrics and provide examples highlighting how HS-ims has proven valuable in research and education. This encourages further exploration and establishes it as a useful tool for music performance.

• Jónsson, Björn Thór; Erdem, Cagri; Fasciani, Stefano & Glette, Kyrre (2025). Live Coding the Lineage. In Sedo, Anna Xambo & Buffa, Michel (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Web Audio Conference (WAC). IRCAM. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17642435. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents a web-based system for exploring and performing with sounds discovered through Quality Diver- sity evolutionary algorithms. Our system renders interactive phylogenetic trees of evolutionary sound discovery processes, transforming genealogical relationships into a performable interface—the “Harpsitree”—using trajectory-based interaction and automatic code generation. The core concept we explore is “algorithmic sketching,” where trajectory-based discovery through evolutionary structures progressively formalises into executable code, bridging visual exploration and textual live coding paradigms. This work contributes a novel performance interface as part of a larger research project investigating evolutionary computation for sound discovery, demonstrating how phylogenetic structures can reveal com- positional affordances through appropriate interaction design.

• Murray, Leigh Daniel & Fasciani, Stefano (2025). Characterisation of Teensy 4.1 Ecosystem for Low-Latency Audio Network Transmission in Networked Music Performances. In Piccioni, Alex; Rinaldi, Claudia & Centofanti, Carlo (Ed.), Proceedings of 2025 IEEE 6th International Symposium on the Internet of Sounds (IS2). IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). ISSN 9798331572945. p. 1–10. doi: 10.1109/is264627.2025.11284626. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper evaluates and benchmarks the Teensy 4.1 Ecosystem as a low-cost platform for Networked Music Performances. The study focuses on bidirectional streaming of uncompressed audio and assesses various latency components across the system, including I2S passthrough, buffer passthrough, and Ethernet transmission in unidirectional and roundtrip modes, as well as "My Mouth to My Ear" latency over Local and Wide Area Networks. UDP bandwidth utilisation (both unidirectional and bidirectional) and compatibility with JackTrip software are also examined. Results show that a Teensy 4.1-based audio streaming system achieves one-way source-to-ear latencies as low as 0.51 ms at 96 kHz with an 8-sample buffer and 2.50 ms at 48 kHz with a 32-sample buffer, well below the Ensemble Performance Threshold of 25 ms, which marks the limit of perceivable delay. This low latency accommodates additional network propagation delays. Furthermore, the Teensy 4.1 efficiently utilises Ether-net bandwidth, minimising impacts during simultaneous data transmission. Overall, the findings indicate that microcontroller-based boards like the Teensy 4.1 are ideal for low-latency audio streaming, offering better performance and lower costs than general-purpose and some single-board computers.

• Brøvig, Ragnhild (2025). Stealing From or Facilitating Hard-Working Musicians? Remixers' Code of Honor. In Navas, Eduardo Antonio; Gallagher, Owen & burrough, xtine (Ed.), The Routledge Companion to Remix Studies - 2nd Edition - Eduardo Navas. Routledge. p. 401–411. doi: 10.4324/9781003402459-33. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  While terms like “theft” and “piracy” have often been used to describe sampling, equating it with criminal behavior overlooks the complexities of copyright law and the ethical perspectives of remix artists. Drawing on interviews with mashup producers, this chapter reveals their perspectives and ethical guidelines regarding sampling, emphasizing the distinction between plagiarism and acknowledged appropriation, where the latter serves as a form of artistic commentary rather than a mere exploitation of others’ work.

• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Supporting Narrative Comprehension in Programmatic Music through Music and Light. In McArthur, Angela; Matthews, Emma-Kate & Holberton, Tom (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research. The Laboratory PRISM “Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music”. ISSN 9791097498061. p. 447–454. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17496754. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Programmatic music, such as Tchaikovsky’s Overture Romeo and Juliet, relies on the audience’s ability to associate musical motifs with narrative elements. This is a demanding task for less experienced listeners, particularly when cues are subtle, such as those conveyed through timbre. This paper explores how dynamic stage lighting, driven by physiological signals, can enhance narrative comprehension in orchestral performance. Using the LightHearted interactive lighting system, different characters of the Overture were mapped to distinct colored lights, whose intensities were dynamically modulated in real time by the heart rates of the conductor and selected musicians. This integration aimed to convey subtle narrative cues to the audience in real time. Audience feedback suggests that this approach not only clarifies musical narratives but also enhances the overall experience.

• D’Amario, Sara & Bishop, Laura (2025). Self-reported experiences of togetherness in classical music ensembles. Psychology of Music. ISSN 0305-7356. p. 1–19. doi: 10.1177/03057356251381808. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Musicians experience varying degrees of musical togetherness, defined as a sense of social connectedness that they experience with co-performer(s) in music ensembles. Previous investigations focused on optimal experiences and suggested a link between social connections and musical and contextual aspects. However, it is not fully understood how this concept aligns with musicians’ experiences of togetherness. This research analysed experiences of togetherness in classical ensemble performances, based on semi-structured interviews with 22 advanced music students. Thematic content analysis demonstrates the emergence of four main themes associated with togetherness experiences as follows: (1) togetherness sensation, (2) quality of the interpersonal relationships, (3) performance settings, and (4) ensemble skills. This study broadens our understanding of ensemble playing experiences and reveals how togetherness experiences can arise or be negatively affected. These results are valuable to ensemble pedagogy and social interactions.

• Godøy, Rolf Inge (2025). Klang-Bewegungs-Objekte. In Jeßulat, Ariane; Schwab-Felisch, Oliver; Sprick, Jan Philipp & Thorau, Christian (Ed.), Handbuch Musikanalyse: Pluralität und Methode. Bärenreiter Verlag. ISSN 9783761820650. p. 347–359. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Der Fokus dieses Kapitels liegt auf sogenannten Klang-Bewegungs-Objekten – Elementen aus Klang und assoziierter Körperbewegung, deren Länge typischerweise in einem Bereich von 0,5 bis 5 Sekunden liegt. Solche Objekte weisen eine Vielzahl (wenn nicht die meisten) der perzeptiv auffallenden Merkmale von Musik auf, weshalb sie auch als Ausgangspunkt der musikalischen Analyse dienen können. Im vorliegenden Kapitel werden Grundprinzipien der Wahrnehmung und kognitiven Verarbeitung solcher Klang-Bewegungs-Objekte dargestellt und an Auszügen aus Schönbergs Klavierstück op. 11 Nr. 1 veranschaulicht – einem Stück, dessen ästhetische wie affektive Wirkung zum Großteil auf die Verknüpfung einzelner markanter Klang-Bewegungs-Objekte zu einer längeren zusammenhängenden Komposition zurückführbar zu sein scheint.

• Bernhardt, Emil (2025). Alltid et annet sted – estetisk forflytning og fantasiens plikt. In Holm, Henrik & Alexeeva, Anastasiya (Ed.), Estetiske fag i samfunnet. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202868673. p. 13–32. doi: https:/cdforskning.no/cdf/catalog/book/261. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This essay starts with the following observation: The aesthetic effect always happens somewhere else than we initially believe. I would argue that there is a displacement here, from an assertion that is manageable to an effect that remains uncontrollable. Furthermore I would argue that this displacement is aesthetically qualifying. What happens never merges with the motivation for what was done; what was done had a different aim than what happens. This perspective emphasises what we might call the event aspect of aesthetics, and our conception of what we can actually do is adjusted accordingly. I approach the idea of such a displacement in three ways: First, I briefly mention three examples from our contemporary cultural sphere. These are what has been called historically informed performance practice in classical music, then what has been called reality literature, and finally the painter Odd Nerdrum’s relationship to classical painting. Secondly, I examine the relationship between the idea of aesthetic displacement and modern aesthetics’ concept of aesthetic autonomy. Might the idea of aesthetic displacement be thought of as an example of such autonomy? Thirdly, I pursue the event and action perspective and ask whether a practical counterpart to aesthetic displacement is possible. Is there anything we can do that somehow corresponds to the fact that something happens? Here I try to develop a concept of a duty of imagination.

• Godøy, Rolf Inge (2025). Sensing Sound-Motion Objects in Music Performance. In Doğantan-Dack, Mine (Eds.), Music Performers' Lived Experiences Theory, Method, Interpretation: Volume One. Routledge. ISSN 9781032403724. p. 224–241. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The focus of this chapter is on how fragments of music-related sound and body motion, called sound-motion objects, are linked to salient subjective sensations in music performance, such as sensations of effort, articulation, and flow. Studying subjective sensations is inherently challenging because we need to somehow access what’s going on in the minds of performers and/or listeners by way of self-report, or by way of body motion observations, ranging from just seeing and annotating performances, to using technology-based methods, in turn ranging from simple to highly complex (and invasive). Fortunately, we have seen research trying to overcome methodological and technological challenges in body motion research, and seen research supporting body motion as fundamental for human thinking and feeling, enabling a kind of ‘mind reading’ by body motion observation. Research can be seen to support so-called motormimetic cognition, a framework suggesting that perception, thinking, and feeling in music are closely linked with sensations of body motion, hence, the idea of sensing sound-motion objects in music performance in the lived experience of performers and listeners.

• Lenoir, Cédric; Lenc, Tomas; Polak, Rainer & Nozaradan, Sylvie (2025). Behavior-Relevant Periodized Neural Representation of Acoustic But Not Tactile Rhythm in Humans. Journal of Neuroscience. ISSN 0270-6474. 45(46), p. 1–14. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.0664-25.2025. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music makes people move. This human propensity to coordinate movement with musical rhythm requires multiscale temporal integration, allowing fast sensory events composing rhythmic input to be mapped onto slower, behavior-relevant, internal templates such as periodic beats. Relatedly, beat perception has been shown to involve an enhanced representation of the beat periodicities in neural activity. However, the extent to which this ability to move to the beat and the related “periodized” neural representation are shared across the senses beyond audition remains unknown. Here, we addressed this question by recording separately the electroencephalographic (EEG) responses and finger tapping to a rhythm conveyed either through acoustic or tactile inputs in healthy volunteers of either sex. The EEG responses to the acoustic rhythm, spanning a low-frequency range (below 15 Hz), showed enhanced representation of the perceived periodic beat, compatible with behavior. In contrast, the EEG responses to the tactile rhythm, spanning a broader frequency range (up to 25 Hz), did not show significant beat-related periodization and yielded less stable tapping. Together, these findings suggest a preferential role of low-frequency neural activity in supporting neural representation of the beat. Most importantly, we show that this neural representation, as well as the ability to move to the beat, is not systematically shared across the senses. More generally, these results, highlighting multimodal differences in beat processing, reveal a process of multiscale temporal integration that allows the auditory system to go beyond mere tracking of onset timing and to support higher-level internal representation and motor entrainment to rhythm.

• Riaz, Maham; Guo, Jinyue; Erdem, Cagri & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Where to Put That Microphone? A Study of Sound Localization in Ambisonics Recordings. In McArthur, Angela; Matthews, Emma-Kate & Holberton, Tom (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research. The Laboratory PRISM “Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music”. ISSN 9791097498061. p. 455–466. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.17497086. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines the effects of microphone placement on sound localization in first-order Ambisonics recordings. Two microphone setups were used to capture a moving audio source in a lab environment. Array A, a tetrahedral microphone, was placed in the centre of the recording space. Array B consisted of four similar tetrahedral microphones charting a rectangular perimeter surrounding the space. Motion capture data of the moving sound source shows that anglegrams calculated from the Ambisonics recordings can be effectively used for sound localization. An additional perceptual listening study with binaural renders of the audio signals showed that the centrally-placed Array A provided superior localization. However, the corner-placed Array B performed better than expected.

• Guo, Jinyue; Tørresen, Jim & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Cross-modal Analysis of Spatial-Temporal Auditory Stimuli and Human Micromotion when Standing Still in Indoor Environments. In McArthur, Angela; Matthews, Emma-Kate & Holberton, Tom (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research. The Laboratory PRISM “Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music”. ISSN 9791097498061. p. 871–882. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.17502603. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines how a soundscape influences human stillness. We are particularly interested in how spatial and temporal features of a soundscape influence human micromotion and swaying patterns. The analysis is based on 345 Ambisonics audio recordings of different indoor environments and corresponding accelerometer data captured at the chest of a person standing still for ten minutes. We calculated the temporal and spatial correlation between the person's quantity of motion and the sound energy of the Ambisonic recordings. While no clear temporal correlations were found, we discovered a correlation between the spatial directionality of the micromotion and the sound direction of arrival. The results suggest a potential entrainment between the directionality of environmental sounds and human swaying patterns, which have not been thoroughly studied previously compared to the temporal or spectral features of indoor soundscapes.

• Edwards, Peter (2025). En oppdiktet musikk. Irrasjonell logikk og ekspressiv tilblivelse i Adrian Leverkühns Dr. Fausti Veklage. Agora Journal for metafysisk spekulasjon. ISSN 0800-7136. 43(3-4), p. 85–107. doi: 10.18261/agora.43.3-4.5. Full text in Research Archive
• Rolfsjord, Sigmund Johannes Ljosvoll; Fatima, Safia; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von & Baselizadeh, Adel (2025). Multimodal Transfer Learning for Privacy in Human Activity Recognition. In Emilia, Barakova,; Ben, Allouch, Somaya; Kazuhiro, Nakadai, & Goldie, Nejat, (Ed.), Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) 2025. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). ISSN 9798331587710. p. 15–20. doi: 10.1109/ro-man63969.2025.11217600. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) This conference is a leading forum where state-of-the-art innovative results, the latest developments as well as future perspectives relating to robot and human interactive communication are presented and discussed. The conference covers a wide range of topics related to Robot and Human Interactive Communication, involving theories, methodologies, technologies, empirical and experimental studies. Papers related to the study of robotic technology, psychology, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, human factors, ethics and policies, interaction-based robot design and other topics related to human-robot interaction are welcome.

• Laczko, Balint; Rognes, Marie Elisabeth & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Image Sonification as Unsupervised Domain Transfer. In McArthur, Angela; Matthews, Emma-Kate & Holberton, Tom (Ed.), Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research. The Laboratory PRISM “Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music”. ISSN 9791097498061. p. 596–607. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17497987. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The process of image sonification maps visual features into perceived auditory features. Most established sonification methods rely on identifying salient visual features in the input data and then mapping their distribution to a proportional distribution of auditory features. However, this approach requires both domain expertise and manual feature engineering. Here, we propose a new method of image sonification, leveraging recent advances in representation learning and domain transfer. Our approach introduces a pair of variational auto-encoder models that learn disentangled latent representations of the images and sounds, respectively, and a separate network that maps between these representations. The resulting sonification system encodes images into the latent space and then decodes them as sounds. Both representations and their mapping are learned in an entirely unsupervised manner. When evaluating the system in an interactive real-time setting, we observed that the model successfully learned disentangled representations of image and sound factors in our synthetic datasets.

• Madaghiele, Vincenzo; Fasciani, Stefano; Kelkar, Tejaswinee & Erdem, Cagri (2025). MAAL: a multi-agent autonomous live looper for improvised co-creation of musical structures. In Bown, Oliver (Eds.), Proceedings of International Conference on AI and Musical Creativity. AI Music Creativity (AIMC). doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.16946080. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Live looping is a musical practice based on recording, repetition and layering segments of a live music performance. Layering loops is a technique used to create musical structures that evolve over time throughout a performance, and it is particularly popular among solo improvising musicians. This paper presents the Multi-Agent Autonomous Looper -- a system that autonomously selects musical segments to be sampled and looped during a live performance, using a set of rule-based agents. Each loop track is managed by an agent that listens to the musician's performance and to the concurrently looping segments on other tracks. The decision on which segments of the performance to loop depends on user-selected rules based on comparison of musical properties, expressing varying degrees of sonic compatibility. This approach characterizes the entire system as a multi-agent network capable of autonomously generating emergent musical structures throughout a performance. The Multi-Agent Autonomous Looper aims to expand the possibilities for indirect control and co-creative interactions in live looping for improvising musicians. In the paper, we detail the system's objectives and design, its offline and online implementations, and discuss specific settings and behaviors across three representative use cases.

• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria & Lartillot, Olivier (2025). A Multimodal Dataset of Greek Folk Music. In Luca, Elsa De (Eds.), DLfM '25: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Digital Libraries for Musicology. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400720833. p. 19–27. doi: https:/dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3748336.3748339. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents a multimodal dataset of Greek folk dance music, focusing on syrtos and balos. Developed to support research in computational musicology, the dataset improves access to Greek musical heritage through manually transcribed MIDI scores, aligned lyrics, and rich metadata, all curated by expert musicologists. Through pattern analysis and feature extraction, we examine both shared melodic structures and unique characteristics of each dance, with some examples reflecting traces of oral transmission. While metadata accompanies the collection to support organization and context, our primary emphasis is on the musical and lyrical content. This work contributes to digital ethnomusicology by showing how multimodal datasets of folk music can inform both analytical research and cultural heritage preservation.

• Laczko, Balint & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Pixasonics: An Image Sonification Toolbox for Python. In Cardoso, F. Amílcar; Vickers, Paul; Martins, Pedro & Roddy, Stephen (Ed.), Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD 2025). Department of Informatics Engineering, University of Coimbra, Portugal. ISSN 9798991456210. p. 28–35. doi: https:/hdl.handle.net/1853/79958. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Pixasonics is a new Python library for interactive image analysis and exploration through image sonification. It uses real-time audio and visualization to help uncover patterns in image data. With Pixasonics, users can launch one or more small web applications (running in a Jupyter Notebook), probe image data using various feature extraction methods, and map those feature vectors to synthesis parameters. The target users are researchers interested in exploring image and volumetric data and creative users who want an intuitive tool for experimental sound design. Pixasonics’ design aims to strike a balance between an easy-to-use web application with minimal boilerplate code necessary and a library that can be integrated into more advanced workflows. Real-time exploration is at the heart, but it can also be used to script non-real-time sonifications of large datasets. This paper presents Pixasonics, its structure, interface, and advanced features, and discusses preliminary feedback from biology researchers and music technologists.

• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Glette, Kyrre; Lartillot, Olivier & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MusiQAl: A Dataset for Music Question–Answering through Audio–Video Fusion. Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval. 8(1), p. 265–282. doi: 10.5334/tismir.222. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music question–answering (MQA) is a machine learning task where a computational system analyzes and answers questions about music‑related data. Traditional methods prioritize audio, overlooking visual and embodied aspects crucial to music performance understanding. We introduce MusiQAl, a multimodal dataset of 310 music performance videos and 11,793 human‑annotated question–answer pairs, spanning diverse musical traditions and styles. Grounded in musicology and music psychology, MusiQAl emphasizes multimodal reasoning, causal inference, and cross‑cultural understanding of performer–music interaction. We benchmark AVST and LAVISH architectures on MusiQAI, revealing strengths and limitations, underscoring the importance of integrating multimodal learning and domain expertise to advance MQA and music information retrieval.

• Upham, Finn & Burnim, Kayla (2025). ACCELEROMETER-BASED SYNCHRONISATION PROTOCOL FOR MUSIC-ALIGNED MEASUREMENTS OF DISTRIBUTED DATALOGGING WEARABLES. In Frank, Matthias & Vallejo, Sofia (Ed.), Proceedings of the Sound and Music Computing Conference 2025. SMC Network. ISSN 9783200106420. p. 415–420. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.15838480. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Many commercial wearable biosensors can be set to record (datalogging) cardiac activity, motion, respiration, and other signals in devices easily worn during group musical activities. However, despite offering research-relevant sample rates and exportable data formats, these commercial units are not designed for high accuracy synchronisation to external clocks. Anticipated uses like solo exercise and sleep monitoring do not require inter-device alignment below a few seconds, while musical activities feature discernible events within 200 ms and action alignment between participants under 10 ms. In the absence of a mechanism to digitally communicate timing triggers across datalogging devices, we have developed a synchronisation protocol to embed audio-aligned cues in active accelerometers to allow reassignment of timestamps after recording. This process substantially improves inter-unit signal alignment, correcting initialisation time offsets and clock drift to within accelerometer sample rate in recordings spanning 3 to 10 hours. Implemented in 15 recording sessions over 5 experiments, involving 9 to 95 units of various datalogging wearables, the resultant datasets support analysis of inter-participant coordination across signals and, with audio-based dynamic time warping, relatively high precision comparisons of sensor measurements to repeated musical events, all outside of laboratory conditions.

• D’Amario, Sara & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Cardiac Coherence among Musicians and Audiences During Orchestra Performances. Music & Science. 8, p. 1–15. doi: 10.1177/20592043251370977. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recent empirical investigations suggest that music performance and perception can evoke a collective cardiac response in performers and audience members, and interpersonal cardiac coupling can be related to musical features. However, the relationship between musicians’ and audiences’ cardiac responses is poorly understood. This study investigates the interpersonal cardiac coherence of selected audience members and performers from the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra during multiple performances of Harald Sæverud’s Kjempeviseslåtten. The cardiac coherence index (CCI) was computed by applying the intrinsic synchrosqueezing transform to the cardiac interbeat interval of each signal, combining noise-assisted multivariate empirical mode decomposition and short-time Fourier transforms. The results show that the CCI values among the audience members were stronger than those of the musicians. Sound pressure level measurements predicted the musicians’ CCI values, whilst musical form structure predicted the audiences’ CCI values. These results advance our understanding of how cardiac rhythms support interpersonal interactions and contribute to research on live orchestra performances.

• Polak, Rainer (2025). From Mali to Ghana: Pulsation Non-Isochrony in West African Percussion Music Genres. Analytical Approaches to African Music. 1(1). doi: https:/africa.iftawm.org/aaam-vol-1-iss-1/https:/africa.iftawm.org/aaam-vol-1-iss-1/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Most theories of African music emphasize the diversity of musical styles in Africa. Still, many also hold on to the notion of Africa being a uniform area with a high degree of stylistic coherence. This paper questions that latter notion by comparing different genres of West African percussion ensemble music from Mali and Ghana concerning the temporal structure of the fast pulse (metric beat division). On this basis, the paper asks whether it is empirically plausible to represent African music by identifying a singular ideal type of African rhythm. The main result is that uneven beat subdivision timing patterns (pulsation non-isochrony) and the superimposition (nesting) of binary and ternary subdivision layers play a substantial role in genres from Mali (Mande) and northern Ghana (Dagbamba) but not in southern and central Ghana (Ewe, Asante). This finding contradicts the widespread assumption that, in African rhythmic systems, the fast pulse in general is structurally isochronous and either binary or ternary. The paper concludes that African rhythmic systems exhibit a greater diversity than theories of African rhythm have indicated and that Africanist music research should emphasize this diversity more consistently than it has done so far.

• Barbero, Francesca M.; Lenc, Tomas; Jacoby, Nori; Polak, Rainer; Varlet, Manuel & Nozaradan, Sylvie (2025). Revealing rhythm categorization in human brain activity. Science Advances. 11(31). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adu9838. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Humans across cultures show an outstanding capacity to perceive, learn, and produce musical rhythms. These skills rely on mapping the infinite space of possible rhythmic sensory inputs onto a finite set of internal rhythm categories. What is the nature of the brain processes underlying rhythm categorization? We used electroencephalography to measure brain activity as human participants listened to a continuum of rhythmic sequences characterized by repeating patterns of two interonset intervals. Using frequency and representational similarity analyses, we show that brain activity does not merely track the temporal structure of rhythmic inputs but, instead, produces categorical representation of rhythms. These neural rhythm categories arise automatically, independent of any motor- or timing-related tasks, yet exhibit strong similarity with categorization observed in overt behavior. Together, these results and methodological advances constitute a critical step toward understanding the biological roots and diversity of musical behaviors across cultures.

• Ho, Richard David Jun-Geet; Mossige, Joachim; Ponomartcev, Sergei; Natalia, Smirnova,; Sunny, Dai, Keqing & Hu, Xian [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2025). [2509.08929] Spontaneous elongation of 3D gastruloids from local cell polarity alignment. arXiv. doi: https:/arxiv.org/abs/2509.08929. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Gastruloids are 3D stem cell aggregate models for early embryogenesis that provide a unique platform to study how collective cell dynamics drive tissue symmetry breaking and axial elongation. Using 3D light sheet imaging, we show that a pulse of Chiron, a Wnt activator, induces coherent alignment of cell polarity during elongation. While nuclear elongation occurs with or without treatment, only Chiron-treated gastruloids exhibit quasi-long-range alignment of nuclear axes, linking cell polarity coherence to tissue-scale remodeling. A minimal physical model of polarized cells, incorporating alignment-dependent torques and polarity-mediated adhesion, reproduces symmetry breaking and elongation, demonstrating that local cell polarity alignment alone can drive tissue-scale convergence-extension flows.

• Asko, Olgerta; Volehaugen, Vegard Akselsson; Llorens, Anaïs; Funderud, Ingrid; Leske, Sabine Liliana & Ivanovic, Jugoslav [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2025). Predictive encoding of auditory sequences in the human prefrontal cortex. bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology. doi: 10.1101/2025.08.22.671264. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Humans extract regularities from the environment to form expectations that guide perception and optimize behavior. Although the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is central to this process, the relative contributions of orbitofrontal (OFC) and lateral PFC (LPFC) remain unclear. Here, we show that the brain tracks sound regularities in an auditory deviance detection task to predict when a target deviant will occur. Intracranial EEG in epilepsy patients reveals prefrontal engagement, with earlier expectancy-related modulation in OFC and later modulation in LPFC. Connectivity analyses indicate bidirectional and asymmetrical expectancy-related information exchange between the two areas, with a first lead by OFC, consistent with its role in initiating predictive encoding. Converging causal evidence shows that OFC lesions abolish sensitivity to expectancy, whereas LPFC lesions yield only modest effects not significantly different from controls. Together, these results provide electrophysiological and causal evidence for distinct, temporally organized contributions of prefrontal subregions to predictive processing. Significance Statement The human brain builds probabilistic associations capturing the dynamic environmental structure in a predictive manner. The ability to encode and deploy predictive information to anticipate future events relies on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, the specific roles of PFC subregions in this process remain unclear. Here, we provide converging electrophysiological and causal lesion evidence on the distinct involvement of the orbital and lateral PFC in generating anticipatory neural signals based on probabilistic auditory structure.

• Plath, Mirjana (2025). Vienna. In Carpenter, Alexander (Eds.), Schoenberg in Context. Cambridge University Press. ISSN 9781316513828. p. 10–17. doi: https:/www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/music/twentieth-century-and-contemporary-music/schoenberg-context?format=HB&isbn=9781316513828#description. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This chapter highlights Schoenberg’s encounters with art, literature, politics, and religion in Vienna, the city where he spent more than half of his lifetime and where he made his first steps as a composer. With his broad interests, Schoenberg profited from the diverse, international metropolis, which affected his world views and artistic work. Social democratic ideas and the workers’ movement were influencing him as well as Jewish culture, embedded in the fall of the Habsburg Empire and rising Antisemitic ideas. Vienna’s coffee houses as meeting points for artistic circles, a vivid music scene, as well as the visual arts, such as the Secession, Jugendstil, and Expressionism, were equally inspiring for his artistic output.

• Spiech, Connor; Hope, Mikael & Bégel, Valentin (2025). Evoked and entrained pupillary activity while moving to preferred tempo and beyond. iScience. 28(1). doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111530. Full text in Research Archive
• Simionato, Riccardo & Fasciani, Stefano (2025). Sines, transient, noise neural modeling of piano notes. Frontiers in Signal Processing. 4. doi: 10.3389/frsip.2024.1494864. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article introduces a novel method for emulating piano sounds. We propose to exploit the sine, transient, and noise decomposition to design a differentiable spectral modeling synthesizer replicating piano notes. Three sub-modules learn these components from piano recordings and generate the corresponding quasi-harmonic, transient, and noise signals. Splitting the emulation into three independently trainable models reduces the modeling tasks’ complexity. The quasi-harmonic content is produced using a differentiable sinusoidal model guided by physics-derived formulas, whose parameters are automatically estimated from audio recordings. The noise sub-module uses a learnable time-varying filter, and the transients are generated using a deep convolutional network. From singular notes, we emulate the coupling between different keys in trichords with a convolutional-based network. Results show the model matches the partial distribution of the target while predicting the energy in the higher part of the spectrum presents more challenges. The energy distribution in the spectra of the transient and noise components is accurate overall. While the model is more computationally and memory efficient, perceptual tests reveal limitations in accurately modeling the attack phase of notes. Despite this, it generally achieves perceptual accuracy in emulating single notes and trichords.

• Plath, Mirjana (2025). The Evening Belongs to Max Hansen! Operetta Transfers from Vienna to Stockholm (1927–1945), Central Europe in Times of Change. LIT Verlag. ISSN 9783643918161. p. 107–126. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article examines the transfers of Viennese operettas to Stockholm between 1927 and 1945. The analysis of performance listings in Stockholm reveals the works and people that shaped the imported operetta repertoire in Sweden’s capital. Viennese operettas were received enthusiastically in Stockholm, with the compositions of Emmerich Kálmán and Ralph Benatzky being among the most performed works. A case study of Max Hansen’s production “Kvällen är min” (German title “Bei Kerzenlicht”, with music by Robert Katscher) sheds new light on the importance of the genre as a cultural ambassador for Austrian and Viennese culture in the first half of the 20th century.

• Miles, Oliver; Hazzard, Adrian; Moroz, Solomiya; Bishop, Laura & Vear, Craig (2025). Meaningful interactions in human-AI musicking. In Seiça, Mariana & Wirfs-Brock, Jordan (Ed.), AM '25: Proceedings of the 20th International Audio Mostly Conference. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400720659. p. 58–69. doi: 10.1145/3771594.3771600. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper we discuss our latest iteration of RAMI (the Robotic Arm for Musicking Inclusively) as prototype digital score. We deploy RAMI as interactive technology for the purpose of improvisation ensemble work, documenting the narrative journey of a single elite musician–M–as they engage with its nascent qualities over three extended workshop sessions. This study builds in part on the musical togetherness model of human-human interaction [4], and necessarily draws adjacent concepts in robotics, human computer interaction (HCI), and digital score. Recording musicking interactions with RAMI, we elicit and report on M’s thematic perceptions of instances of: familiarization; engagement strategy; decision making; connection, agency, and ensemble; assertions of schemas of RAMI; and moments of enjoying RAMI. Beyond the rich, narrative insight that these six themes offer, we critically assess these as variably (un)certain in nature; as particularly certain when asserting two schemas–RAMI as a dancer, and RAMI as a score, and as indicative of an underlying continuum of musician perception that recognises RAMI as an AI tool for musicking, on the one hand, and on the other hand, as an AI agent for embodied collaboration.

• Bishop, Laura; Hadjidaki-Marder, Elpida; Ledas, Sarunas & Liestøl, Gunnar (2025). Motion capture for augmented reality storytelling in archaeology and cultural heritage dissemination: Simulating an animal sacrifice at Ancient Phalasarna. In Jung, Timothy; Dieck, M. Claudia tom; Jeong, Seok Chan; Kim, Sung-Hee; Sahl, Daniel & Kim, S. J. (Ed.), XR and Metaverse: Proceedings of the 9th International XR-Metaverse Conference 2024, Busan, South Korea. Springer. ISSN 9783031779749. p. 209–221. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77975-6_16. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier; Swarbrick, Dana; Upham, Finn & Cancino-Chacón, Carlos Eduardo (2025). Video Visualization of a String Quartet Performance of a Bach Fugue: Design and Subjective Evaluation. Music & Science. 8. doi: 10.1177/20592043251352299. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Visualizing music—through music notation, analytical representations, or music videos—might potentially boost the appreciation of music in all its richness. The purpose of this study was to design and test a visualization strategy aimed at explicating to a large audience with diverse backgrounds—especially novices—the multifaceted beauty of the final Contrapunctus in J.S. Bach's The Art of Fugue, performed by the Danish String Quartet. At the surface level of the musical structure, the rich fluctuation of pitch shaped by each musician was depicted in the form of undulating pitch curves. At a deeper structural level, the repetition of pitch curves, distinctive of fugues, was highlighted through vertical alignment—inspired by a technique called paradigmatic analysis, originating from anthropology and music semiology. The visualization was initially prototyped in the form of a real-time technology as part of the MusicLab Copenhagen research concert. The concert audience focused on the performance itself, and did not pay much attention to, nor appreciate, the visualization. To evaluate more thoroughly the potential of the visualization, participants with varied musical expertise and taste were invited to listen to a recorded performance of the piece and watch the visualization on their own computer. A large majority reported that they felt they understood the visualization, around half of them felt that it enhanced their musical understanding, and a small group felt that it helped them to better appreciate the music.

• Hansen, Heidi Marie Umbach; Røysamb, Espen; Vassend, Olav Mandt; Czajkowski, Nikolai Olavi; Endestad, Tor & Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). Dimensions of music use motivations: Genetic and environmental underpinnings, and associations with Big Five and Empathy traits. PLOS ONE. 20(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329808. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  People differ in their motivation for seeking musical experiences and these differences appear to be partially attributable to their personality. However, little is known about the role of genetic and environmental factors in shaping individual differences in motivations for music use and their shared etiology with personality. This study investigated, using the classical twin design in a sample of 2611 Norwegian twins, the genetic and environmental architecture of four dimensions of motivations for music use (musical transcendence, emotion regulation, social bonding, and musical identity and expression). We also examined their phenotypic associations, as well as genetic and environmental overlap with general personality traits, including the Big Five and Trait Empathy facets. Additive genetic and unique environmental effects largely accounted for the variation in the four dimensions (heritability 38%−52%, mean = 45%), though univariate analyses of the social bonding dimension indicated common environmental influences for this specific subscale. In line with previous studies, trait-congruent phenotypic associations were found between specific personality traits and music use motives, including facets of negative emotionality and musical emotion regulation. Other facets – particularly aesthetic sensitivity (open-mindedness) and fantasy (trait empathy) – were closely tied to all dimensions. Multivariate biometric modeling of the links between personality traits and motivations for music use revealed that these relationships were primarily driven by correlated genetic factors, with personality traits accounting for 40%−66% of the total genetic variance and 5%−17% of the total environmental variance in the music use motivation dimensions. These findings shed new light on the etiology of dispositional music use and provide a comprehensive baseline for future investigations of associations with personality, mental health, and well-being.

• Chen, Ya-Ping; Neff, Patrick; Leske, Sabine Liliana; Wong, Daniel D. E.; Peter, Nicole & Obleser, Jonas [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2025). Cochlear implantation in adults with acquired single-sided deafness improves cortical processing and comprehension of speech presented to the non-implanted ears: a longitudinal EEG study. Brain Communications. 7(1). doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf001. Full text in Research Archive
• Lenc, Tomas; Lenoir, Cédric; Keller, Peter; Polak, Rainer; Mulders, Dounia & Nozaradan, Sylvie (2025). Measuring self-similarity in empirical signals to understand musical beat perception. European Journal of Neuroscience. ISSN 0953-816X. 61(2). doi: 10.1111/ejn.16637. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Experiencing music often entails the perception of a periodic beat. Despite being a widespread phenomenon across cultures, the nature and neural underpinnings of beat perception remain largely unknown. In the last decade, there has been a growing interest in developing methods to probe these processes, particularly to measure the extent to which beat-related information is contained in behavioral and neural responses. Here, we propose a theoretical framework and practical implementation of an analytic approach to capture beat-related periodicity in empirical signals using frequency-tagging. We highlight its sensitivity in measuring the extent to which the periodicity of a perceived beat is represented in a range of continuous time-varying signals with minimal assumptions. We also discuss a limitation of this approach with respect to its specificity when restricted to measuring beat-related periodicity only from the magnitude spectrum of a signal and introduce a novel extension of the approach based on autocorrelation to overcome this issue. We test the new autocorrelation-based method using simulated signals and by re-analyzing previously published data and show how it can be used to process measurements of brain activity as captured with surface EEG in adults and infants in response to rhythmic inputs. Taken together, the theoretical framework and related methodological advances confirm and elaborate the frequency-tagging approach as a promising window into the processes underlying beat perception and, more generally, temporally coordinated behaviors.

• Fasciani, Stefano (2025). A Universal Tool for Generating Datasets from Sound Synthesizers. In Frank, Matthias & Vallejo, Sofia (Ed.), Proceedings of the Sound and Music Computing Conference 2025. SMC Network. ISSN 9783200106420. p. 303–310. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15838159. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper introduces an open-source software tool designed to simplify and automate the generation of datasets from sound synthesizers and other sound-generating devices. These devices can be either hardware and software, electronic or acoustic, provided they can be interfaced with standard protocols commonly found in sound synthesizers. The tool supports four paradigms to input musical notes and other parameters, enabling comprehensive control and modification of sound generation processes while ensuring precise audio recording with accurate timing control. The dataset generation is fully automated, significantly minimizing the need for manual intervention and making the process efficient, accurate, reliable and reproducible. The tool's extensive features are accessible through a graphical user interface. Generated datasets are organized into collections of files, facilitating further use through offline scripts. This paper explores the design and functionality of the tool and discusses its alignment with a previously released companion tool focused on audio effects, thereby offering a cohesive suite of resources for generating datasets from musical devices.

• Riaz, Maham; Guo, Jinyue; Göksülük, Bilge Serdar & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Where is That Bird? The Impact of Artificial Birdsong in Public Indoor Environments. In Seiça, Mariana & Wirfs-Brock, Jordan (Ed.), AM '25: Proceedings of the 20th International Audio Mostly Conference. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400720659. p. 344–351. doi: 10.1145/3771594.3771629. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores the effects of nature sounds, specifically bird sounds, on human experience and behavior in indoor public environments. We report on an intervention study where we introduced an interactive sound device to alter the soundscape. Phenomenological observations and a survey showed that participants noticed and engaged with the bird sounds primarily through causal listening; that is, they attempted to identify the sound source. Participants generally responded positively to the bird sounds, appreciating the calmness and surprise it brought to the environment. The analyses revealed that relative loudness was a key factor influencing the experience. A too-high sound level may feel unpleasant, while a too-low sound level makes it unnoticeable due to background noise. These findings highlight the importance of automatic level adjustments and considering acoustic conditions in soundscape interventions. Our study contributes to a broader discourse on sound perception, human interaction with sonic spaces, and the potential of auditory design in public indoor environments.

• Sveen, Henrik Haraldsen; Bishop, Laura & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Cyclic Patterns and Spatial Orientations in Artificial Impulsive Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) Sounds. In Seiça, Mariana & Wirfs-Brock, Jordan (Ed.), AM '25: Proceedings of the 20th International Audio Mostly Conference. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ISSN 9798400720659. p. 124–131. doi: 10.1145/3771594.3771651. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation in the neck and spine often triggered by specific sounds. This paper reports a study on the impact of different cyclic patterns and spatial orientations—defined here as the perceived directionality and motion of sound sources in a three-dimensional auditory space—on inducing ASMR experiences. The results demonstrate that both the type of cyclic pattern and the spatial orientation significantly influence the intensity and nature of ASMR experiences. Furthermore, the research explores synthesizing ASMR-inducing sounds while preserving key audio characteristics from acoustically recorded ASMR content. Through survey data analysis and regression modeling, distinct patterns emerge regarding the relationship between personality traits and ASMR experience. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of ASMR as a sensory phenomenon and provide insights into the potential applications of artificially generated ASMR stimuli. Additionally, the research sheds light on the role of spatiality in ASMR experiences and the synthesis of ASMR-inducing sounds for future studies and practical applications

• Riaz, Maham; Theodoridis, Ioannis; Erdem, Cagri & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). VentHackz: Exploring the Musicality of Ventilation Systems. In Cavdir, Doga & Berthaut, Florent (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15698831. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ventilation systems can be seen as huge examples of interfaces for musical expression, with the potential of merging sound, space, and human interaction. This paper explores conceptual similarities between ventilation systems and wind instruments and explores approaches to “hacking” ventilation systems with components that produce and modify sound. These systems enable the creation of unique sonic and visual experiences by manipulating airflow and making mechanical adjustments. Users can treat ventilation systems as musical interfaces by altering shape, material, and texture or augmenting vents. We call for heightened attention to the sound-making properties of ventilation systems and call for action (#VentHackz) to playfully improve the soundscapes of our indoor environments.

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• Schiavio, Andrea; Vuoskoski, Jonna K & Kim, Youn (2026). Music and the Cognitive Humanities: Interdisciplinary Insights. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780197755600. 250 p. doi: 10.1093/9780197755600.001.0001. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music and the Cognitive Humanities explores how the sciences and humanities can work together to understand how people experience and make music. The volume primarily features chapters coauthored by researchers from scientific fields such as experimental psychology or cognitive science and scholars from musicology, philosophy, or performance studies, creating fresh and accessible perspectives on music-related topics such as creativity, empathy, development, and emotion. The result is a unique and highly readable blend of theory and evidence, offering new insights into how body, thought, action, and culture shape our musical lives and understandings. As part of the Music as Art and Science series, the book illustrates how a cognitive-humanistic approach can deepen our understanding of how people think, feel, and act through music. Clear, engaging, and accessible, it is an essential resource for students, scholars, and practitioners interested in the evolving relationship between mind, body, and music. Ultimately, Music and the Cognitive Humanities offers a compelling vision of how integrated research can enrich our understanding of human musicality in the twenty-first century.

• Solberg, Ragnhild Torvanger & Hagen, Anja Nylund (2026). Lyd laga. Tolv essay om musikkskaping. Vigmostad & Bjørke. ISBN 9788270812097. 121 p. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Essaya går på tvers av posisjonar og sjangrar og rommar alt frå klubbmusikk og jazz til punk og kyrkjemusikk. Med dette blir ulike praksisar samla side om side som likeverdige former for musikkskaping. Den essayistiske forma opnar opp for ei anna type for kunnskapsformidling som ligg tett på den skapande erfaringa. Til saman teiknar essaysamlinga eit rikt og variert bilete av musikkskaping som noko meir enn berre teknikk og produksjon. Å lage lyd er ein måte å orientere seg i verda på: lyttande, relasjonell, politisk, sårbar og ofte djupt personleg - samstundes som det er arbeid med klang, rytme, form og melodi. Essaysamlinga spring ut av forskingsprogrammet «Skapende praksiser i musikk» (2021–2025), eit program som utviklar ny kunnskap om korleis musikk blir komponert, skapt og produsert i samtidas Noreg.

• Iveland, Kari (2026). Sounding the Voice: Identity, Lyrics, and Vocal Recognition in Popular Music. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9798765157435. doi: https:/www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9798765157459. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This open access book explores why lyrics and voices resonate with listeners in various temporal, performance and technological contexts. Sounding the Voicehighlights how humans develop voice recognition and listening competence through a lifelong relationship with the voice. The voice is considered to be a transmitter of verbal information and an embodied, expressive sound that conveys identity, intent and temperament. Within this analysis is a further exploration of the impact of AI-generated voices, from how they challenge people’s knowledge of voice to their ability to recognize voices and traditional notions of vocal identity. This is a vector for considering how new technologies shape vocal aesthetics and perceptions of vocal performance and lyrical meaning. Through interdisciplinary insights into individual artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Jacob Collier, Joni Mitchell, Sade, David Bowie and Jason Isbell, as well as particular songs such as the Beatles’ 'The Fool on the Hill,' Childish Gambino’s 'This Is America,' Lady Gaga’s '911,' and Jason Aldean’s 'Try That in a Small Town,' the book reveals how vocal timbre, sensory responses, performance dynamics and listening contexts shape our perception of lyrics and vocal performances. It demonstrates that lyrical and song meanings are not stable but dynamic, co-created by authors, performers and audiences and informed by factors such as technology, culture and time. Accessible yet analytical, this book offers a fresh perspective on the interplay between lyrics, voices and the evolving technologies shaping how we experience and understand songs. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under aCC BY-NC-ND 4.0licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded bythe Bloomsbury Open Collections Library Collective.

• Aubinet, Stephane Vincent B (2026). The Lullaby’s Outline: Anthropology of a (Not Quite) Universal Practice. Routledge. ISBN 9781041129837. doi: 10.4324/9781003667513. Full text in Research Archive
• Dysers, Christine; Edwards, Peter & Lochhead, Judith (2026). Music of Absence: An Aesthetics of Loss in the New Millennium. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9781399555807. doi: https:/www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/jj.33169508. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This collection of essays studies how music of the twenty-first century resonates with sentiments of despondency and loss in the context of the multiple existential crises of the time: climate change, political violence, financial crises, racial inequities and technological acceleration. Investigating musical expressions of absence across a wide variety of genres and philosophical approaches, the collection aims to stimulate an interdisciplinary conversation about music as an alternative mode of thinking at a time when established frames of reasoning are called into question. Themed sections engage with the multiplicity of emergent meanings that absence alludes to, opening new lines of inquiry into how music enacts new forms of being in the world and creates pathways to better futures.

• Lartillot, Olivier & Elovsson, Anders (2025). Annotemus User’s Guide. Universitetet i Oslo. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/mirage/software/annotemus/guide0.7.2.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Annotemus is a new software for computer-assisted annotation of music recordings, with a focus on transcription. Annotemus features a graphical user interface providing functionality for creating annotations on top of a graphical representation of an audio file. Annotation aids include audio playback of the current window, playback between the start and end of one or several selected notes, playback that starts prior to a selected annotated note and ends at the annotated onset position, playback with a click at each annotated onset position, and playback with a synthesized version of the annotated score played in one of the stereo channels. All playback functionality is offered with the option of slowing it down to various speeds.

• Blix, Hilde Synnøve; Bergby, Anne Katrine; Johansen, Guro Gravem; Reed, Rasmus; Watne, Åshild & Reitan, Inger Elise [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2025). Øre for musikk. Norges musikkhøgskole. ISBN 9788278533499. 258 p. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Gehørutvikling er viktig som en integrert del i all instrumentalopplæring og generell musikkutøving. Øre for musikk er den første boka som tar for seg hørelærefaget i et pedagogisk og didaktisk lys med utgangspunkt i faget slik det har utviklet seg i Norden. Hvordan undervise i hørelære? Hvordan integrere hørelære i instrumentalundervisningen? Øre for musikk belyser disse spørsmålene gjennom et bredt spekter av innfallsvinkler: faghistorie, didaktiske betraktninger, melodi, rytme, harmonikk, lytting, notelesing, intonasjon, absolutt gehør, forskning i faget, informasjonsteknologi, improvisasjon og gehørtrening. Boka henvender seg til alle som underviser i hørelærefaget på ulike nivåer, til studenter som fordyper seg i hørelære og hørelæremetodikk, og til instrumentallærere som ønsker å knytte gehørutvikling til instrumentalundervisningen. Øre for musikk er et samarbeid mellom flere gehørlærere ved norske høgskoler og universiteter. Dette er en digital utgivelse av den trykte boka med samme tittel, som kom i 2016. I forbindelse med denne publiseringen er det gjort noen mindre endringer og rettelser.

• Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Fleckenstein, Abbigail Marie & Christodoulou, Anna-Maria (2025). SysMus25 Conference Proceedings. Zenodo. 164 p. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17632991. Full text in Research Archive
• Fleckenstein, Abbigail Marie; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von & Christodoulou, Anna-Maria (2025). SysMus25 Book of Abstracts. Zenodo. 165 p. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17531650. Full text in Research Archive
• Frödén, Lucy Cathcart; Herrity, Kate & Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Sound and Detention: Towards Critical Listening, Sonic Citizenship and Social Justice. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9798765113998. 320 p. doi: https:/www.bloomsbury.com/us/sound-and-detention-9798765113998/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sound and Detention explores soundscapes in places, processes and systems of confinement in order to better understand experiences of imprisonment and to imagine alternatives to the carceral state. Bringing together over 40 contributors from five continents, the book tunes in to some of the manifold effects associated with the presence and absence of sound and music in prisons and places of detention: from isolation, harm and control, to connection, healing and resistance. Scholarly texts feature alongside poetry, dialogue, memoir and experimental creative writing, as well as a diverse collection of audio productions on the book's accompanying website. This plurality of form mediates the voices of artists, activists, thinkers and practitioners – some themselves currently or formerly incarcerated. Through deep engagement with the sonic realm and with questions of power, the contributors explore what it might mean to listen nearby – making space to hold distinct perspectives and positionalities in respectful simultaneity – while also amplifying resonances between sound, listening and broader questions of epistemic and social justice.

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• Encinas, Enrique; Jahr, Ida; Bull, Synne Tollerud; Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius & Chattopadhyay, Budhaditya (2026). New Embeddings #01 (Nå telte han deg også): Participatory Grouping through Machine-Learning Embeddings. doi: https:/ne01.craitr.no/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Participatory workshop and installation at the opening conference of MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity. Thirty-eight participants were grouped by a machine-learning model on the basis of voice notes recorded in four languages; the installation displayed the model's representation of the audience and documented participants' refusals, making the limits of algorithmic grouping a subject of collective discussion.

• Dysers, Christine; Edwards, Peter; Lochhead, Judith; Celik, Kristina Socanski & Pilvar, Payam (2026). Music of Absence Book Launch at the Nobel Peace Center, 18.09.26. doi: https:/edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-music-of-absence.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The SONIC CITIZENSHIP event held at the Nobel Peace Center served as a launch for both an exhibition of the same name and the ground-breaking book Music of Absence: An Aesthetics of Loss in the New Millennium (EUP, 2026), edited by Christine Dysers, Peter Edwards and Judith Lochhead. Talks and presentations explored music and sound as a site for critical listening and reflection on themes of citizenship, belonging, and social justice in the 21st century. Presentations given by Christine Dysers, Judith Lochhead, Peter Edwards, Payam Pilvar and Kristina Socanski Celik. Organised by the Prisons of Note research project and the Democracy of Silence research project, in collaboration with Ultima Contemporary Music Festival and the Dept. of Musicology, UiO.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan; Edwards, Peter & Frödén, Lucy Cathcart (2026). Sonic Citizenship. doi: https:/www.nobelpeacecenter.org/en/exhibitions/sonic-citizenship. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  An immersive, multisensory audiovisual exhibition featuring short films, music & images | @ Pop-Up Studio Nobel Peace Center, Oslo | 18.09.2026-11.10.2026. Curated by Áine Mangaoang, Peter Edwards, and Lucy Cathcart Frödén.

• Encinas, Enrique; Morrison, Andrew; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Dolejšová, Markéta & Hill, John (2026). Rhythm and Residue: Vyping as Prompting Inside the Post-Discursive Interface. doi: https:/rhyres.craitr.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prompt engineering strategies emphasise clarity, specificity, and well-structured input, on the assumption that large language models (LLMs) require clean input to interpret user intent. But LLMs are pattern interpolators: they “absorb” noise through statistical reconstruction rather than strict symbol matching. Text-centric HCI has studied this tolerance for two decades without integrating it into prompt engineering as a resource. We introduce vyping as an intentional mode of prompting in which one types into LLMs at the speed of thought, without correction. We developed vyping through sustained first-person inquiry. It can be seen as a micro-practice inside a broader post-discursive turn in which meanings increasingly travel as rhythms and patterns through latent-space proximity rather than as precisely-formed symbols. The mismatch between current LLM interfaces and their (human) users has led to two common layers in implementation: (1) an orthographic residue at the interface (autocorrect, spellcheck, tidy-prompt guides), and (2) an impairment parse shadow at the training layer, a form of overalignment in which the model reads orthographic deviation as a sign that something is wrong with the user. Overall, we offer three attunements (ease, reach, and pulse) as alternatives to efficiency-first prompt engineering, and situate the practice within critical HCI traditions of seamful, frictional, and embodied interaction. The critique is structured around a seed prompt that suspends the impairment parse and makes vyping livable; its section headings are taken from the prompt’s own rules. A copy of the seed prompt is provided at the end.

• Vendrix, Philippe; Ahrendt, Rebekah; Haug, Judith Irmela & Lartillot, Olivier (2026). COST Action EarlyMuse 2022-2026. Six Reports on Musicology in Europe. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.22337344. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This volume gathers the six reports produced between 2025 and 2026 within COST Action CA21161, A New Ecosystem of Early Music Studies (EarlyMuse), the first COST Action ever devoted to historical musicology. Running from September 2022 to October 2026, the Action brought together close to three hundred researchers from some forty countries in five working groups: Education, Sources, Publications, Performances and Policies. Each report was drafted, discussed and published separately, with its own editorial team, corpus, method and primary audience. Assembled here, they describe a single object from six angles: not "early music" as a repertory, but the ecosystem in which musical scholarship is now produced: the departments and conservatoires that train and employ musicologists, the doctoral frameworks that certify their work, the libraries and archives that hold the sources, the digital infrastructures and computational tools that mediate access to them, the European funding architectures that decide which questions become fundable, and the professional and public worlds in which musical knowledge circulates. The six reports cover: musicology as data science and heritage science; the mapping of musicology in European higher education and research institutions; musicology and artificial intelligence; historical musicology and European research infrastructures and initiatives (EOSC, ECCCH/ECHOES, the Data Space for Cultural Heritage, DARIAH, E-RIHS); doctoral-level artistic research in music; and musicology within Horizon Europe co-funded partnerships, notably Resilient Cultural Heritage and the emerging Virtual Worlds partnership. Taken together, they document a growing mismatch between the intellectual vitality of the field and the fragility of the structures through which it is taught, documented, funded and made visible. Recurrent findings include the statistical invisibility of musicology in OECD, Eurostat and UNESCO classifications; the institutional cost of methodological pluralism; and the claim that the field is under-positioned rather than under-qualified for the European agendas now being written. The volume is neither a state of the art nor a synthesis nor a manifesto, but a handover document, a description of the terrain, closing with recommendations addressed to institutions, national funders, European bodies, learned societies and individual researchers.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Jeg har aldri opplevd studenter som er mer KI-kritiske enn nå. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Det er ikke dagens studenter som har et problem. Det er 50-åringene midt i arbeidslivet, uten KI-ballast, som må omstille seg.

• Upham, Finn (2026). Familiarity, performance function, and physiological synchrony in concerts. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  When and how do bodies work together in concert? Some music requires unison action from performers while others involve cooperative but independent contributions. Some genres and events invite active audience participation, others expect discreet attention. With a new analysis strategy called subset coherence, this talk compares the prominence of respiratory, cardiac, and body motion synchrony across genres of music and categories of participants. Besides structural differences in genres and pieces, the evaluated ratios of subset coherence distinguish audience familiarity and musical roles across performing ensembles. The opportunities to physically "come together" in music are contingent on what that music is and how we can take part.

• Johnson, Victoria (2026). Concert at First supper symposium at Kunstnernes hus, Oslo. doi: https:/kunstnerneshus.no/program/arrangementer/first-supper-symposium. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  100 % Human – Kunstneriske strategier i møte med kunstig intelligens

• Johnson, Victoria (2026). Concert at AI Mission Hub and BI Business School cohosting on Build What Matters. doi: https:/luma.com/cqszfq09. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  AI Mission Hub and BI Startup Village co-host the Build what matters event ​AI Mission Hub and BI Startup Village bring together organisations, AI professionals, researchers, founders, students and technology experts to transform real-world challenges into practical AI solutions. ​The event will feature expert talks, panel discussions, real-world AI case studies, networking opportunities and the official presentation of AI Mission Hub’s founding cohort.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2026). Music, AI, and wellbeing: The role of perception. Full text in Research Archive
• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina; Tzanaki, Persefoni; Perik, Lieke Dinie Maria & Erdem, Cagri (2026). Trait empathy facilitates rhythmic entrainment and interpersonal synchrony. doi: https:/www.jyu.fi/en/file-download/download/public/67529. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recent research suggests that cognitive facets of trait empathy may facilitate interpersonal synchrony. However, the contributions of affective trait empathy and state empathy remain underexplored. This study investigated how empathy – both as a dispositional characteristic and as an experimentally induced state – influences rhythmic entrainment and interpersonal synchrony in a musical context. Thirty-three dyads completed two synchrony tasks before and after an empathy induction session. In Task 1, participants tapped with a metronome and then tried to synchronise with their partner's tapping; in Task 2, they tried to play melodies in synchrony. To induce empathy, participants narrated personal events while partners were instructed to either empathise (empathy condition) or memorise factual details (control condition) of the events. Trait empathy was measured using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980). Emotional sharing and behavioural mirroring during the empathy induction were assessed using self-report and motion-capture measures. Results showed that both affective and cognitive trait empathy contributed to synchrony: Higher Empathic Concern predicted more consistent tapping in Task 1, and higher Fantasy predicted greater interpersonal synchrony in Task 2. Induced empathy showed no main effects; however, high-Fantasy participants who felt more emotionally engaged with their partners' narrations synchronised better than those who were less engaged. Additionally, high-Fantasy participants showed greater mirroring of narrators' head movements, although this was significant only in the control condition. These findings point to a multifaceted role of empathy in rhythmic and interpersonal synchronisation, suggesting that effective coordination draws on both cognitive and emotional aspects of empathy.

• Braud, Augustin; Büttner, Alexandra; Lartillot, Olivier; Laux, Anna Katharina; Pugin, Laurent & Richts-Matthaei, Kristina [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Formation of a Special Interest Group on Linked Metadata and Interoperability in Musicology: Report and Results from the International Musicology Workshop Held Between NFDI4Culture, musica*, RISM and the MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.22868638. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The report presents the results and the outcome of an international musicology workshop held at the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz on 7th- 8th May 2026. The workshop brought together for the first time members of musica* – Consortium en musicologie numérique from the French digital humanities infrastructure project Huma-Num and musicologists from NFDI4Culture, the German Consortium for Research Data on Material and Immaterial Cultural Heritage, as well as experts from the RISM Digital Centre of the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM), based at the Swiss National Library in Basel, and from the MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity, a consortium of Norwegian research institutions focusing on the application of artificial intelligence in the cultural sector. Furthermore, musicologists and developers from the Specialized Information Service (FID) for Musicology (musiconn) and the Centre for Digital Music Documentation (CDMD) were present. At the workshop, the group established a new Special Interest Group on Linked Metadata and Interoperability in Musicology. This group will lay the groundwork for future collaborative efforts with a focus on improving the interoperability and alignment of metadata between the aforementioned projects and consortia. The first steps in this process are documented in this report.

• Swarbrick, Dana & Saarikallio, Suvi (2026). An Exploratory Study on How AI Song Generation Affects Emotions, Agency, Authenticity, Creativity, and Connectedness in Musicians and Nonmusicians. doi: https:/osf.io/pucj2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Songwriting supports creative and emotional expression and social and emotional development through emotion regulation and wellbeing, self-esteem, and a stronger sense of identity. Recent advances in AI technology have provided access to music creation even for people without musical expertise, through AI song generation. We conducted an exploratory, single session study to examine these outcomes in participants attending public outreach events. 45 participants with varying musical proficiency were instructed to express themselves creatively and emotionally by `composing' a song with an AI music generator. They listened to their generated songs and completed a questionnaire measuring song evaluation, task engagement, emotional expression, agency, authenticity, creativity, and connectedness. These exploratory results suggest that more positive attitudes towards AI are related to greater connectedness, while more musical proficiency is related to lower authenticity and evaluation. Agency partially mediated the effects of emotional expression and engagement on authenticity, creativity, and connectedness. These exploratory results can be leveraged for future confirmatory research.

• Sillanpää, Petrus & Swarbrick, Dana (2026). Human, AI, or Both? How Composer Identity Shapes the Way We Connect with Music. doi: https:/www.jyu.fi/en/file-download/download/public/67529. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled the creation of music that closely resembles human-composed works, raising questions about how listeners perceive and evaluate music. While prior research suggests listeners often exhibit a bias against AI-generated music, most studies have focused on aesthetic judgments such as liking or quality, leaving the social-emotional dimensions largely unexplored. This is a notable gap, given that music listening is fundamentally a social experience, deeply tied to feelings of connection with both the music and its creator. The present study investigated how purported composer identity influences listeners' appreciation, social-emotional responses, and behavioral intentions. Using a within-subjects experimental design, 75 adult participants listened to identical human-composed classical music excerpts labeled as either human-composed, AI-composed, or human–AI co-composed. By holding the musical material constant while manipulating composer identity, the study isolated the effects of cognitive and social biases related to AI involvement. Participants evaluated each excerpt on measures assessing appreciation, social connectedness to the composer and the music, emotional responses, and behavioral intentions. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Results showed that perceived composer identity significantly affected most measures, with ratings decreasing as AI involvement increased. Crucially, feelings of connectedness—both to the composer and to the music—were affected, with AI-composed and human–AI co-composed music eliciting significantly lower connectedness to the composer and music than human-composed music. These findings highlight the deeply social nature of music and suggest that AI involvement disrupts not only aesthetic appreciation but also the human connection that makes music meaningful.

• Johnson, Victoria & Tveit, Anders (2026). Concert European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) 2027 at Norwegian Academy og Music 9.4 2026. doi: https:/aec-music.eu/event/european-platform-for-artistic-research-in-music-eparm-2026/programme. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  EPARM 2026: Alone Together: Exploring Dimensions of Interdependence and Cooperation. The EPARM Working Group is in charge of organising the AEC Annual EPARM meeting. The Working Group is formed by active individuals in the relevant field of specialization within AEC member institutions.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). A summer of Still Standing. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/food-and-paper/2026/20260916_alexander-refsum-jensenius/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this presentation, I will tell about how I spent the summer on, at least partly, sitting still while working on data of myself and others standing still. This is part of completing my upcoming book Still Standing, which tells the story about how much a human body moves when it is trying not to. The empirical material behind the book spans fifteen years of research: a three-person artistic project begun in 2011, seven Norwegian Championships of Standstill with more than 700 participants, a laboratory study of headphones against loudspeakers, a cross-cultural listening study, a year of daily standstills in 2023, and a group performance at a public library. One of the research questions is how much people move when they try to stand still. My updated number is about 5 millimetres per second, measured at the head. Most of the book is about explaining how I reached that number and what it takes to make people move more (or sometimes less). After my summer adventure, I now have most of the data deposited online in the Oslo Standstill Database, scripts and reports documenting every number in the book, and a new Python toolbox, micromotion, to support such analyses.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Fasciani, Stefano; Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Encinas, Enrique & Mellingen, Keith (2026). Building a Norwegian Ecosystem for AI and Creativity. doi: https:/alexarje.github.io/mishmash-machines-kristiansand2026/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This roundtable discussion focused on the AI infrastructure that Norwegian higher education, students, teachers, freelancers, and the public and private sectors have access to today, and how MishMash can help improve the situation.

• Encinas, Enrique & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). The Perfect Wrong Note: Vyping and the Keyboard as Musical Interface for Human-LLM Interaction. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.20784433. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Human interaction with large language models (LLMs) is commonly framed as information exchange, optimized for efficiency and correctness. This paper proposes a different framing: keyboard-as-instrument, where typing to an LLM becomes a form of musical practice. Drawing on the lineage of keyboard instruments, the action-sound framework, and the aesthetics of failure in jazz improvisation and glitch music, the paper introduces vyping (typing without looking) as a technique that treats degraded input as an expressive gesture. When a person vypes, inter-onset intervals and keystroke dynamics carry embodied information that the LLM can integrate, in a process closer to musical comping (responsive accompaniment) than to improvisation proper. Three artifacts (ll00mtube, clix-vibe, and KeyMeter) illustrate this approach, making the temporal and sonic dimensions of typing visible and audible. The paper argues that typos can function as grace notes: productive deviations that open new directions. It proposes reverence (nuance, grace, and respect) as a design orientation for human-AI interaction, while acknowledging the discomfort of caring for a tool entangled with extractive labor and concentrated corporate power.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). MishMash: Centre for AI and Creativity. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22643770. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  An introduction to MishMash, the Centre for AI and Creativity: a national research centre that explores, creates and reflects on AI through creative practices in music, visual art, literature, games and performance, with more than 20 partners across Norway.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Kreativ KI: en introduksjon. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En innspilt introduksjon på 20 minutter til kunstig intelligens, kreativitet og kreativ KI, laget for emnet FIL1010 Redelig bruk av kunstig intelligens i høyere utdanning ved Universitetet i Oslo. Videoen gir et felles begrepsapparat uten krav om forkunnskaper i programmering eller maskinlæring: hva vi mener med KI i 2026, hva kreativitet er, og hvordan de to møtes i forskning og praksis.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). AI, music education and innovative practices. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  MishMash, the Centre for AI and Creativity, is Norway's national research centre for AI in the creative fields, funded by the Research Council of Norway from 2025 to 2030. In this presentation for the Association of Nordic Music Academies I introduce the centre and what it can offer higher music education: research on AI in composition, performance and music education, tools and datasets, and ways for conservatoires to take part.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Reflections on Live Concert Research. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  What can a concert tell us that a laboratory cannot? Drawing on the Sound Spaces work at RITMO, I reflect on live concert research as a meeting point for acoustics, physics, psychology and physiology, and on what interdisciplinarity costs and gives. I contrast exploratory research with hypothesis-driven designs, and technology readiness with what one might call artistic readiness, using our research concerts as examples.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Glover, Joel Clinton; Upham, Finn & Guaita, Annabel Balean (2026). MusicLab Listening Body Bergen Panel Discussion. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/musiclab/2026/listening-body-bergen/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Panel discussion at the MusicLab Listening Body research concert in Bergen, where an audience with and without Parkinson's disease heard classical piano works framed by meditation and attentive listening while wearing sensor vests that recorded micromotion, breathing and heart rate, and the room was filmed with thermal video. The conversation focused on what attentive listening does to the body and brain in a concert, what the measurements can and cannot show, and what the recordings may mean for music used therapeutically by people with Parkinson's disease.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Glover, Joel Clinton; Upham, Finn & Guaita, Annabel Balean (2026). MusicLab Listening Body Oslo Panel Discussion. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/musiclab/2026/listening-body-oslo/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Panel discussion at the MusicLab Listening Body research concert in Oslo, where an audience with and without Parkinson's disease heard classical piano works framed by meditation and attentive listening while wearing sensor vests that recorded micromotion, breathing and heart rate, and the room was filmed with thermal video. The conversation focused on what attentive listening does to the body and brain in a concert, what the measurements can and cannot show, and what the recordings may mean for music used therapeutically by people with Parkinson's disease.

• Johnson, Victoria & Tveit, Anders (2026). Kunstig kreativitet? Mishmash åpningssermoni i Univerisitetets aula 8.4 2026. doi: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq8UnZlzYk4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Trenger vi egentlig musikere, forfattere og filmprodusenter nå som KI kan gjøre jobben? Vi tar diskusjonen om hvordan KI påvirker kreativ næring og kunstneriske prosesser. Debatten raser rundt bruken av kunstig intelligens i Kultur-Norge. Forlaget Bonnier brukte nylig et KI-generert bilde som forside på en bok, og "KI-bandet" Vestavind er booket til flere norske musikkfestivaler. Flere kjente kunstnere og artister tar til orde for tydeligere regulering eller forbud av KI for å beskytte kunstnernes virke og opphavsrettigheter. Hva er egentlig kreativ KI? Hvordan påvirker kunsten KI? Hvordan kan vi beskytte kunst og kunstnere, samtidig som vi tar i bruk ny teknologi?

• Monstad, Lars Løberg; Lartillot, Olivier; Grønnesby, Karstein & Kolden, Martin Fuglseth (2026). Brukte AI til å transkribere noter for hardingfele – det ga gründerne idéen til ny musikk-app de mener kan bli en «pengemaskin». [Journal]. Shifter. doi: https:/www.shifter.no/nyheter/brukte-ai-til-a-transkribere-noter-for-hardingfele-det-ga-gruenderne-ideen-til-ny-musikk-app-de-mener-kan-bli-en-pengemaskin/460554. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bots For Music vil skape et bibliotek over musikknoter, både for musikk som ikke er laget ennå, eller noter som ikke finnes. Appen skal kunne brukes av profesjonelle musikere, til læring og hobby.

• Lartillot, Olivier (2026). Computational (AI) analysis (& curation) of music archives. doi: https:/en.bergenassembly.no/Archival-Intelligence-Epistemic-Shifts-from-Sound-to-Listening. Full text in Research Archive
• Gatti, Joan; Lartillot, Olivier & Monstad, Lars Løberg (2026). Hardingfele and AI. doi: https:/mishmash.no/lab/opening-ceremony/#%3A%7E%3Atext=act%20is%20claimed-%2C1%3A03%3A30%2C-Hardingfele%20and%20AI. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Skurdalsbruri played by Joan Gatti, with real-time visualisation of the music transcription and melodic analysis

• Lartillot, Olivier (2026). Intensive/Extensive Music Analysis and Identification. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/conferences/2026/daim/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Olivier Lartillot’s second talk on Day 2 addressed music analysis at two complementary scales: intensive, investigating the internal structure of individual pieces, and extensive, comparing large collections to identify related tunes and characterise musical styles. Sequential patterns provided the connection between these scales, linking detailed motivic analysis to corpus organisation, retrieval, and metadata inference. The talk opened with a visualisation of a Hardanger fiddle performance presented at the MishMash opening event. Conventional notation indicates repeated bars, but the boundariesofmusicalpatternsdonotnecessarilycoincidewithbarlines, andshortermotifs can recur within larger repeated passages. A paradigmatic representation rearranged the score so that corresponding patterns aligned vertically, making these relationships explicit. Applied to Bach’s Contrapunctus XIV from the Art of Fugue, the same approach revealed how the counter-subject draws on recurring fragments whose arrangement varies between appearances. A demonstration from the MusicLab Copenhagen concert with the Danish String Quartet showed how live pitch tracking could animate this analysis during performance, while also illustrating the difficulty of following several simultaneous contrapuntal relationships. Lartillot emphasised that transcription and analysis are closely interconnected. Moving from audio to notation requires note detection, pitch estimation, beat tracking, and rhythmic quantisation, each of which already involves interpreting musical organisation. The opening of Mozart’s G-minor symphony illustrated how repeated accompaniment figures support the inference of beats and metrical groupings. Patterns can themselves consist of smaller patterns, requiring models that accommodate several levels of or- ganisation. Debussy’s Syrinx illustrated exact repetition, altered endings, and rhythmic correspondences despite changes in pitch. It also showed how a new motif can emerge within the ending of a repeated passage. Such relationships suggest that stylistic analysis should consider not only which motifs recur, but also how repetitions are organised and connected. Earlier work with Mondher Ayari on Tunisian istikhbâr improvisation provided a connection to the morning’s discussion of recitation. Here, modal identity depends on characteristic melodicfiguresaswellasscalestructure,makingtherecognitionofmotifsthroughvariation an important analytical task. For Norwegian folk music, Lartillot proposed extending this approach to the construction of phrases and larger forms, the relation between ornamentation and core melodic structure, and the development of an ornamentation taxonomy. Further dimensions included modal organisation, rhythmic figures, expressive timing, and pitch intonation in relation to melodic context. 42 At the corpus scale, the proposed aim was to discover correspondences between pieces without requiring predefined categories, identifying shared patterns, possible quotations, and tune families. These relationships could help characterise genres, dances, musicians, regions, or periods. An interconnected catalogue could offer an overview placing related tunes near one another, links between corresponding passages while browsing individual recordings, and searches formulated around musicological features. Collaboration with Sámi experts at the University of Tromsø raised related possibilities for segmenting yoiks within long recordings, identifying distinct yoiks and performers, and mapping collections throughcontentanalysis. Bothcontinuousaudio-derivedrepresentationsandmorediscrete transcriptions were considered. These proposals formed part of the research agenda for MishMash WP6. Pattern- based comparison could also support metadata inference, using labelled items to suggest attributesforrecordingswhosedocumentationisincomplete. Lartillotenvisagedcombining rule-based modelling with machine learning in a framework of interdependent transcription and analysis processes. Discussion emphasised that the intended users must guide the choice of representations and analytical categories, through close collaboration with experts and musicians. Po- tential uses included research, teaching, and public engagement. A concrete example concerned fiddle tunes in which successive variants retain an ending while changing their beginnings: conventional repeat notation handles this awkwardly, whereas alternative graphical representations could make the shared structure clearer.

• Lartillot, Olivier (2026). Computational Transcription of Chant and Yoik. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/conferences/2026/daim/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Olivier Lartillot presented preliminary experiments in the computational transcription of chant and yoik. Conceived as a workshop contribution rather than a report on a completed study, the presentation explored how signal-processing methods might support the analysis introduced in the preceding talks, while identifying questions requiring further discussion with musical and cultural experts. Using the same Hungarian lament recording analysed by Biró and van Kranenburg, Lartillot first considered how the beginning and end of individual notes might be detected. A fundamental-frequency (F0) contour provides information about pitch, but does not by itself reveal the precise temporal organisation of a vocal performance. Note boundaries are affected by consonants, vowels, low-energy vocal gestures and changes distributed across the harmonic spectrum. Lartillot therefore proposed tracking the energy of the fundamental and its successive partials. Coordinated increases or decreases across these partials can indicate the onset or offset of a vocal sound, including a brief gesture preceding the principal note. The approach draws on earlier work in which changes in spectral energy were used to detect onsets in complex musical recordings. These experiments used simple signal-processing rules, but Lartillot emphasized that the eventual choice between rule-based and machine-learning methods would depend on the available annotated data. If sufficiently large training collections were not available, signal processing could provide an initial segmentation from which annotations could be corrected and subsequently used to train a model. Such a hybrid workflow would combine interpretable preliminary rules with iterative expert validation. The proposed segmentation also complements the global pitch-histogram method pre- sented by Biró and van Kranenburg. Whereas their approach derives the principal scale positions from peaks in the distribution of F0 values, Lartillot considered first detecting the temporal extent of each note and then estimating its representative frequency locally from the stable portions of its pitch contour. Each estimate could subsequently be related to the scale degrees obtained from the recording as a whole. For long performances in which tuning changes progressively, a single global histogram might be insufficient; the pitch reference would then need to adapt over time. This extension remained to be implemented. Lartillot next presented an exploratory analysis of a yoik recording supplied by Camilla Brattland. Its spectrum showed substantial activity beyond the fundamental, including prominent partial and formant regions suggestive of a diphonic vocal quality. These timbral features would ultimately need to be represented alongside pitch. Even the F0 contour 36 alone revealed rapid movement and extensive oscillation around apparently recurrent pitch levels. Some events appeared comparatively stable, whereas others approached or circled a level without settling on it. The neutral letter labels used in the demonstration were therefore provisional analytical markers rather than Western scale degrees. Slowing down the recording made these details easier to hear and inspect, but Lartillot refrained from proposing a definitive segmentation or categorization before discussing the results with yoik experts. The ensuing discussion broadened the notion of transcription beyond conventional staff notation. Continuous transitions, approaches from above or below, oscillations and the presence or absence of clear note boundaries may carry information that a sequence of discrete pitches cannot preserve. Participants also asked how computational results could be made accessible without relying on visual representation, as well as to tradition bearers who do not use Western notation. Lartillot suggested synchronizing analytical information with the original recording, enabling rapid auditory comparison between passages, and sonifying aspects of the analysis. The presentation thus framed transcription as an iterative, expert-guided process in which computational representations should remain connected to both the sounding material and the ways in which the tradition itself distinguishes musically meaningful features.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Haugen, Ingrid Romarheim; Mattes, Arnulf Christian & Lartillot, Olivier (2026). MishMash Work Package 6: AI for Cultural Heritage. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/conferences/2026/daim/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Alexander Refsum Jensenius opened Day 2 by welcoming participants to the University of Oslo and introducing MishMash—the Centre for AI & Creativity, a national consortium led by RITMO and bringing together more than 200 researchers and practitioners. The centre examines the possibilities, limitations, and wider consequences of creative AI through seven thematic work packages. Its activities follow three interconnected approaches: creating new AI systems and practices, exploring their uses in different contexts, and reflecting critically on their cultural and societal implications. Jensenius also outlined MishMash’s role, alongside the National Library of Norway and the Department of Musicology, in shaping the symposium and situating its focus on music and cultural heritage within this broader interdisciplinary programme. Ingrid Romarheim Haugen, Arnulf Mattes, and Olivier Lartillot then introduced Work Package 6: AI for Cultural Heritage. WP6 starts from the central role of archives, libraries, and museums in preserving and communicating human culture, and from the rapidly growing scale of their digital collections. The National Library provides an important foundationthroughitsextensivedigitisationprogrammeandDigitalHumanitiesLaboratory, butmanyresourcesremaindistributedacrossnationalandlocalinstitutions. WP6therefore seeks to improve their discovery, organisation, interpretation, and presentation, while contributing to a more coherent digital framework connected to initiatives such as the European Cultural Heritage Cloud. The work package proposes hybrid AI methods combining machine learning with mu- sicological knowledge and cognition-based symbolic approaches. Its current activities include the transcription and segmentation of audio collections, computational analysis of Norwegian folk music and Hardanger fiddle repertoire, metadata inference, and the development and interlinking of digital work catalogues. These activities also connect with the National Library’s digitisation programme and the proposed MusikkData research infrastructure. Particular attention is given to minority cultural expressions, including Sámi joik and world chant traditions. The speakers also proposed several new topics that could be introduced into ongoing discussions within WP6. These included generating richer metadata from basic music catalogues through computational analysis; linking music transcription and analysis with metadata and machine-readable musicological and editorial discourse through semantic- web technologies; and automatically detecting the reuse of musical material across a repertoire. Grieg’s Peer Gynt, in connection with the National Ibsen Year in 2028, was mentioned as one possible setting in which some of these ideas might be developed. 27 The presentation illustrated the broader scope of WP6 through projects involving different cultural materials and institutions. These included the reconstruction of provenance and circulation networks behind the fragmented Schøyen Collection; semantic image search across the collections of the National Museum and other institutions; the Phygital Lab’s integration of physical and digital museum experiences; and the preservation and dissemination of craft knowledge from the archive of the Women’s School of Applied Arts and Crafts. Together, these examples showed how methods developed for one type of collection may inform work in other areas of cultural heritage. Finally, the speakers stressed that technological development must be accompanied by ethical, legal, and institutional reflection. Public cultural institutions were presented as having a leading role in preventing unchecked or exploitative uses of AI, protecting minority cultural expressions, and supporting rights management, respectful attribution, and responsible reuse. The three co-leaders brought complementary perspectives to these questions: Lartillot through signal processing and computational music analysis, Mattes through musicological and archival research, and Romarheim Haugen through library infrastructure and policy. As an opening overview, the session established several of the themes developed throughout the remainder of Day 2.

• Bishop, Laura (2026). In Pursuit of Musical Togetherness: Thoughts and Behaviour in Ensemble Playing. Full text in Research Archive
• Thedens, Hans-Hinrich; Lartillot, Olivier & Monstad, Lars Løberg (2026). Folk music and Hardanger fiddle transcription. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/conferences/2026/daim/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Norwegian Collection of Folk Music was founded not simply to preserve tradition, but to enable scientific study based on sound rather than manuscripts alone. Its first director, Olav Gurvin, even collaborated with the Institute of Physics on an early melody-writing device. Field collecting later documented regional practices, while editorial work produced seven volumes of Hardanger fiddle tunes followed by volumes for standard fiddle. Since 2014, the original reel-to-reel tapes have been digitized and a searchable catalogue placed online. The collaboration with RITMO first addressed long tapes containing sequences of tunes separated by spoken announcements. Existing metadata were combined with energy measurements and Apple’s estimates of speech, music, violin, and singing. Rule-based processing proposed boundaries, which a research assistant verified and associated with catalogue information. This divided 343 one-to-two-hour tapes into individual tunes, currently disseminated, as a first prototype, through the Open Science Framework. 19 The second part focused on automatic transcription of orally transmitted Hardanger fiddle music. Rather than treating a conventional score as the sole endpoint, the team aims to produce time-aligned representations retaining note onsets, offsets, and continuous- frequency pitch, eventually aligned with notation or displayed as a proportionally spaced score. This matters because flexible beat durations and microtonal intonation can be ob- scured by conventional notation. A compact model adapted from the piano-transcription system Transkun proposes polyphonic events. Transfer from piano transcription is facil- itated by the instrument’s stable pitch and frequent two-string textures, but the small dataset—119 manually annotated tunes—requires a reduced architecture and dedicated augmentation. Psychoacoustic post-processing refines pitches beyond the 440-Hz equal- tempered grid and reconstructs symbolic note endings masked by resonance, for instance by linking melody notes above a sustained drone. The transcriptions can support studies of intonation, rhythm, and recurrent structure; metadata generation and search; and learning and performance. Beat tracking and large-scale deployment remain ongoing work.

• Lartillot, Olivier (2026). MishMash WP6 and the MusikkData infrastructure project. doi: https:/nfdi4culture.de/news/details/international-musicology-workshop.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier (2026). Building Connected Collections of Norwegian Music: From Segmentation and Transcription to Interoperable Data and AI-Enabled Discovery. doi: https:/www.dariah.eu/activities/working-groups/artificial-intelligence-and-music-aim/. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier & Monstad, Lars Løberg (2026). Towards automated transcription of Hardanger fiddle performances. doi: https:/dlfm.web.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/dlfm/documents/media/lartillot_poster_dlfm26.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Nanette & Klungnes, Kristina Mariell Dulsrud (2026). Musikkens makt på TV-skjermen. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Nanette & Klungnes, Kristina Mariell Dulsrud (2026). Critical Transitions and Affective Temporalities in the Soundtrack of Stranger Things. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Nanette (2026). Enacting Musical Creativity: the value of human agency in the face of AI. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Nanette (2026). Anticipatory Aesthetics and the Listening Body. Full text in Research Archive
• Nielsen, Nanette (2026). Musicking and the value of human agency in the face of AI. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier & Monstad, Lars Løberg (2026). Hybrid AI for Expert-Assisted Transcription of Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle Music. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.23009316. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle repertoire is a rich oral heritage. Existing score transcriptions are scarce and rarely capture essential performance features, particularly ornamentation, microtonal intonation, two-string textures, and systematic beat unevenness. We develop an innovative AI-assisted transcription framework producing detailed, performance-aligned MIDI representations that preserve fine- grained timing and pitch. The neural front-end adapts a state-of-the-art deep-learning model for polyphonic music transcription to our small but growing dataset of expert annotations. It progressively learns from expert corrections, providing increasingly robust results, as reflected by a rising F1 score. The model is complemented by signal processing, musicological knowledge, and cognitive principles addressing repertoire-specific challenges such as non-standard tuning, sympathetic-string resonances, sustained drones, and symbolic note offsets. Acoustic analysis refines pitch beyond the conventional twelve-tone MIDI grid, while tune-specific pitch distributions organise the performed notes into musically meaningful categories. These results are transformed into a new score representation proportionally aligned with the recording. Colours make stable “micromodal” pitch categories visible and highlight ambiguous notes or pitches lying outside those categories. This makes the score useful not only for reading and performance, but also for checking AI output, exploring intonation and texture, and identifying recurring patterns. This expert-in-the-loop workflow drastically reduces transcription correction time, with the aim of progressing towards full automation. The resulting transcriptions and scores will support performance, education, archive exploration, corpus research, and future AI methods for musical heritage. This original hybrid AI approach also demonstrates the limitations of purely machine-learning approaches to music transcription.

• Lartillot, Olivier (2026). AI-powered curation and enrichment of music collections: (Norwegian) (folk) music collection(s). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.23009316. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). AI as a catalyst for more humanities research. doi: https:/dhnb.eu/onwards-and-outwards-dhnb-celebrates-10-years/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I presented my research on embodied music cognition at the first DHN conference in Oslo in 2016. Ten years later, I direct MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity, where the arts and humanities sit inside a national AI programme for the first time. This short provocation asks whether there is still a need for "digital humanities". My claim is that AI is a catalyst for more humanities research, and that the analogue humanities matter more than ever.

• Philippe, Vendrix,; Rebekah, Ahrendt,; Haug, Judith Irmela & Lartillot, Olivier (2026). Musicology and Artificial Intelligence. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.20639784. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This report provides an overview of Artificial Intelligence in European musicological research, addressed to musicologists, librarians, archivists, curators, educators, research-policy officers, infrastructure coordinators, and tool developers. Moving from conceptual foundations to institutional implications, it maps the affordances and limitations of AI-based models and tools for the discipline, while situating them within the European normative landscape defined by the ALLEA European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, and the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. The six complementary sections successively address: (1) methodological foundations, clarifying notions of model, tool, and critical posture, and surveying audio-, image-, encoding-, and language-model-based applications such as automatic music transcription, optical music recognition, score-audio alignment, automated analysis, reconstruction, and LLM prompt­ing; (2) data infrastructure, covering FAIR/CARE governance, ontologies and persistent identifiers, European federated infra­structures, auditory digital twins, and risks of fragmentation, representational bias, quality variability, and copyright; (3) a continuation of the disciplinary stakes involved in source and corpus processing; (4) musicological education in the age of AI, including curricular redesign, AI literacy, and design models such as the Two-Lane Approach; (5) professional practices and responsibilities, examining scholarly credibility, intellectual property, academic integrity frameworks, cultural and creative industry collaborations, institutional and legal risks, gender equality, and lessons from organised labour; and (6) best practic­es, articulating methodological pluralism against technological determinism and formalising principles of ethical reflexivity, human oversight, explainability, reproducibility, and accountability.

• Lartillot, Olivier; Beauguitte, Pierre; Haugen, Ingrid Romarheim; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Kjus, Yngvar (2026). Symposium on Digital and AI Musicology. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Current research on the use of computational methods and AI in music libraries and musicology. This event brings together key members of the European consortium EarlyMuse, in coordination with MishMash – Centre for AI & Creativity, particularly its thematic area on cultural heritage. It presents recent work on digital archives, music information retrieval, and AI-based approaches to musicological and heritage research. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with new and insightful reviews in computational musicology. The programme introduces and discusses a range of core technologies—including music transcription (from both score images and audio), music analysis, and the transformative potential of rich metadata—while highlighting strategies for interconnecting disparate music collections so that their metadata can meaningfully interact.

• Lartillot, Olivier & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). DAIM 2026: Symposium on Digital and AI Musicology. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.22643770. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This report presents extended summaries of the presentations and discussions at the DAIM 2026 Symposium on Digital and AI Musicology, held on 8–9 June 2026 at the National Library of Norway and the University of Oslo. Organized by RITMO, the MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity, and the National Library of Norway, the symposium brought together the COST Action EarlyMuse and MishMash Work Package 6 on AI for Cultural Heritage. The contributions examine how computational methods and artificial intelligence can support the preservation, transcription, analysis, discovery, and interconnection of musical heritage. Topics include digital music collections, Optical Music Recognition, audio transcription, chant and Sámi yoik, musical similarity and pattern discovery, Linked Open Data, metadata standards, and sustainable research infrastructures. Discussions address scholarly validation, provenance, cultural context, and the rights of creators and communities. Compiled and edited by Olivier Lartillot, the report synthesizes presentation abstracts, slides, and recorded talks. It includes introductions to both days, presentation and panel summaries, links to related resources, contributor biographies, and the symposium programme, alongside a tribute to Eleanor Selfridge-Field.

• Hope, Mikael; Nielsen, Nanette & Laeng, Bruno (2026). Audiovisual Rhythms in Narrative Film: How Music Affects Attention, Memory and the Experience of Time. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music is known to shape viewer experiences in film, yet how it affects the cognitive processes underlying viewer engagement remains unclear. This study investigated music's role in modulating temporal experience, memory, and attention in film viewing across two complete narratives. We conducted complementary online and laboratory experiments using animated films with different musical conditions: original music with tension-release patterns aligned to visual narrative, the same original music rearranged in a different temporal order, constant-intensity music, and no music. Laboratory results revealed that music with congruent narrative structure led to significantly shorter duration estimates, enhanced temporal order memory, better recognition of narrative details, and higher absorption ratings compared to reordered music. These effects were absent in the online experiment, suggesting that viewing context moderates music's impact. The findings demonstrate that music's narrative structure, and not just its presence or emotional content, modulates temporal experience, narrative memory, and attention during film viewing.

• Smykovskyi, Andrii; Kerrebroeck, Bavo van; Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina & Palmer, Caroline (2026). Individual Tempo Asymmetries and Coupling Dynamics in Dyadic Musical Synchronization. Show summary

  Interpersonal synchronization supports social interaction by enabling coordinated behavior and shared emotional experience, yet how emotions influence the mechanisms underlying synchronization remains poorly understood. We investigated how emotional feedback influences auditory–motor synchronization between dyadic partners with faster and slower Spontaneous Production Rates (SPR). Nonmusicians completed a joint tapping task with pre-feedback, feedback (matched or mismatched positive or negative), and post-feedback phases. Temporal asynchronies were modeled using a delay-coupled oscillator model to estimate participant-specific coupling parameters. Model comparisons between delay-coupled and zero-delay models showed that allowing for a delay significantly improved model fit. Slower-SPR partners coupled more strongly than faster partners, while feedback valence did not affect coupling strength. Coupling strength was positively associated with arousal in pre-feedback trials and with perceived synchronization success under mismatched feedback trials. These findings demonstrate the role of intrinsic frequency differences and shared feedback structure in organizing interpersonal synchronization and its subjective correlates.

• Smykovskyi, Andrii (2026). Emotions: The Human Wi-Fi. doi: https:/op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/fddb2f69-7b56-11f1-bf5e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Humans connect through rhythm more deeply than we realise. Our research explores how emotions and music shape the way we connect with others. At our booth, you can play simple melodies, watch your “human Wi-Fi signal” grow as you synchronise with friends, and discover how feelings influence your inner rhythm. Curious minds can also glimpse a beautiful mathematical model that shows how separate rhythms suddenly fall into sync. Come and experience how music, emotion and science meet in real time.

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas & Diesen, Even Igland (2026). Fra Bronx til bygda. [Journal]. Klassekampen. doi: https:/klassekampen.no/artikkel/2026-07-17/fra-bronx-til-bygda. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2026). Side Brok: Albumlytt med Sjef R, Skatebård og Dr. Kjell. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/om/aktuelt/arrangementer/makt/side-brok-albumlytt-med-sjef-r-skatebard-dr-kjell.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Walderhaug, Bendik; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Sørli, Anders Ruud & Hole, Erik (2026). Sinsenfist på Kulturhagefesten Øyslebø. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Walderhaug, Bendik; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Hole, Erik & Sørli, Anders Ruud (2026). Sinsenfist på Gaukenfestivalen. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2026). Orchestrating rap vocals: Outlining the perceptual and aesthetic framework of Chimericity. Full text in Research Archive
• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2026). Kinetic listening: Exploring Dance Rhythm as Embodied Temporality in Movement. doi: https:/www.nofod.org/wp-content/uploads/NOFOD_2026_LHI_Netu%CC%81tga%CC%81fa_.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This research presents the development and initial pilot results of Kinetic Listening, a techno-sensory methodology for dance pedagogy and choreographic creation with visually impaired participants, based on the real-time sonification of body movement. The project explores how integrating auditory and kinaesthetic perception—of one’s own and others’ movements—can support learning, memorization, and composition without reliance on visual mediation. Using inertial sensors connected to MIDI systems, movement is translated into sound, generating a sonic-kinetic vocabulary through which motion can be experienced simultaneously as auditory and spatial structure. From an interdisciplinary perspective, Kinetic Listening proposes sound as both a compositional tool and a perceptual anchor for developing motor memory and spatial coordination. In doing so, it challenges the visual hegemony in dance pedagogy and advances multisensory, inclusive models of choreographic transmission. The study follows a qualitative methodology combining ethnography, movement analysis, and experimental choreographic laboratories with participants with diverse visual conditions. The process unfolds across phases of technological development, methodological exploration, and pedagogical implementation. Preliminary results from pilot studies in Mexico and Norway suggest that movement sonification enhances spatial orientation, choreographic recall, and collective movement-making through sensorimotor listening

• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2026). Improvisation and interaction in djembe dance. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/djembedance/events/djembedance-symposium/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This presentation examines how dance improvisation emerges as a coherent, culturally meaningful, and interactionally situated flow of movement. Drawing on two studies from an article-based PhD project, Memory in Performance and Interaction, Structure, and Style, it considers improvisation from both experiential and relational perspectives. The first part explores how kinesthetic memory and thinking-in-movement enable dancers to generate and adapt movement in real time. Rather than being either completely spontaneous or predetermined, improvisation emerges through embodied experience, culturally learned movement possibilities, and the changing conditions of the present moment. The second part turns to djembe dance, examining how improvisation is further shaped through interaction between dancers and musicians. Through examples of motif loops, rhythmic offers and calls, movement qualities, and stylistic variation, the presentation shows how structure, style, and interaction operate interdependently. It argues that improvisation is not simply an expression of individual choice, but an embodied and relational process through which movement remains both adaptable and culturally recognizable.

• Fleckenstein, Abbigail Marie; Paruzel-Czachura, Mariola; Pypno-Blajda, Katarzyna; Peltola, Henna-Riikka & Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2026). Moral Echoes: Do Humanness and Morality Affect Emotional and Aesthetic Responses to Music. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21416409. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: When listening to novel music, extramusical information about the musician may shape listeners’ evaluations. Research outside music suggests that experiences of being moved, empathy, and aesthetic appreciation can be modulated by appraisals of an agent’s morality (Seibt et al., 2017; Singer et al., 2006). In music, such modulations may depend on whether listeners perceive a human agent is present (i.e., human or AI-generated music). Findings on AI-generated music are inconsistent: some studies indicate a bias against AI music (Ansani et al., 2025), whereas others report mixed results (Shank et al., 2023). Aims: The experiment evaluated whether perceived Morality (Moral, Immoral, Neutral) and perceived Humanness (Human vs. AI-model) and influence listeners’ emotional and aesthetic responses to unfamiliar vocal music. Methods: This online experiment used a 2 (Humanness: Human vs. AI-model) × 2 (Vocalist Sex: Male vs. Female) × 3 (Morality: Moral, Immoral, Neutral) mixed factorial design. Participants (N = 400) were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Each participant read three behavioral descriptions (Moral, Immoral, Neutral) and listened to three unfamiliar songs pseudo-randomly paired with the descriptions. Responses were measured using the GEMS-9 (Zentner et al., 2008) plus items assessing feeling Moved, Connected, Beauty, Liking, and Creativity. Results: Linear mixed-effects models showed significant main effects of Morality, with Immoral descriptions consistently yielding lower (i.e., more negative) ratings for nearly all dependent variables with the exception of Unease. There was no main effect of Humanness and no Morality × Humanness interaction. Exploratory analyses indicated that higher Trait Empathy was associated with stronger emotional and aesthetic responses overall, except for the Unease factor. Conclusions: Present findings indicate that perceived immoral behavior, regardless of a perceived human creator, negatively affected listeners’ ratings of positive-valence emotional and aesthetic appraisals of unfamiliar music, consistent with the view that music listening is grounded in socio- cognitive evaluations of the agent behind the work.

• Polak, Rainer (2026). Performance and audiency in djembe music and dance. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/djembedance/events/djembedance-symposium/. Full text in Research Archive
• Polak, Rainer (2026). Multimodal cueing of meter in audio and motion data. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/djembedance/events/djembedance-symposium/. Full text in Research Archive
• Dutta, Sagar (2026). From Dance Motion to Music Retrieval. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/djembedance/events/djembedance-symposium/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This talk explores how rhythmic information can be extracted from dance motion and used for music information retrieval. First, I present a computational framework for estimating musical tempo directly from dance movement using kinematic rhythmic anchors—salient events such as directional changes, velocity peaks, and changes in motion intensity. By analysing rhythmic periodicities across the hands, feet, and torso, the approach demonstrates that musical tempo can be inferred from motion alone across diverse dance genres. Building on this framework, I then present an approach for retrieving music for a given dance performance from a large, unpaired music collection. Candidate tracks are first filtered according to tempo and then ranked according to the temporal alignment between motion-derived rhythmic anchors and musical beats and onsets. Perceptual studies show that the resulting recommendations are judged as better synchronized with the dance than random and tempo-matched alternatives. Together, the studies demonstrate how computational analysis of embodied rhythm can support multimodal applications connecting human movement and music.

• Polak, Rainer (2026). Rhythm perception in djembe music and dance: experimental approaches. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/djembedance/events/djembedance-symposium/. Full text in Research Archive
• Polak, Rainer (2026). DjembeDance Symposium. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/djembedance/events/djembedance-symposium/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The DjembeDance Symposium explores what rhythm reveals when understood as a fundamentally multimodal phenomenon—integrating music and dance rather than sound alone.

• Polak, Rainer & Nozaradan, Sylvie (2026). Meter as Perceptual Categorization: Insights from Empirical Ethnomusicology and Cognitive Neuroscience. doi: https:/conferences.iftawm.org/conferences/schedule-registration-durham/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Perceptual systems, despite exposure to constantly varying sensory inputs, do not treat each stimulus as unique. Through categorization, they differentiate between stimuli from distinct categories and generalize across those within a category. The convergence of perceptual representations into categories makes perception shareable across individuals, enabling collective social practices and cultural transmission. Growing evidence shows that cultural experience shapes individuals' perceptual categories, yielding cross-cultural differences in perception. Perceptual categorization can therefore be conceived both as a source and a product of social practice and cultural transmission. This paper advances the understanding of perceptual categorization through an interdisciplinary perspective on rhythm and meter perception, combining cognitive neuroscience (EEG) — which offers insights into how perceptual categories of rhythm develop from birth and are tuned by cultural experience — with ethnomusicology, which connects these EEG-captured rhythm categories to musical rhythm as a culture-specific process and product of collective social practice. The talk builds on recent research positing that rhythmic patterns anchored to fast non-isochronous pulses constitute metric categories, as observed in music from Mali and neighboring countries. First, using ethnography and performance-timing measurement in recordings, the authors show that fast non-isochronous metric categories are widespread across regions (e.g., Morocco, Iran, Romania) and persist across cultural conditions, from traditional live performance to digitally produced popular music (e.g., Iranian Bandari pop produced in Los Angeles). Second, the authors report ongoing cross-cultural EEG experiments comparing metric categories in brain responses of participants familiar vs. unfamiliar with music genres involving non-isochronous categories. Preliminary findings confirm that perceptual rhythm categories are significantly shaped by music-cultural environments, and that this cultural diversity in rhythm perception may in turn contribute to the rhythmic diversity in the music genres forming these cultural environments. This evidence on culture-driven perceptual plasticity has implications for music analysis, whose modeling of musical experience depends on an informed understanding of how perception operates within specific cultural groups.

• Polak, Rainer (2026). Djembe Music/Dance Performance as Interaction. doi: https:/conferences.iftawm.org/conferences/schedule-registration-durham/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Many West African dance-drumming genres, including djembe music/dance performance from Mali, can be understood as interaction systems in which music sustains, guides, and publicly validates community members' participation in dance. In previous research, the author has argued that, beyond motivation, multimodal coordination, collective energy, and cultural framing, a key function of music is audiency: musicians elevate participants' dance actions to the status of performance by providing focused attention and public recognition. At the same time, these systems are designed not only for predominantly adult "central" participation as dancers but also for children's "peripheral" participation, supporting informal learning and reproduction of the practice. Drawing on long-term ethnographic observation, complemented by the author's own participation as a drummer and interviews with practitioners, the talk shows that this participation framework — performance-in-the-round — is organized around three constitutive features: (1) it affords public self-presentation through "floor-taking," the dynamic negotiation of obligations and rights for participatory agency; (2) it structures floor-taking through recurring alternation between group dancing and individual dance–drum encounters, including rapid turn-taking; (3) it negotiates participation on the fly through role-switching and role-blurring between performers and audiency. The talk compares this interactional design with other settings drawing on the same repertoire: staged performance (emphasizing group coherence via pre-arranged coordination), teaching (breaking repertoire into memorizable routines via teacher–student demonstration/imitation), and urban praise-singing contexts (where song is prioritized over dance and recognition centers on donors' financial contributions). Rather than ranking these by "how participatory" they are, the paper offers a comparative account of how participation is distributed and coordinated, how these designs shape function and meaning, and how this correlates with historical trends in musical-style dynamics.

• Bacot, Baptiste (2026). A corpus-based exploration of Bass music production techniques. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  “Bass music” is an umbrella term that refers to bass-driven EDM hardcore and experimental subgenres, such as dubstep, glitch-hop or neurofunk. While the stylistic codes of EDM are foundational in Bass music, they coexist with disruptive sonic attributes that are directly related to producers’ exploratory interactions with digital audio workstations (Brett 2021). DAWs have profoundly influenced popular music aesthetics and reconfigured genre boundaries; they also enable new takes on groove through the manipulation of time, timbre and dynamics of sounds. How do Bass music producers precisely leverage the DAW environment to create tracks at the intersection of genre conventions and experimentation? To address these questions, I investigate a corpus of DAW source files by professional Bass music producer, DJ and educator Mr. Bill, a well-established figure in the Bass music community. This collection of Ableton Live Sets (ALS) comprises over eighty unique tracks and spans nine years of music production. Having access to the source files offers unparalleled insights on professionally produced music. Building on recent studies that examine DAW production (Brøvig-Hanssen et al. 2022; Smith 2024), this presentation highlights recurring techniques in the corpus, such as sampling and resampling, parameter automation, sequencing (grid-aligned vs. off-grid events), and the use of noise and distortion. The firsthand account of these techniques reveals the way temporality is shaped at different scales through production decisions. This paper sheds light on DAW-based EDM production of the 2010s, which contributes to enrich the scope of music production research. It concludes that bass music seeks to directly engage with listener’s attention and expectations by shaping time through sound production tools, and not merely make people dance–despite what the “EDM” label suggests.

• Bacot, Baptiste (2026). A corpus of Ableton Live Sets: theoretical and methodological challenges in the study of DAW creativity. doi: https:/vimeo.com/1197805588. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  DAWs aggregate tools to generate, process, sequence and arrange sounds. Inherited from the hardware studio ecosystem, they have profoundly influenced popular music aesthetics and reconfigured genre boundaries (Reuter 2022). Akin to a musical laboratory that encourages sonic exploration and experimentation (Brett 2021), the DAW nonetheless remains a “genre-specific medium” (Marrington 2019) that maintains strong ties with the aesthetics of electronic music. From the 1990s onwards, particularly in groove-based genres and EDM, DAWs have reconfigured approaches to rhythm—"the raison d’être of electronic dance music” (Butler 2006)— through various sound manipulations and transformations (Danielsen 2020; Brøvig-Hanssen et al. 2020, 2022). Although these evolutions in digital music production have been confirmed in the abovementioned works, the particulars of EDM production remain seldom studied. How do electronic music producers precisely leverage the DAW environment to design grooves and tracks, at the intersection of genre conventions and experimentation? This paper represents an effort to engage with these issues by approaching DAW-based EDM production at the closest level: it explores a corpus of eighty Ableton Live Sets (ALS, that are DAW source files) from Mr. Bill, a professional electronic music producer, DJ, and educator. The corpus spans over nine years and gives a valuable access to the producer’s workflow and creative process (Brett 2019), and serves as a case study for Bass music—an umbrella term for bass-driven, hardcore EDM subgenres with prominent experimental attributes. However, due to their volume and complexity, these files also pose a series of theoretical and methodological challenges, that are also discussed. The paper demonstrates three ways of engaging with the corpus, which open new paths in the study of DAW creativity. First, the ALS are scrutinized as XML files in which production information is retrieved by a bespoke analytical tool. Second, as tracks or buses can conveniently be rendered, grouped tracks are examined with a signal analysis tool, which reveals the rhythmic role of timbre and dynamics in Bass music. In turn, and third, these quantitative approaches lead back to the original ALS files with a qualitative perspective. Ultimately, this corpus study supports the idea that Bass music creation is as much about sequencing sounds (organising events on the grid) as it is about shaping rhythm through production decisions (designing spectral and dynamic properties of musical sounds). In addition, the innovative methods introduced in this paper pave the way for future research on EDM production based on the analysis of DAW source files, or any other genre that uses such music production tools.

• Kjus, Yngvar (2026). How AI-tools feed on cross-industry collaboration: The case of music and computer games. Full text in Research Archive
• Plath, Mirjana (2026). Ein Bezauberndes Fräulein gegen den Faschismus. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper discusses the political content of a 1945 operetta production in Stockholm. First performed in Vienna in 1933, the operetta "Bezauberndes Fräulein" was adapted by Max Hansen as "Förtjusande Fröken" for a Swedish audience. Through the inclusion of new musical numbers, it became a clear statement against fascism. Notably, the song "Ett, två, tre" draws on a Danish revue number criticising censorship while Denmark was occupied by Germany in the Second World War.

• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius (2026). 330 ungdommer samlet til KI-dag på UiT. doi: https:/uit.no/nyheter/artikkel/kortnytt?p_document_id=929920. Full text in Research Archive
• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius (2026). KI-dag på UiT: Slik kan elevene bruke det godt – og kritisk – NRK Troms og Finnmark. Full text in Research Archive
• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius (2026). News story about KI-dagen on Distriktsnyheter Nordnytt - NRK TV. [TV]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive
• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius (2026). KI-dag for videregående skoler. Full text in Research Archive
• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius (2026). Atmos vs Ambisonics: Creative Differences in Immersive Formats. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mixing in immersive formats, designed to place the listener inside a three-dimensional sound environment rather than in front of a left–right stereo image, allows for many creative opportunities beyond traditional stereo mixing. However, there are different immersive formats, each with its own strength and challenges. This paper/performance/workshop explores the creative differences between mixing in Atmos, created by Dolby Laboratories and used in movie theatres and commercial 3D audio distribution, and ambisonics, a format that is used extensively in electro-acoustic music and VR. The music used in the paper/performance/workshop is a sonification of Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights. With the use of positional signals from an antenna array positioned in Kilpisjärvi in Northern Finland, soundscapes and composed music are projected into an 3D audio dome and create a real-time sonic experience of the movement of the Aurora on the sky over the arctic parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. These compositions exist in both ambisonics and Atmos, and in the paper/performance/workshop the workflow and creative opportunities inherent in the formats are explored, along with a discussion of the challenges encountered when working in the different 3D arrays. Participants are invited to explore the immersive mixes and remix the performances in real-time.

• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius (2026). Impact of AI Tools on Music Production. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music production and songwriting tools based on machine learning and artificial intelligence are part of every producer’s toolkit. Whether it is the use of stem splitters to clean up tracks, algorithms for mastering, or generative systems for sound creation and lyric manipulation, these tools have found a place in the modern music studio. However, the rapid introduction of such tools raises many questions. Do they improve the creative process? Are algorithms trained with sufficient awareness of juridical and ethical challenges? Is the use of training data in accordance with existing laws and practices regarding copyright and patents? Do these tools affect artistic output, making music better—or less diverse? Is AI making music creation more accessible by lowering technical and artistic thresholds and enabling non-experts to perform tasks that previously required specialist skills? Based on interviews, experimental work, and a literature review, this paper explores which AI-based tools are used in contemporary music production, how they are employed, and how they influence the creative process. Technical, juridical, and ethical aspects of different types of AI-driven tools are discussed. The paper concludes with an analysis of how new workflows may affect revenue streams for music producers, songwriters, and artists.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Laczkó, Bálint; Joachim, Poutaraud,; Marcus, Widmer,; Frida, Furmyr, & Guo, Jinyue [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). musicalgestures: A Python toolbox for visualising and analysing music-related video recordings. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22287338. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Software. This is the Python version of the Musical Gestures Toolbox, containing a complete solution for loading different types of video recordings (including 360-degree videos). It was originally built to analyse music-related videos, but it works well for many other applications. It includes a large collection of tools for visualising human body motion, including average images, motion images, motion history images, motiongrams, and videograms. It also includes spatial–temporal tools for creating motion history videos. Finally, it wraps different state-of-the-art pose estimation methods (CV2 and MediaPipe) and derives various quantity-of-motion measures.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Upham, Finn; Zelechowska, Agata; Sanchez, Victor Evaristo Gonzalez; Swarbrick, Dana & Riaz, Maham (2026). micromotion: A Python toolbox for analysing human micromotion in motion time series. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22080495. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Software. One implementation of quantity of motion — the average speed of a body part, band-limited to 0.2-5 Hz, in millimetres per second — for optical marker data, body-worn accelerometers and force-plate centre of pressure, together with the readers, resampling rules, scaling measures and alignment methods that surround it.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Göksülük, Bilge Serdar; Guo, Jinyue; Bjerkestrand, Kari Anne Vadstensvik; Johnson, Victoria & Shabari, Rao, (2026). Stillness 2025 (Deichman): a group standstill performance with wearable physiology (Equivital). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21964815. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A dataset captured at the Stillness 2025 performance at Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo. 27 people took part in a 2-hour public standstill/walking performance on 9 October 2025. 16 of them wore Equivital EQ02 LifeMonitor chest sensors and are included in this dataset. Each vest logged 2-lead ECG (256 Hz), tri-axial accelerometer (256 Hz), thoracic respiration (25.6 Hz), beat-to-beat RR intervals, and a 15-second device summary (heart rate, body position, motion state, skin temperature, quality flags). A processed 5-second quantity-of-motion table is provided for all 16 participants. Timestamps are UTC, and every file is trimmed to the 2025-10-09 performance window; the multi-day pre-performance setup recordings are not part of this deposit.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Voldsund, Arve; Løken, Bjørn Arne & Godøy, Rolf Inge (2026). Cymbal percussion: multimodal motion capture, audio and video. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21710617. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Multimodal recordings of cymbal-playing gestures captured at the fourMs Lab, University of Oslo, on 12 April 2011. A percussionist performed a structured set of cymbal strokes (flams, rolls, staccato strokes, suspended-cymbal attack/nonattack/tremolo strokes and a reference take, at several dynamic levels, with and without damping, plus a free improvisation), recorded simultaneously with two motion capture systems and synchronised audio and video.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Bjerkestrand, Kari Anne Vadstensvik & Johnson, Victoria (2026). Sverm: Motion capture of human micromotion during standstill. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22045791. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This is an umbrella record for the artistic-research project Sverm (fourMs Lab, University of Oslo), in which musicians and dancers stood still on the floor for six to ten minutes at a time, and once for fifteen minutes, while their micromotion was tracked with a Qualisys infrared system.

• Solberg, Ragnhild Torvanger & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Dancing to electronic dance music. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21964844. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This is an umbrella record for Ragnhild Torvanger Solberg's two laboratory studies of people dancing to electronic dance music, recorded at the fourMs Lab, University of Oslo, in June 2014 and August 2015. It holds no data of its own: the two studies are deposited separately, and each is self-contained.

• Arve, Voldsund,; Solstad, Stein Helge; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Godøy, Rolf Inge (2026). Pilot study: jazz guitar motion capture (Stein Helge Solstad, 2012). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21360544. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Motion capture data from a pilot study with jazz guitarist Stein Helge Solstad, recorded at the fourMs Lab, University of Oslo, on 6 March 2012 by Alexander Refsum Jensenius and Rolf Inge Godoy. A single take (pilotSteinHelgeSolstad0011, about 31 seconds) captures the guitarist playing various musical phrases. Motion was recorded with a 9-camera Qualisys optical infrared system at 100 Hz using 23 reflective markers placed on the performer and the instrument (guitar strap, bridge and headstock, head, shoulders/torso, and both hands/arms), synchronised with audio and video. The package provides the raw Qualisys capture (QTM) plus TSV and C3D exports of the 3D marker data, a stereo WAV audio file, an H.264 MP4 video, and reference photographs. Note that the TSV mocap export covers a trimmed window (1199 frames from frame 389 onward, about 12 seconds) while the audio and video run the full take.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). William Westney at the fourMs Lab (2010). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22134130. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Pianist William Westney captured at the fourMs Lab, University of Oslo, in February 2010, across three performance settings: EXPERIMENT: marker-based Qualisys motion capture of 8 takes (Liszt 'Mephisto Waltz' a/b and Harold Arlen 'That Old Black Magic' in dynamic 1/2/3 and emotional angry/sad/happy variations) as raw Qualisys .qtm, exported 3-D marker trajectories .tsv, synchronised audio .wav and video .mp4, plus per-take and per-marker plots CONCERT REHEARSAL: a full multi-camera run-through of the concert programme WITHOUT an audience PUBLIC CONCERT: with an audience. Rehearsal and concert cover the four concert works (Haydn, Liszt 'Mephisto Waltz', Gershwin, 'Over the Rainbow') in up to five synchronised camera views (side, above, face, cam1, cam2) at 720x576/25fps; the Mephisto Waltz appears in all three settings. Documentation includes a panel discussion (Grund/Westney/Jensenius) with a transcript, the concert programme, and photographs. The event was designed to study the performer's movement with and without an audience.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). The Oslo Standstill Database: motion capture and multimodal recordings of human standstill and micromotion. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21964888. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Umbrella record for the Oslo Standstill Database, a corpus of seven collections documenting human standstill and involuntary micromotion, gathered at the fourMs lab, RITMO Centre, and the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo, 2011–2025.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Championships of Standstill. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.22035479. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This is an umbrella record for the Championship of Standstill, a recurring public experiment at the University of Oslo from 2012 to 2024. Members of the public were asked to stand as still as possible, in groups, while listening to silence interleaved with music and other sound stimuli; the stillest won. This deposit holds no motion capture of its own: each of the seven editions is deposited separately, is self-contained, and can be cited and versioned on its own.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Mobile-phone accelerometer comparison (2026): four Samsung phones for standstill micromotion. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21964230. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A controlled cross-device consistency test of the accelerometers in four Samsung phones (Galaxy A52s 5G, S21, S23 Ultra, S26 Ultra), logged with Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite at a nominal 10 Hz. Two recordings per phone: Still on the floor with triple-clap sync markers - the sensor noise floor Exercises -> standstill -> shaking - working range and saturation.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). KI++. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kunstig intelligens er allerede i musikken, men hva gjør den med oss som lytter, spiller og lager? I dette innlegget viser jeg eksempler fra forskningen på RITMO og det nye MishMash-senteret: forskningskonsertene i MusicLab, små musikkapper som Tap Bloom, Pinch Bass og Firefly, og hva som skjer når KI blir noe mer enn et verktøy.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Some thoughts about artistic research. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/news-and-events/events/Research-Forum/research-forum-on-artistic-research-artificial-int.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Is artistic research research? And if so, of what kind? In this short talk, I propose the Artistic Readiness Level (ARL), from an initial artistic impulse to a consolidated and reproducible artistic work with demonstrated impact, alongside the technology and societal readiness levels used in research funding, and ask whether music in a given project is a subject, object or method.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Upham, Finn & Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2026). MusicLab Sinsenfist Panel Discussion. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/musiclab/2026/sinsenfist/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Panel discussion during the MusicLab research concert with the hip-hop group Sinsenfist, in which musicians and audience members were recorded with audio, video and motion sensors. Alexander Refsum Jensenius moderated the conversation with researchers Finn Upham and Kjell Andreas Oddekalv about what happens in the bodies of those who play and those who listen during a live performance, and what the concert measurements can tell us.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Who is actually doing the creating? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  When AI enters a creative process, authorship does not disappear, it redistributes. Who is actually doing the creating? In this keynote I present MishMash, the Norwegian Centre for AI and Creativity, show examples of AI in creative work from our research, and argue that the risk is not that AI replaces human creativity but that organisations stop noticing whose judgement a tool encodes and whose is quietly displaced.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Musikk, KI og klassisk musikk. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hva kan kunstig intelligens bety for en musikkinstitusjon som setter klassisk musikk i sentrum? Med utgangspunkt i forskningen ved RITMO og MishMash-senteret går jeg gjennom muligheter i klassisk musikundervisning, fra forberedelse og samspill til vurdering: digitale akkompagnatører, analyse av øvingsvideo for skadeforebygging, transkripsjon og notasjon, og KI-modeller trent på komponister og utøvere. Mer maskin kan også bety mer menneske.

• Göksülük, Bilge Serdar; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Riaz, Maham; Guo, Jinyue; Teleli, Aikaterini & Leal, Margarida (2026). Improvisation with the Muzziballs. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  An improvisation with Muzziballs, ball-shaped musical instruments developed in collaboration between Muzziball AS and RITMO, in which sound is shaped by how each ball is moved and handled. Performed at the Department of Musicology's department concert in the ZEB building on 13 April 2026 by Bilge Serdar, Maham Riaz, Arthur Guo, Alexander Refsum Jensenius, Katerina Teleli and Margarida Leal.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). RITMO and MishMash: AI and creativity research in Norway, and possibilities for collaboration with South Korea. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  South Korea is one of Norway's priority partner countries outside Europe, and few Norwegian research groups collaborate with Korean AI research. In this presentation for the Ministry of Education's special envoy at the Norwegian embassy in Seoul, HK-dir and the Research Council of Norway, I introduce RITMO, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, and MishMash, the national Centre for AI and Creativity, and outline the centre's plans for international collaboration and the existing contacts among MishMash partners with Korean institutions, research organisations and artists.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Kreativ KI i utdanning. doi: https:/www.uio.no/for-ansatte/enhetssider/arrangement/2026/idemote/utdanning-1.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvordan kan KI-agenter brukes i undervisning, og hva bør vi holde fast ved? Med utgangspunkt i en åpen lærebok med web-apper, en wiki og et åpent verktøy for videoanalyse i emnet MUS2640 forteller jeg om drømmen fra 2003 om et åpent økosystem for læremidler, og hvordan agenter nå gjør den mulig. Prinsippet er KI utenfor timen og mennesker i timen: agentene forbereder, studentene og underviserne møtes.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Kreativ administrativ KI. doi: https:/www.uio.no/for-ansatte/enhetssider/arrangement/2026/idemote/adm-1.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hva er forskjellen på en KI-assistent og en KI-agent, og hva betyr den for administrativ databehandling ved et universitet? Med utgangspunkt i egne erfaringer med agenter i forskning og administrasjon går jeg gjennom hva agentene trenger for å virke, hva som er god praksis, og hvordan samskaping med en agent ser ut i praksis, med eksempler fra reiseregninger, lederstøtte, CV-er, personaldata, styrepapirer, nett og arkiv. Innlegget ender i tre ønsker: tilgang til egne data gjennom API og nedlasting, systemer som kan føre dialog, og rom for agenter.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Exploring human micromotion (workshop). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this workshop, I will lead the participants into exploring their own micromotion through standstill and slow-movement exercises. The focus will be on both physical and mental stillness. In the end, we will explore how mobile phone-based apps can be used for sonic microinteraction.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). How AI can help us be more human. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I will talk about how developing AI systems over the last 25 years has helped me better understand how humans move, act, think, and feel. Now more than ever, we need to incorporate human perspectives into new AI developments, while also critically exploring new AI-based systems and reflecting on how they change humanity in different ways.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). MishMash, one of the new Norwegian National AI Centres. doi: https:/www.sure-ai.no/events/sure-ai-annual-conference-2026/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  MishMash is one of the six national AI research centres funded by the Research Council of Norway from 2025, and the only one that joins technology with creativity. In this presentation, in the showcase of the national centres, I introduce the centre: seven work packages spanning music, visual art, literature, games, performance and human-centred AI; a consortium of more than 20 partners across Norway; and the argument that creative practice is both a testbed for AI systems and a driver of new AI research.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). MishMash-søknaden og MishMash-konsortiet: muligheter for videreutvikling. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvordan ble MishMash-søknaden til, og hva kan konsortiet bak senteret bety for kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid i Norge? I dette innlegget forteller jeg om arbeidet med søknaden til Forskningsrådets utlysning av nasjonale KI-sentre, om hvordan konsortiet med mer enn 20 partnere ble satt sammen, og om mulighetene for at kunstneriske institusjoner kan bruke senteret til å utvikle egne prosjekter og søknader videre.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Jahr, Ida & Sæther, Eskil Muan (2026). MishMash@NARMA. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En presentasjon om hva KI egentlig er, hvordan det brukes og hva det betyr i kunst, kultur og kreativitet.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). MishMash: Centre for AI and Creativity - Current status. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  An update on the development of MishMash. The centre aims to create, explore, and reflect on AI for, through, and in creative practices. More than 200 researchers investigate AI’s impact on creative processes, develop innovative co-creative AI systems and educational strategies, and address AI’s ethical, cultural, legal, and societal implications in creative domains.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Trenger vi musikere i fremtiden? Utfordringer og muligheter med musikk og KI. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kunstig intelligens påvirker det meste om dagen, også musikklivet og musikkbransjen. Hva skjer når KI topper hitlistene og alle kan lage sin egen musikk? Vil KI ta over alt, eller blir vi lei og vil ha mer menneskeskapt musikk? Hva er mulighetene for at KI-generert musikk kan bidra positivt til å hjelpe folk med f.eks. ADHD til å konsentrere seg og Parkinson-pasienter til å bevege seg?

• Encinas, Enrique; Jahr, Ida; Bull, Synne Tollerud; Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius & Chattopadhyay, Budhaditya (2026). NE #00: New Embeddings of/for Artistic Intelligence. doi: https:/ars.electronica.art/negotiatinghumanity/en/view/ne-00-new-embeddings-of-for-artistic-intelligence-39f38ddb450c81b5a2e1e4b478396502/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  NE #00: New Embeddings of/for Artistic Intelligence was a participatory workshop presented at Ars Electronica 2026 that explored how new forms of artistic intelligence might emerge when artists, institutions, scholars, scientists, and technologists organise around shared needs rather than disciplinary boundaries. The workshop asked how AI might support, rather than determine, such collaborations, and how alternative infrastructures for artistic and interdisciplinary practice might be developed. Structured as an exchange rather than a conventional presentation, participants articulated what they need in relation to generative AI, what they can contribute, and what they refuse. These contributions included conceptual approaches, technical and institutional infrastructures, artistic methods, knowledge, and resources. Participants clustered around points of convergence and translated these into concrete offers, requests, and possible collaborations recorded in a shared ledger. The workshop initiated the New Embeddings series as an experimental format for building interdisciplinary connections around artistic intelligence and generative AI through collective exchange and the formation of new “neighborhoods” of practice.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). AI and Creativity and a little information about the new AI centre MishMash. doi: https:/www.uio.no/dscience/english/news-and-events/events/ai-in-science.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Can AI be creative? The talk starts from Boden's definition, novel and meaningful, and shows why the first half is cheap for machines and the second is where the human work remains. It sorts AI into rules, learning, and evolution, traces seventy years of artists working with all three, and argues that the interesting questions concern co-creation rather than replacement: control, intention, and ownership. It presents MishMash, Norway's national centre for AI and creativity, with its seven challenges across performance, health, education, industry, and heritage, and closes with what creative practice teaches scientists: small models, embodied agents, reproducible workflows, and provenance.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2026). The implications of A(I)gency in music: An fMRI investigation of AI-generated vs. human-composed music. Full text in Research Archive
• Laczko, Balint (2026). ICAD2026 Workshop on Pixasonics, an Image Sonification Toolbox for Python. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to Pixasonics, a Python library for interactive image analysis and exploration through image sonification. Pixasonics strikes a balance between an easy-to-use graphical application and a flexible programming library. Its design centers on real-time interaction and auditory–visual feedback in a Jupyter Notebook environment. Participants will learn to design simple Parameter Mapping Sonification applications and advanced systems by implementing their own custom feature extraction, mapping, and audio synthesis algorithms. The workshop will also cover new functionality that has been added to Pixasonics since its initial publication, such as the use of instance masks, and new visualization and interaction features.This session is designed for researchers exploring volumetric data and creative practitioners interested in experimental sound design.

• Grønbech, Turi & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). – Jeg blir sterkere uten - NRK. [Internet]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Når var du sist alene med dine egne tanker? Uten en podkast eller musikk på øret? I følge Mediebarometeret øker mediebruken blant nordmenn. Interessen for podkast, musikk og lydbok stiger. Hodetelefonene er med oss overalt. På bussen, på jobb, i lunsjen og på løpetur i skogen. Det er godt selskap og god underholdning. Samtidig gjør alt innholdet at det sjeldent er helt stille rundt oss. Og forskere mener vi har godt av stillhet.

• Theodoridis, Ioannis (2026). Embodied Struggles, Pain, and Health Ideologies in Higher Music Education: A Multi-Level Interdisciplinary Study. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Experiences of physical struggle in playing or singing are common in higher music education (HME), yet the nuances of these experiences, especially in terms of musicians’ health, often remain unexamined or subsumed under simplified narratives and presumptions about how skillful movement works, how injuries occur, and where the responsibilities of students’ health and wellbeing ultimately lie. To investigate, this project explores how performance struggles and abilities are conceptualised, problematised, and embodied at macro, meso, and micro levels in HME. Drawing on dynamic systems theory, motor learning, and health sociology, this project develops interdisciplinary models that examine the conceptual spectrum between physical ease and extreme struggles and injuries, particularly detailing the ambiguous ‘grey zones’ in between. At the macro level, a critical discourse analysis of health and wellbeing statements from nine HME institutions examined the underlying assumptions and health ideologies informing health narratives and action plans. At the meso level, four in-depth interviews and four focus groups with teachers and students were complemented by a longitudinal prospective cohort study of 1,574 students followed over two to three years. At the micro level, a subsample of 17 instrumental students from the cohort participated in a lab-based motion capture and electromyography study to characterise the variability in upper limb coordination solutions among students with differing experiences of playing-related struggle. In the cohort study, students’ perceived difficulties were explored using a 24-item performance struggle scale covering dimensions such as sense of control, effort, tension, confidence, discomfort, and performance anxiety during playing. Analyses show a broad spectrum of struggle experiences across students, and explore correlations between struggle scores and upper-limb disability scores, pain, injuries, and historical physical activity. A pain-mapping tool developed specifically for this cohort study revealed detailed patterns of pain location associated with specific instruments and genres. Both the institutional website analyses and the teacher interviews mobilised a strongly psychologised discourse around struggles, framing students’ struggles predominantly in terms of individual psychological states and behavioural traits such as resilience and coping. The interpretative repertoires surrounding these statements were critically examined and problematised. The combined findings aim to support and encourage more reflective engagement with assumptions underpinning performance struggles and injuries, and to inform sustainable pedagogical and structural strategies in music education.

• Theodoridis, Ioannis (2026). Implicit Motor Theory Assumptions in Music Pedagogy. International Vistas of Music Education: Proceedings of the 30th ISME Research Commission 2024. ISSN 3111-2021. 30(1). doi: 10.24908/ismerc.v30i1.20685. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music performance is a captivating interplay of intricate movements, where successful musicians develop a remarkable ability to embody and express complex and technically challenging musical works with perceived ease. In music education, where these exceptional skills are cultivated, the implicit assumptions about how people acquire and refine these movement abilities become an integral yet unacknowledged part of music training. From early on in life, every person develops intuitive motor theory assumptions, without which they could not interact predictably in the world, let alone teach specialised movements to others (Allen & Kelly, 2015). These are mostly implicit assumptions and are not solely shaped by personal experiences but also significantly influenced by cultural trends and perspectives of their time (Schöllhorn et al., 2022). This project explores the motor learning assumptions that underpin musicians' pedagogy in higher music education. Drawing from multiple focus-group interviews conducted with students and teachers in higher music education (HME), a prevalence of ideas from pop-psychology and outdated motor theory is uncovered. These findings are compared with examples from relevant literatures. Through an interpretative analysis of the focus-group responses and discussions surrounding learning and movement, the musicians are found to mostly deploy motor theories from standard cognitive information processing perspectives. However, these cognitive frameworks have been mostly abandoned by motor theorists in favour of various principles from dynamic systems’ theory and ecological psychology (Bootsma, 1998). What might the consequences then be when musicians unknowingly rely on fundamentally different ideas about movement than those of motor theorists? This poster presentation examines these questions by discussing different motor theories, illustrating how impactful their differing assumptions are on ideas in music pedagogy, and how motor theories are historically situated. A plethora of fundamentally different movement conceptualisations (ideas from antiquity, mechanistic analogies of the Renaissance, computer-analogous ideas of the cognitive tradition, and so on) have influenced the pedagogical practices of their times (Cappozzo, 2018). This opens for a form of historically informed movement-pedagogy research, in which instrumental études and teaching books are interpreted with the motor theories of their times in mind. Today, popular culture, pop-psychology, and self-help literature continue to spread mostly outdated and misleading ideas about learning movements (Bailey et al., 2018), thereby continuously shaping musicians' self-perception and ideas about how to learn and teach. It is therefore essential to acknowledge and investigate these assumptions and how they may silently shape modern music pedagogy, for better or worse.

• Theodoridis, Ioannis & Warner, Martin (2026). ‘Suffering for the art': mapping musicians' shoulder pains and scapular kinematics. Full text in Research Archive
• Christophersen, Bjørn Morten & Holmqvist, Karen Langsholt (2026). Introduksjon til MASS OF GRAFFITI - Olavsfest - Olavsfestdagene i Trondheim. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Runolog Karen Langsholt Holmqvist forteller om tolking av kirkegraffiti og Morten Christophersen om bakgrunnen for verket og gir noen frampek til hva publikum får oppleve på urframføringen i Nidarosdomen senere på kvelden.

• Theodoridis, Ioannis; Guyot, Patrice; laroche, julien; Bosselut, Grégoire; Boiché, Julie & Dray, Gerard [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Musicians’ Movement Repertoires and Emergent Coordination: Scapular Kinematics, EMG, and Struggle in Higher Music Education. MOCO'26 - Open Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Movement and Computing. p. 33–34. doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.20794033. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music performance is a captivating interplay of intricate movements, where successful musicians develop a remarkable ability to embody and express technically challenging musical works with apparent ease. Unpacking what goes on ‘under the hood’ during such performances, let alone what goes wrong when performance fails, is an exceptionally complex challenge that musicians, teachers, and conservatoires are pressured to deal with continuously, and is a challenge that carries dangerous health risks when misjudged. Popular lay explanations of what constitutes ‘good’ movement and technique abound, but tend not to account for the nonlinear complexities of human movement, including how scapular motion acts as stability and control of upper limb movements [6]. From a dynamical-systems and ecological-dynamics perspective, movement coordination is not prescribed by internal mental plans or representations, but emerges as a self-organising pattern from decentralised interactions of bodily, task, and environmental constraints [1–4, 7]. Drawing parallels to the discourse psychology concept 'interpretative repertoires' [10], performers’ 'movement repertoires' are conceptualised in this project as the historically contingent collections of coordination regimes that have emerged under those constraints. Aligning with the conference theme, 'In the Pink of Health', movement repertoires reframe performance health as not reducible to individual deviations from normative movements, prescribed health behaviours, or psychometric scores, but rather in terms of how these embodied, historically and sociomaterially shaped repertoires afford and constrain sustainable performance trajectories. This talk presents the theoretical background and conceptualisation of movement repertoires alongside case studies (including interviews, institutional document analyses, and a large survey study) that explore how the notion of such repertoires reframe understandings of musicians’ performance struggles in higher music education (HME). The main empirical case study explores the movement repertoires of 17 HME piano students through scapular kinematics and shoulder-related EMG measurements during music performances and upper limb function tests. Shoulder-related kinematics are particularly challenging to capture due to how scapulae primarily move under the skin, making marker-based motion-capture difficult. Therefore, to adequately capture nuanced scapular kinematics, a three point acromion marker cluster (AMC) was attached to the flat posterior portion of the acromion aligned with the scapular spine, enabling recording of scapular kinematics in all planes of motion and rotation relative to thorax [8, 9]. Since scapular muscle function has also been related to shoulder pain [5] and shown to differ in timing during arm elevation and lowering between shoulder pain participants and healthy participants [11], supplementary EMG measurements are included in this study. Results of these detailed scapular kinematics and shoulder EMG measurements are discussed within post-critical and ecological-enactive perspectives, and how different coordination solutions support or constrain ease of movement, expressive control, and ongoing niche constructions in HME. Connections and contradictions between this motion capture study and the aforementioned separate strands of this project are discussed. The other strands include critical discourse analyses of how HME teachers and institutions individualise student health difficulties by collapsing performance problems into matters of coping skills or resilience, or by portraying difficulties in information-processing style motor skill deficiencies. By contrast, framing musicians’ emergent coordination struggles and injuries as varied, complex, and historically constituted movement repertoires offers a more nuanced account of how such difficulties emerge as embodied traces of training sedimented over time under long-term sociomaterial constraints.

• Roaldseth, Sara Lovise; Strøm, Roar & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Emil (24) har laget spill han mener kan hjelpe folk å ro i takt. [Internet]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  At supportere bommet under ro-seansene fikk to 24-åringer til å våkne. – VM-feberen har boosta kreativiteten, sier Emil Vold (24).

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Musikksektoren – Nåtid og fremtid. doi: https:/www.nordland-akademi.no/sommer2026.html#melbukonf26. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Alexander Refsum Jensenius presenterer om sin forskning som omfatter blant annet kroppslige dimensjoner ved musikkopplevelse og -utøvelse, som kombinerer perspektiver fra musikkvitenskap, psykologi og teknologi. Hans arbeid har som mål å frembringe både vitenskapelige og kunstneriske resultater.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Musikklandet 2050. doi: https:/www.musikk.no/prosjekt/fredrikstad2026. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En presentasjon med tanker om musikklivet i 2050 og hvordan teknologi (og særlig KI) kommer til å påvirke musikkbransjen.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). My way to a research career. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A presentation talking about how I ended up as a centre director, where I started from, and which choices I made along the way.

• Wasson, Barbara; Dinika, Adio-Adet; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Aga, Birgitte (2026). AI and Caring Futures: Creativity, Learning and Empowerment. doi: https:/uni.oslomet.no/sdgconference/program-day-2/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The closing session of the SDG conference will also represent an opening – towards provoking thoughts and emotions, plural perspectives and anticipation of futures simultaneously too far and too near to grasp. The evening will bring exhilarating possibilities of ontological shifts, deep listening and embodied perception through collaborative human-technology movement and critical conversations. But let’s not forget, there will also be the comfort of food, laughter and relaxation after two full, invigorating conference days where we have aimed, and hopefully succeeded, to hold complexity without slipping into solutionism or despair.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Mørland, Nils Petter; Egeberg, Ingjerd; Pahle, Christopher; Rian, Hans Ole & Færavaag, Åsmund (2026). Har statlig finansiert kunst et større etisk ansvar i møte med KI? doi: https:/www.heddadagene.no/event/theyellowbrickroadBikuben. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I likhet med en rekke bransjer, står kunst- og kulturfeltet overfor store endringer preget av digitalisering og fremveksten av kunstig intelligens (KI). Representanter fra statlige teaterinstitusjoner, selvstendige scenekunstnere og forskere møtes til samtale om hverdagen for scenekunstnere og framtida for vår bransje i lys av den teknologiske utviklingen.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Sandve, Geir Kjetil Ferkingstad; Boasson, Elin Lerum; Mjaaland, Marius Timmann; Skjelkvåle, Brit Lisa & Moen, Kåre [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). What can the Centre for Global Sustainability do for UiO – and the other way around? Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). MishMash@NORA.AI. doi: https:/www.nora.ai/nora-events/annual-conference-2026/program2026.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A presentation held at the annual NORA AI conference about MishMash. The centre will conduct research on how AI promotes and challenges creativity, including issues related to copyright and regulation. The research results are relevant for many actors, and especially for creative industries such as film, music, design and literature, and for public and private actors in health, education and cultural heritage.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). The Official Opening of MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity. doi: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq8UnZlzYk4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  On April 8, 2026, the University of Oslo (UiO) hosted a launch event in the University Aula for MishMash, one of Norway's six new national research centres for artificial intelligence. The primary objective of MishMash is to create, explore, and reflect on AI for, through, and in creative practices.

• Malthe-Sørenssen, Anders; Harang, Fabian Andsem; Johnson, Victoria Christine Årang; Nyrup, Jacob; Lie, Knut-Andreas & Sandve, Geir Kjetil Ferkingstad [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Hvordan endrer KI-agenter forskningsprosessen? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Dette møtet vil ta for seg de forskningsetiske spørsmålene som reiser seg i møte med bruken av KI-agenter i forskning

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). MishMash, nytt nasjonalt KI-senter. doi: https:/www.uib.no/it/181268/it-forum-2026#program-torsdag-9-april. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne presentasjonen forteller om det nye norske KI-senteret Mishmash. Rundt 200 forskere vil i årene fremover jobbe med både utfordringer og muligheter ved bruk av KI i kunst og kultur, særlig knyttet til opphavsrett, personvern og fremtiden for kreative fag. Målet er å utforske og utvikle ansvarlig bruk av KI i blant annet musikk, utdanning, helse, kulturvern og kreativ næring.

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Sørli, Anders Ruud; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Walderhaug, Bendik & Hole, Erik [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Sinsenfist - God kok. doi: https:/music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nS5dnPscVk_EXSfXXS5YQlxeJRcBPHCkQ. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Første singel fra Sinsenfists 2027-album Sinsen Fjernvarme. "God kok"-singelen er en god gammeldags pakke som fra fordums tid, med radio-edit, to remikser og en B-side.

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Sørli, Anders Ruud; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Walderhaug, Bendik & Hole, Erik (2026). Sinsenfist på Festival Bohem 2026. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2026). Practical Analysis / Analytical Practice. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2026). Practical Analysis / Analytical Practice of rap. Full text in Research Archive
• Haug, Judith Irmela (2026). “Med Sang og Skrig” – Listening to the Othered North. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  With this contribution, I wish to turn attention towards how majority Europeans the late 16th to the mid-19th century CE perceived and described the sound of the circumpolar regions and its othered indigenous populations, namely the Sámi of modern-day Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and the Inuit of Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland and Nunavut in today’s Canada. Not only considering musical expression – characteristically drumming and chanting – but including the sounds of language, animals, and nature, the aim is to trace the lines of the auditory image that was presented to majority European readers in a geopolitical context characterized by exploration, colonialism and Christianization. The question is how circumpolar populations were construed as heathens to be saved, barbarians to be civilized, unfortunates to be pitied, “noble savages” to be admired, or a mixture of all this, and how those constructions relate to the othering of sound and silence. The main sources were authored by churchmen Catholic (Francesco Negri, 1701) and Protestant (Hans Egede, 1738–44), explorers (Martin Frobisher, 1578), natural historians (Leopold von Buch, 1810), travelers (Giuseppe Acerbi, 1802), or scholars who never even set foot in the region (Johannes Schefferus, 1673). Descriptions of drumming and chanting both of Inuit angakkut and Sámi noaiddit recur. In this context, sound and spirituality were othered at the same time, as connotations of “heathenish” practices and “sorcery” were seldom far. Another aspect is the line between song and scream (Hans Egede’s “sang og skrig”) or between sound and noise that determines how othering is reified in the definition of an auditory phenomenon’s quality. Is song – the Sámi joik and the Inuit drum dance song – being perceived as song or as something belonging to a different sphere? And how is that different sphere defined and explained?

• Haug, Judith Irmela (2026). «I heard in my sleep a strange singing, screaming and noise» – Sounding in the Polar Night. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Muligheter innen KI og kreativitet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En presentasjon om det nye nasjonale MishMash-senteret med fokus på utfordringer og muligheter med KI innen kunstfagene.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2026). Would you cry to a song written by AI? Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Mennesker og maskiner. Forskerforum.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Det er en del KI-optimister rundt omkring. Men jeg møter flere skeptikere. Da forsøker jeg å minne om at det også finnes mange muligheter.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Creativity and biology research. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This project explains how I got into biology-related research and the potential of using musical, artistic, and creative methods to get obtain both artistic and scientific results.

• Guaita, Annabel Balean; Upham, Finn & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). The Listening Body – for mennesker med og uten Parkinson. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/musiclab/2026/listening-body-oslo/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We invite people with and without Parkinson’s disease to attend a unique participatory concert experiment to investigate how meditation and attentive listeni...

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2026). Experiences of awe and being moved evoked by music: Exploring elicitors and socio-affective and behavioural correlates. doi: https:/iaea-jena2026.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IAEA26_AllAbstracts_Final.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Awe and being moved have recently been framed as ‘self-transcendent emotions’ that reduce the salience of the self and direct attention outwards. However, in the context of music listening, such experiences have typically been conceptualised in terms of aesthetic responses or aesthetic emotions. The aim of the two studies presented here was to investigate the extent to which music-induced experiences of awe and being moved are associated with self- transcendence by exploring the elicitors and socio-a􏰀ective and behavioural correlates associated with such experiences. Study 1 was a live concert experiment, where 91 participants listened to a string quartet performing classical and folk music, and reported their felt emotions, social connectedness, and trait empathy. Participants’ body motion was tracked using accelerometers. Being moved correlated positively with enjoyment (r = .59) and feeling connected to the performers (r = .59) and other audience members (r = .48), but only weakly with awe (r = .19). Conversely, awe did not correlate with enjoyment or connectedness to audience members, and only weakly with connectedness to the performers (r = .21). Trait empathy significantly predicted being moved, but not awe. Awe was negatively associated with body motion. Study 2 was an online experiment, where 66 participants heard 3 music excerpts randomly paired with an awe-evoking or moving video, or no video. The experience of chills was significantly predicted by being moved, but not by awe. Being moved was also a stronger predictor of enjoyment. Awe was positively predicted by valence, while being moved was predicted by both valence and arousal. Taken together, the findings suggest that music-induced being moved is associated with prosocial elicitors and increased connectedness, while awe is elicited by vastness and is experienced as less pleasurable. The implications of the findings will be discussed in relation to current theories on self-transcendent emotions.

• Kjus, Yngvar; Kraugerud, Emil & Skjerdal, Øyvind (2026). Teknologi gjør musikkbransjen mer individualistisk og mindre likestilt - Forskningsnytt. [Internet]. Forskningsnytt - Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I dag kan musikkskapere gjøre «alt» selv, men mange kjenner på en ambivalens og et stadig press om å lære seg nye ting.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Mardahl, Jesper; Kimmel, Simon; Eyerer, Martin; Sillmann, Roland & Grefer, Philipp (2026). Building intersectional Cultural Ecosystems & Institutions for the Future. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Future-facing cultural ecosystems require new forms of collaboration across public, private, and civic actors. This panel examines best practices in building intersectional institutions and clusters that integrate diverse disciplines, and leaders from art, music, science, policy, to communities, and funding models.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Tverrfaglighet i forskning (og utdanning). Full text in Research Archive
• Sigurdsen, Silje Midtlien; Urrego, Camila; Gjermundsen, Gunnar Gabriel & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Mellom menneske og maskin. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hva skjer med vår opplevelse av virkelighet, kropp, natur og kreativitet når grensene mellom det menneskelige og det syntetiske blir mer flytende? Samtalen har ikke til hensikt å konkludere om kunstig intelligens er bra eller dårlig for kunsten. Sammen skal vi heller undersøke hva som skjer med oss som skapende mennesker, som publikum, og kanskje også som naturvesener, når teknologien begynner å produsere bilder, idéer og identiteter som tidligere bare kom fra menneskelig erfaring. Fotografiens Hus ønsker velkommen til en samtale som trekker på kunst, økologi og filosofi for å undersøke hvordan kunstig intelligens påvirker hvordan vi skaper, sanser og møter verden rundt oss på.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Sang og KI. Full text in Research Archive
• Theodoridis, Ioannis (2026). Theory repertoires in musicians' health literatures. Full text in Research Archive
• Jemterud, Torkild & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Finnes mennesker fortsatt om en million år? - Abels tårn - NRK Radio. [Radio]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Stafetten går! Sju eksperter svarer på sju spørsmål på rappen (3:3) Send oss gjerne dine spørsmål også ved å trykke på snakkebobla øverst

• Bakken, Kjersti Anderdal; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Helseth, Tine Thing & Folkestad, Ragnhild Schiager (2026). Live frå Aulaen: Musikk-spesial. [Radio]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mase på folk om å danse sjølv om dei ikkje vil? Ja, - eller nei takk til KI-musikk? Skal 12-åringen få vite at han syng falskt? Og: Satse på musikken - eller safe? Med Tine Thing Helseth, Alexander Jensenius og Ragnhild Folkestad. Programleiar Kjersti Anderdal Bakken.

• Bøe, Sunniva Monclair; Frøjd, Elise Koppang; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Marin-Bucio, Diego; Wallace, Benedikte & Lartillot, Olivier (2026). Debatten raser om KI i kulturfeltet: Trenger vi egentlig musikere, forfattere og filmprodusenter nå? [Journal]. Forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norske forskere vil finne ut hvordan kreative utøvere kan være med på å utvikle kunstig intelligens – og motsatt.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Bishop, Laura (2026). Bodies in Motion in the Concert Hall and Beyond. doi: https:/moco26.movementcomputing.org/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Motion is at the core of how we experience and understand the world, express ourselves, and interact with others. At RITMO, we explore motion that is artistic, expressive, and interactive within a highly interdisciplinary research environment that integrates musicology, psychology, and technology. Increasingly, we are moving our research out of the lab and into the real world, where we can study people behaving as they normally do and capture unique occurrences that cannot be simulated in laboratory conditions. This transition is illustrated by the MusicLab and Bodies in Concert projects, which investigate bodily activity and experiences in performers and audience members during live concerts. From data collected during a series of symphony orchestra concerts, we are learning how musicians coordinate their expressive motion and how audiences synchronize in their bodily responses to the music. We are also learning how to adapt new technologies for real-world data capture, and exploring how captured data can be used for artistic purposes. In this talk, we will discuss some of the concepts, methods, and findings from this line of research.

• Mathiesen, Anlov Peter & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Musikkmaskinene | Aftenposten Innsikt. [Journal]. Aftenposten Innsikt. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Når KI lager og spiller musikken, hva gjenstår for mennesket?

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Får du frysninger. [Radio]. NRK P1. doi: https:/radio.nrk.no/serie/distriktsprogram-oestlandssendingen/DKOA02006926. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Musikk har evnen til å skape frysninger.

• Frøyland, Rolf & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Er 528 Hz og 432 Hz magiske frekvenser? [Journal]. Stavanger Aftenblad. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hører du på musikk i 528 Hz, 432 Hz eller 8D kan det gjøre underverker for den mentale helsen din, ifølge en rekke videoer på sosiale medier. Er det sant – eller bare tull?

• Jensen, Henrik Moisanen & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Matoma advarer: –⁠ Det er sjelløst. [Journal]. VG. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Matoma advarer mot økt KI-bruk i musikkbransjen: – Misbruker det. Den anerkjente musikkprodusenten frykter for unge musikere.

• Kjus, Yngvar (2026). Book launch & panel: How can traditional academic research inform and support creative and performative practices? Full text in Research Archive
• Plath, Mirjana (2026). Die Karriere von Lizzi Waldmüller zwischen Erfolg und Fremdbestimmung. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Dieser Vortrag untersucht den Karriereweg der Operettensängerin Lizzi Waldmüller (1904–1945) auf und hinter der Bühne. Im Fokus der Untersuchung steht insbesondere der Einfluss ihres zeitweiligen Lebensgefährten Max Hansen auf ihren Erfolg. Das Paar stand unter anderem gemeinsam bei der Uraufführung von Benatzkys Operette Bezauberndes Fräulein in Wien 1933 auf der Bühne. Waldmüller verkörperte mit der weiblichen Hauptrolle Annette eine reiche und privilegierte Frau, die ihren Willen selbstbewusst gegenüber ihren männlichen Gegenspielern durchsetzt. Diese Darstellung einer selbstbestimmten Frau auf der Bühne kontrastiert mit Waldmüllers Lebensrealität: Eine Korrespondenz von Max Hansen mit Rolf Jahn, dem Theaterdirektor des Deutschen Volkstheaters in Wien, lässt vermuten, dass ihre Karriere stark von Hansen geprägt war. Ohne ihr Wissen verhandelte Hansen im September 1935 mit Jahn ein mögliches Theaterengagement einschließlich der Gage für seine Partnerin. Der Schriftverkehr suggeriert, dass die Absprache der zwei Männer bewusst hinter ihrem Rücken getätigt wurde und ist ein Beispiel der Macht und Funktionsweise männlicher Netzwerke im Theater. Gleichzeitig kann Waldmüllers weiterer Erfolg auch im Kontext von politischem Opportunismus gelesen werden. So beschuldigte die jüdische Exilzeitung Aufbau die Sängerin 1942, dass sie ihre Beziehung zu dem jüdischstämmigen Hansen um 1938 beendet hätte, um in ihrer Karriere während des Nationalsozialismus zu profitieren. Als Fallstudie ergründet dieser Vortrag das Spannungsfeld, in dem Waldmüller sich in den 1930er und 1940er Jahren bewegte: er untersucht die Arbeitsbedingungen weiblicher Musiktheaterstars in einer Zeit mit starren Geschlechterrollen, die auf der Bühne zwar hinterfragt aber in der Realität von männlichen Entscheidungsträgern dominiert wurden. Gleichzeitig forderten die moralischen und rassistischen Abgründe in Nazi-Deutschland die Haltung von Akteuren der Unterhaltungsbranche heraus.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Creativity Between Art and Science. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  First, I will present MishMash Centre for AI and Creativity, a new Norwegian research centre advancing AI to explore and shape human-machine creativity. Funded by the Research Council of Norway in 2025, the centre brings together artists, engineers, and scholars across disciplines to create, explore, and reflect on AI systems that augment creative practice while foregrounding agency, inclusion, and sustainability. Organized into seven work packages, the centre addresses technical challenges such as real-time multi-agent systems and hybrid symbolic learning methods, societal concerns including bias, copyright, and equitable value distribution, and applied domains spanning health, education, cultural heritage, and the creative industries.Second, I will present some of my own ongoing explorations into embodied AI, including inverse control, small language models, and distributed computing. This approach challenges current monolithic, generative models, suggesting an alternative future for creative AI.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Kunstig kreativitet? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Trenger vi egentlig musikere, forfattere og filmprodusenter nå som KI kan gjøre jobben? Vi tar diskusjonen om hvordan KI påvirker kreativ næring og kunstneriske prosesser.

• Brundell, Cathrine Th. & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Eneste KI-senter som kobler teknologi og kreativitet offisielt åpnet. [Journal]. Uniforum. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mye optimisme og litt bekymring preget åpningen av MishMash – senter for kunstig intelligens og kreativitet.

• Edwards, Peter (2026). The Ringing Grooves of Change. doi: https:/youtu.be/e-H1VLsSltY?si=R2gF85b-qKIJgk1S. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Velkommen til festival! Forskerforum.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Det hjelper ikke med «sånn gjør vi det her»-argumentasjon hvis vi skal få til reelt samarbeid på tvers av institusjoner.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). "Soft" and "Hard" research? Experiences from running a radically interdisciplinary research centre. doi: https:/www.uc.pt/ceis20/conferencias/alexander-jensenius-eixos-do-conhecimento-interdisciplinar/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this presentation, Alexander Refsum Jensenius explores the practical and theoretical dimensions of running radically interdisciplinary research centres, focusing on his experiences with RITMO and the newly established MISHMASH Centre for AI and Creativity. He introduces the "coffee machine" philosophy, which advocates for physical colocation and social meeting points as essential tools to overcome institutional silos and bridge the diverse research motivations of fields like musicology, informatics, and psychology. Jensenius highlights the innovative potential of this approach through projects that translate artistic research into medical applications, such as using dance analysis software to screen infants for cerebral palsy and investigating the impact of musical stimuli on biological cells. He further details the MusicLab initiative, which scales data collection to full symphony orchestras to study embodied music cognition and human behaviour in real-life concert settings. The talk concludes by introducing MISHMASH, a national consortium dedicated to fostering human-centric AI that integrates artistic practice with technological development while navigating ethical challenges such as copyright and the preservation of cultural heritage.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Hva er "flytsonen"? [Radio]. NRK P2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  "Kan kunst skape seg selv?", spør Abels Tårnpanel fra Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo (KHIO). Send inn dine spørsmål til våre eksperter!

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Sørum, Tuva Marie (2026). Nesten alle lever i sin egen stille boble. [Journal]. NRK.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Vi søker stillhet som aldri før, og hele 95 prosent av hodetelefonene som selges er støyreduserende.

• Edwards, Peter (2026). Literacy of Silence for Twenty-First Century Citizenship. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Netsten alle hodetelefoner er støyreduserenede. [Radio]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Innslag på NRK nyhetsmorgen

• Danielsen, Anne (2026). Microrhythmic Flexibility: Musical, cultural, and psychoacoustic perspectives (keynote). doi: https:/www.bcbl.eu/en/noticias/eventos-pasados/anne-danielsen-microrhythmic-flexibility-musical-cultural-psychoacoustic. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Humans can achieve millisecond-level temporal precision but also adapt their timing to variable or noisy signals. Music is a useful field for studying this flexibility because it both strives for optimal timing and illustrates wide stylistic differences in what constitutes such “correct” timing. In this talk, I present research on how a sound’s acoustic microstructure, its sonic and musical context, and listeners’ enculturation and training influence perception and synchronization. Key questions are: How does a sound’s shape affect perceived event timing and synchronization variability? How do the surrounding musical sounds and rhythmic context influence these effects? And, ultimately, how does long-term exposure and training in a particular musical style modulate sensitivity and flexibility at this millisecond scale?

• Granbo, Kristin; Hellstrand, Ingvil; Refshauge, Andreas; Sande, Paal Hetland; Martinsen, Tarinii & Hawkins, Stan (2026). Farvel anonyme gubbe, velkommen påfugl - NRK. [Internet]. NRK.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Klassisk herremote er i oppløsning, mener forsker. Nå er vinduet åpnet for at også mannen kan vise sitt sanne jeg.

• Urke, Erling Zahl; Vrasdonk, Atilla Juliana & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Flamenco og videoer i RITMO sin årsrapport - LINK – Senter for læring og utdanning. [Internet]. UiO.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvert år produserer LINK videoer som presenterer forskning gjort ved RITMO - Senter for tverrfaglig forskning på rytme, tid og bevegelse. Fem nye videoer er å finne i den ferske årsrapporten deres.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Lindahl, Nikoline Riis (2026). Ekspert om støydemping-trenden: – Vi lever i parallelle verdener. [Journal]. Aftenposten. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Støydemping er blitt normalen. Spørsmålet er hva som skjer når fellesskapets lyd forsvinner.

• Pileberg, Silje & Pleiss, Martin Peter (2026). Her trumfer mennesket KI: – Det er noe håpefullt i disse funnene. [Internet]. Forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mennesket er godt rustet til å møte ukjente situasjoner – og ikke bare på grunn av hodet vårt, ifølge forskning.

• Brøvig, Ragnhild (2026). Kunstig intelligens, FoU og kreativ næring. doi: https:/trondelag.pameldingssystem.no/nasjonalt-fagkonferanse-for-kulturell-og-kreativ-naering-28-januar. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Om KI i kreative og kulturelle næringer

• Brøvig, Ragnhild (2026). Presentasjon av Mishmash – senter for KI og kreativitet. doi: https:/www.arkitektbedriftene.no/arrangementer/ki-dagen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Presentasjon av Mishmash, WP5, og caser fra KI og musikk

• Hagen, Anja Nylund (2026). Slo gjennom med den på 80-tallet: - Vurderer relansering. [Internet]. TV2.no. doi: https:/www.tv2.no/nyheter/slo-gjennom-med-den-pa-80-tallet-vurderer-relansering/18445729/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Glem streaming, vinyl og CD - nå er det kassetten som gjelder igjen. Barnestjernen Jannicke (47) solgte hundretusenvis av den.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina & Gerke, Robin (2026). „Luminiscence“: Warum uns Licht und Live-Musik so sehr bewegen. [Journal]. Westfälische Nachrichten. doi: https:/www.wn.de/muenster/kultur/luminiscence-interview-musikpsychologin-emotionen-3470903?pid=true&ueg=default. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). Tverrfaglighet gjør litt vondt. Forskerforum. ISSN 0800-1715. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvordan får man til tverrfaglig forskning i praksis? Mitt tips: Heng ved kaffemaskinen.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2026). KI & KU. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En presentasjon om kunstig intelligens og kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid og hvordan de to skal forenes i MishMash Senter for KI og kreativitet

• Lartillot, Olivier & Haugen, Ingrid Romarheim (2025). Envisioning a National Digital Platform: Interconnecting Music Archives, Data, and Discovery. doi: https:/dhko.no/files/DHKO2025_Sammendrag.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The National Library of Norway hosts a range of digital music collections that are currently not readily accessible and are dispersed across various databases, encompassing formats such as music recordings, sheet music, and related materials like texts, videos, and interviews. We envision creating a centralised infrastructure that brings these collections together on a high-standard platform, adhering to the latest metadata standards to enhance search capabilities and facilitate integration with international networks. This would allow users, even those querying from other systems abroad, to access music data and related information seamlessly. Additionally, we aim to extract musical information from diverse formats—such as audio recordings and sheet music images—promoting interconnectivity between these modalities. This foundational work will also pave the way for incorporating emerging AI technologies for music analysis and search in the future. To inform our vision, we are surveying music researchers in Norway to gain insights into the needs of potential users. This infrastructure represents the initial step toward developing more user-friendly interfaces targeting a broader audience, ultimately extending the impact of music research

• Philippe, Vendrix,; Rebekah, Ahrendt,; Haug, Judith Irmela & Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Musicology as Data Science and Heritage Science. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17913186. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This collective guide explores the transformative intersections of musicology with data science and heritage science in theEuropean context. It positions musicological research as both a model for and contributor to broader cultural heritage, analyzingits tangible and intangible dimensions. The report  reviews advances in research infrastructures, including the European Open Science Cloud, ECHOES, and E-RIHS, highlighting challenges and opportunities for integrating music into transnational heritage frameworks. It surveys the complexity of music data — notation, audio, metadata, and visual sources — and emphasizes standardized methods for cataloging and preservation. The text critically assesses legal, policy, and technical barriers to digitizing and reusing musical materials, advocating for legal reforms and open science principles. New publication paradigms are proposed, leveraging digital tools to expand access and impact. The role of musicologists in public engagement, education, and fostering research communities is underscored as crucial for sustainability. Best practices and collaborative models link musicological data to broader digital humanities and preservation strategies. Ultimately, the guide calls for active participation in European policy and research networks to enhance musicology’s role in shaping and disseminating cultural heritage for future generations.

• Johnson, Victoria Christine Årang; Tveit, Anders; Inderhaug, Eir & Snekkestad, Torben (2025). Klangen av framtida? doi: https:/nmh.no/arrangementer/klangen-av-framtida. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prosjektet handlar om å utforske og forstå nokre av dei moglegheitene og utfordringane som kjem med å integrere kunstig intelligens (KI) og maskinlæring i musikalske skapingssprosessar. Med Eir Inderhaug, Torben Snekkestad og Victoria Johnson.

• Johnson, Victoria Christine Årang & Tveit, Anders (2025). Computer Music Concert. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/news-and-events/events/Other/2025/computer-music-concert-h25.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Over the past few months, students in IMV's Computer Music course (MUS2850) have learned how to create their own instruments using the audio programming language Pure Data. At this event, the students will perform together in groups using their newly programmed instruments. The concert will also feature performances by guest artists Victoria Johnson and Vincenzo Madaghiele.

• Johnson, Victoria Christine Årang & Tveit, Anders (2025). Concert: Quantum Loops, Broken Symmetries. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/artistic-performances/2025/quantum-music/index.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Aareskjold-Drecker, Jon Marius & Mittner, Lilli (2025). AI, Arts & Humanities. doi: https:/uit.no/tavla/artikkel/916203/ai_arts_humanities?p_document_id=916203. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  What are the possible roles of the arts & humanities in research initiatives on artificial intelligence?

• Rao, Shabari; Bjerkestrand, Kari Anne Vadstensvik; Johnson, Victoria Christine Årang & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Stillstanding at Deichman Bjørvika. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/artistic-performances/2025/deichman/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  We live in a noisy, and troubled world. Please join us for an artistic co-performance that explores human stillness and silence in the busy Deichman Bjørvika public library.

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Sørli, Anders Ruud; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Walderhaug, Bendik & Hole, Erik (2025). Sinsenfist Julekonsert 26. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Cupps, Jacob C.; Guerrero, Devin & Tatar, Jeremy (2025). Sound Ecologies: Sonic Environments in the Twin Cities. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2025). “I’m sorry y’all, I often drift – I’m talking gift” Microrhythmic analysis of rap – categorization, malleability and structural bothness.
• Jemterud, Torkild & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Forskningsfronten - Musikken som beveger oss. [Radio]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kan mensblod kurere hjernesykdommer? Og personlighetstrekket som avgjør om du liker å danse. Hanne, Torkild og Kristina deler små og store forskningssaker.

• Edwards, Peter (2025). Sonic Citizenship. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/news-and-events/events/Research-Forum/2025/sonic-citizenship.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A research forum event exploring the role of music and sound in democratic practices. In collaboration with the University of Leeds.

• Edwards, Peter (2025). Premieresamtale: Fin de partie. doi: https:/soundcloud.com/user-346437832/01-opptak-samtale-fin-de?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing. Full text in Research Archive
• Edwards, Peter (2025). The Eye of the Storm: Music and the Aesthetics of Overload. doi: https:/www.southampton.ac.uk/music/RMAconference2025.page. Full text in Research Archive
• Edwards, Peter (2025). Memory and the Aesthetics of Overload. doi: https:/fabricadesites.fcsh.unl.pt/ncmm/. Full text in Research Archive
• Edwards, Peter (2025). Music, the Crossroads, and the Prospect of Loss. doi: https:/nsae25.wordpress.com/programme/. Full text in Research Archive
• Hoøen, Leif Henrik & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Eierskap til KI. [Journal]. ArtScene Trondheim. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Et stort, nytt forskningssenter er bevilget 173 millioner. Det skal undersøke skjæringspunktet mellom kunstig intelligens (KI) og kreativitet, blant annet ved å se på bruk av KI i kunstneriske prosesser.

• Jarman, Freya; Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Edwards, Peter (2025). Infernal Voices: The Sinister Reaches of the High Voice. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/forskning/aktuelt/arrangementer/?view=allprevious&page=2&u-page=2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Throughout the history of western vocal music, high notes and high voices have come to signify a range of ideas that don’t seem at first to be issues of gender but which very rapidly turn out to be gendered spaces. From the purity and innocence of the angelic church treble, through the coloratura of the nineteenth-century operatic madwoman and the heroic climaxes of her tenor counterpart, to the antisemitic coding in Wagner’s high-tessitura villain roles, high voices do an awful lot of cultural work. Drawn from a book-length project on the topic, this paper will consider how high voices and high vocal notes code for sinister spaces—the devilish, the demonic, the underworld—and how these spaces are also intensely gendered. In order to explore these themes, I draw on examples from heavy metal and death metal, opera from Purcell to Penderecki, musical theatre, and various vocal accompaniments to death.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Permeating Art & Science Collaboration. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Panel discussion with Robertina Šebjanič, Anetta Mona Chişa, Alexander Refsum Jensenius. Moderated by Benedetta D'Ettorre. This panel examines the boundary zones where artistic and scientific approaches intersect, entangle, and permeate into one another. Bringing together practitioners working across more-than-human ecologies, technological imaginaries, and embodied research, the conversation will explore how meaningful collaboration can emerge from inter- and trans-disciplinary exchange. Rather than framing art and science as opposites, we ask how their methods can become mutually generative; how artistic mindsets can expand scientific inquiry, and how scientific perspectives can deepen artistic experimentation. The session aims to discuss questions related to collaborative ethics, shared vocabularies, and the value of embracing “noise” as a catalyst for new forms of knowledge-making.

• Gudaitytė, Ieva (2025). Listening to alternative histories through independent sound media in Ukraine. Baltic Worlds. ISSN 2000-2955. 18(3), p. 82–92. doi: https:/balticworlds.com/listening-to-alternative-histories-through-independent-sound-media-in-ukraine/. Full text in Research Archive
• Abrahamsson, Liv Merve Akca; Egger, Katharina; Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina & Frühholz, Sascha (2025). Brain Responses to Musical Emotions in Autism. Full text in Research Archive
• Gamlemoen, Pål Strande; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin; Hjelle, Ole Petter; Foldal, Maja Dyhre & Leske, Sabine Liliana (2025). Blir du også rasende når sidemannen prater i mobilen? Det er det gode grunner til. [Internet]. Aftenposten.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Høy mobilprating ute i det offentlige kan være skikkelig plagsomt. Og det er faktisk gode grunner til at hjernen vår ikke liker det.

• Blekkerud, Martin; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Schau, Kristopher (2025). Kristopher Schau møter forskere: Dette gjør rytme med kroppen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hva er det som egentlig skjer med oss når vi hører på musikk? Hvordan oppfatter kroppen rytme og stillhet? Musikk kan hjelpe oss å forstå hvordan vi oppfatter tid og rom, ifølge norsk forsker.

• Jære, Lisbet & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Verdens største musikkeksperiment viste at publikum holdt pusten samtidig. [Internet]. Forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Publikum holder pusten samtidig, og når musikken blir emosjonell sitter alle helt stille sammen. Det avslører de første funnene fra verdens største musikkeksperiment.

• Eriksen, Asbjørn Øfsthus & Andersen, Rune J. (2025). Aleksandr Aljabjev. In Bolstad, Erik (Eds.), Store Norske Leksikon. Store norske leksikon. Full text in Research Archive
• Eriksen, Asbjørn Øfsthus (2025). Anatolij Ljadov. In Bolstad, Erik (Eds.), Store Norske Leksikon. Store norske leksikon. Full text in Research Archive
• Eriksen, Asbjørn Øfsthus & Andersen, Rune J. (2025). Anton Arenskij. In Bolstad, Erik (Eds.), Store Norske Leksikon. Store norske leksikon. Full text in Research Archive
• Das, Sayati (2025). The choosing of art or the art of choosing. In Frödén, Lucy Cathcart; Herrity, Kate & Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (Ed.), Sound and Detention: Towards Critical Listening, Sonic Citizenship and Social Justice. Bloomsbury Academic. ISSN 9798765113998. p. 143–146. doi: 10.5040/9798765114018.ch-010. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sound and Detention explores soundscapes in places, processes and systems of confinement in order to better understand experiences of imprisonment and to imagine alternatives to the carceral state. Bringing together over 40 contributors from five continents, the book tunes in to some of the manifold effects associated with the presence and absence of sound and music in prisons and places of detention: from isolation, harm and control, to connection, healing and resistance. Scholarly texts feature alongside poetry, dialogue, memoir and experimental creative writing, as well as a diverse collection of audio productions on the book's accompanying website. This plurality of form mediates the voices of artists, activists, thinkers and practitioners – some themselves currently or formerly incarcerated. Through deep engagement with the sonic realm and with questions of power, the contributors explore what it might mean to listen nearby – making space to hold distinct perspectives and positionalities in respectful simultaneity – while also amplifying resonances between sound, listening and broader questions of epistemic and social justice.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Høffding, Simon (2025). Mærk musiken. [Radio]. DR P2. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Høffding, Simon (2025). Preliminary results from symphonic concerts. doi: https:/www.aarhussymfoni.dk/koncert/maerk-musikken/. Full text in Research Archive
• Andreas, Pernpeintner,; Dybsand, Øyvin & Kraggerud, Henning Kristofer (2025). Johan Halvorsen: Passacaglia and Sarabande. Urtext Edition. doi: https:/www.henle.de/de/Passacaglia-Sarabande-con-Variazioni-nach-Haendel-fuer-Violine-und-Viola/HN-1670. Full text in Research Archive
• Hagen, Anja Nylund (2025). KI-musikken inntar hitlistene og rettsalene - Musikklivet - NRK Radio. [Radio]. NRK P2. doi: https:/radio.nrk.no/serie/musikklivet/sesong/202511/MKMU75004925. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  KI-musikken erstatter både folk og stemninger

• Fleckenstein, Abbigail Marie; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von & Christodoulou, Anna-Maria (2025). Editorial Note. In Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Fleckenstein, Abbigail Marie & Christodoulou, Anna-Maria (Ed.), SysMus25 Conference Proceedings. Zenodo. p. 5–5. Full text in Research Archive
• Skjerdal, Øyvind (2025). In isolation: DAW technology and the hard work of solitary music production. Full text in Research Archive
• Skjerdal, Øyvind (2025). DAWs, affordances and project work. Full text in Research Archive
• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan; Frödén, Lucy Cathcart & Herrity, Kate (2025). Introduction: Listening nearby. In Frödén, Lucy Cathcart; Herrity, Kate & Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (Ed.), Sound and Detention: Towards Critical Listening, Sonic Citizenship and Social Justice. Bloomsbury Academic. ISSN 9798765113998. p. 1–12. doi: 10.5040/9798765114018.0006. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This collection is an exploration of what it means to listen and to engage with sound in carceral settings, gathering a multitude of voices and stories emerging from locations from Greece to Gaza, India to Ireland, and England to Eritrea. The book occupies an in-between space – traversing diverse academic disciplines, life experiences, art forms and cultures – with the aim of making sense of what it means to attend to the sounds in prisons, jails, asylum centres and other places and spaces of detention. Drawing together insight from academics, artists, activists and people currently or formerly incarcerated increases capacity for thinking collectively, contextually and critically while also keeping the book grounded in experiences that have been viscerally and sensorially lived. This rich melodic tapestry spans time and space, allowing for a broader consideration of connections between accounts of what sound – and specifically music – does in places and processes of confinement. Amplifying sonic components of detention encourages a critical reflection of what it is to experience them, as well as affecting how we conceive of justice and citizenship.

• Danielsen, Anne (2025). The Gains and Challenges of Radically Interdisciplinary Concert Research. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/news-and-events/events/phd/2025/the-virtues-and-limits-of-inter-trans-cross-discip.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Danielsen, Anne (2025). A Microcosm of Rhythm. Theorizing and Analyzing Groove-Based Music (invited conference workshop). doi: https:/societymusictheory.org/meetings/workshops/plp. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The workshop will be an exploration of the intricacies of rhythm and groove. Recent musicological, behavioral, and neuroscientific research on how the microstructure of sound influences perceived timing and the groove experience will be presented, and the broader implications for music analysis will be discussed. Topics will include determining reference points for microrhythmic variations, examining the intricate interplay of microtiming and sonic attributes, and understanding the influence of cultural background on the perception and production of microrhythmic features. We will also explore various analytical tools, focusing on approaches to signal-based representations of sound. Our exploration will feature grooves from African-American funk artists and bands, along with more recent computer-based EDM and hip-hop beats. Participants will also be invited to nominate grooves for collaborative dissection in the workshop. Ultimately, we will reflect on some experiential and political dimensions of groove-based musical aesthetics. Hopefully, you will leave the workshop with useful analytical tools and a renewed understanding of the crucial role of rhythmic microstructure in groove-based musical traditions.

• Madaghiele, Vincenzo & Kelsey, Cotton, (2025). Recursive speculation. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17306433. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recursive Speculation is an improvised vocal performance that features a vocalist and the Multi-Agent Autonomous Looper (MAAL), a co-creative sampler/looper based on a multi-agent logic algorithm and machine listening. The MAAL is composed of several agents, each controlling a loop track, which can autonomously decide to sample and play back segments of a live vocal performance by listening to each other. The performance evolves as a dialogue between the musician and the system, in which the machine acts as speculative mirror able to autonomously select and repeat segments of the performer’s voice, layering them to construct evolving musical structures. The system appropriates vocal segments, it disembodies them through repetition, reimagining their meaning and their musical function by recombination and association. The musician and the system are in a co-creative feedback where the musician generates the material the system selects, and at the same time she must respond to the system’s autonomous choices throughout the performance.

• Kjus, Yngvar & Stordalen, Fabian (2025). Composing the music of video games: Negotiating a complex technological and sociocultural environment of popular music. Full text in Research Archive
• Støver, Isak Elling August; Leske, Sabine Liliana; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin; Forsmo, Maria Cecilie & Grane, Venke Arntsberg (2025). Nevropsykologi i det kliniske forskningsfeltet: Tankevandring hos voksne med ADHD. Full text in Research Archive
• Alm, Vemund Hegstad (2025). Negotiating Labor and Creativity on Sample Platforms. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  For creators seeking sounds or music sequences for their next song, a sample platform like Splice—with millions of royalty-free and sounds designed for music production—may be the obvious choice. While previous research has concentrated on how users navigate these platforms, this presentation shifts the focus to the producers who create content for Splice. Specifically, it investigates how their creative processes are influenced by "platform effects". Through qualitative interviews with sample makers on Splice, we explore the negotiation of platform affordances, labor dynamics, and the balance between creativity and commercial demands. Ultimately arguing that sample makers navigate a complex web of optimization strategies to meet the platform’s demands.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina (2025). Music, emotion, and the experience of social connection. Full text in Research Archive
• Brøvig, Ragnhild & Stevenson, Alex (2025). Hip Hop Live Versions: Signifyin(g) and Homage. Full text in Research Archive
• Brøvig, Ragnhild (2025). Rethinking Sampling, Value, and Power in Digital Music Culture. Full text in Research Archive
• Brøvig, Ragnhild (2025). Turning Vague Ideas into Strong Research Proposals. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this talk, I will share some thoughts and lessons learned from writing RCN and ERC applications, reviewing others’ proposals, and participating in HF’s Career Development Program for ERC applicants. I will discuss the importance of (1) turning a vague idea into a focused, strong, and innovative one; (2) aligning your proposal with your research path, profile, and motivation; (3) maximizing the relevance and impact of your idea; (4) balancing broad relevance with sharp focus; (5) choosing an effective framework and storytelling strategy; (6) building networks and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations; (7) taking the “implementation” part seriously; and (8) ensuring clarity, space, and engagement throughout your proposal.

• Alm, Vemund Hegstad & Brøvig, Ragnhild (2025). The Decline of Cloud-Based Sample Platforms? Full text in Research Archive
• Brøvig, Ragnhild & Stevenson, Alex (2025). "Meat Grinder”: Performing Experimental Hip-Hop. Full text in Research Archive
• Brøvig, Ragnhild; Harkins, Paul & Prior, Nick (2025). Recording, Resampling, & Repurposing: The Case of Portishead and the Bristol Sound. Full text in Research Archive
• Brøvig, Ragnhild (2025). Sampling's AH, AHA, and HAHA: Perspectives on Aesthetic, Political, and Humorous Aspects of Sampling. Full text in Research Archive
• Alm, Vemund Hegstad & Brøvig, Ragnhild (2025). The emergence and potential decline of cloud-based sample platforms. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This presentation explores the emergence of cloud-based sample platforms like Splice and Loopcloud and consider their potential decline in the age of AI-generated music. Sabrina Carpenter’s hit single “Espresso,” released on April 11th, 2024, put the spotlight on the ubiquitous use of online sample platforms in popular music. The songs’ main intrumental elements-guitars and drums-stem from two loops of producer Oliver’s popular pack “Power Tools Sample Pack III” on the sample platform Splice. This caused a surge of social media posts demonstrating how the instrumental track could be recreated in little under a minute. This form of sampling—both cheap and legal, fast and convenient—represents a distinctly different take on sampling than that commonly associated with “golden age hip hopproductions”, where samples are extracted from existing recordings (Brøvig 2023; McLeod and Dicola 2011; Schloss 2004). Besides being more efficient, these sample platforms’ royalty-free models allow producers to use samples freely without fear of legal action. Our presentation will begin by examining the factors leading to the emergence of cloudbased sample platforms. While the legal aspects might have contributed to the development of sampling platforms, we will also trace the platforms’ rootedness in less explored areas ranging from “library music,” to synthesizer preset cassettes and sample CDs bundled with music tech magazines (Cameron 2020). We will then discuss how these platforms, partly due to their mitigation of copyright issues, have contributed to transforming the sampling practices and aesthetics established by early hip-hop productions while also encouraging other forms of practices (Arrieta 2021). Lastly, we will discuss whether the advent of AIgenerated music technology has the potential to disrupt the sample industry altogether. This work will draw on research on sampling, copyright and musical platforms, and include insights gained from our interviews with producers of sample packs.

• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Supporting Narrative Comprehension in Programmatic Music through Music and Light. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Haugen, Ingrid Romarheim (2025). MishMash og Nasjonalbiblioteket. Full text in Research Archive
• Snaprud, Per; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Endestad, Tor & Wøien, Randi (2025). Concientia. doi: https:/happeningnext.com/event/samtale-om-bevissthet-og-det-%C3%A5-skape-eid3a0d68lba3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I forbindelse med utstillingen Conscientia på Gamle Munch arrangeres en samtale om bevissthet og det å skape. Utgangspunktet for tema til utstillingen er bevissthet og forhold knyttet til det å skape. En del av utstillingen tar utgangspunkt i en serie med selvportretter av Randi Wøien basert på MR bilder tatt av hennes eget hode. Bildene representerer et sett av intrikate mønstre i ulike størrelser og sammensetninger og kan refereres til ulike organer, andre vesener og ren natur. Samtidig er de en representasjon av kunstneren slik hun er satt sammen i sitt eget hode. Keramiker Jorid Krosse lager objekter med form og mønster som tar inspirasjon fra naturen og kan relateres til organiske strukturer, hoder og andre vesener. I samspill med maleriene vil de keramiske objektene settes i en relasjon til det kroppslige. Samtalen om bevissthet og det å skape bruker utstillingen som et utgangspunkt til å få belyst hva den skapende prosessen kan bety for vår egen utvikling og hvordan hjernen fungerer og responderer på skapende prosesser. Tema for samtalen vil være forholdet mellom kunst og bevissthet, om relasjonen mellom maleri og objekt og om hvordan det å skape kunst kan påvirke vår forståelse av oss selv og omgivelsene. For tiden forskes det mye på hva som faktisk skjer i hjernen når man skaper noe. Vi har fått med oss to av de fremste forskerne på temaet fra universitetet i Oslo. Alexander Refsum Jensenius er professor i musikkteknologi ved Universitetet i Oslo, hvor han også leder RITMO Senter for tverrfaglige studier av rytme, tid og bevegelse og MishMash Senter for KI og kreativitet. Han forsker på hvordan lyd og musikk påvirker kropp og sinn, bevisst og ubevisst. Tor Endestad er førsteamanuensis i kognitiv- og nevropsykologi på univeristetet i Oslo og er tilknyttet Ritmo. Han leder FRONT neurolab og forsker på kognitiv psykologi og kognitiv nevrovitenskap med fokus på hjerneavbildningsmetodikk. Pågående forskningsprosjekter omfatter studier av basale mekanismer i oppfattelse av rytme og tid, oppmerksomhet og hukommelse. Til å moderere samtalen har vi fått med oss Per Snaprud. Han er vitenskapsjournalist og før det hjerneforsker. Han arbeider i det Stockholm baserte magasinet Forskning og Framsteg og har tidligere vært virksom ved Dagens Nyheters og Sveriges Radios vitenskapsredaksjoner. Han er også forfatter av boken «Medvetandets återkomst, om hjärnan, kroppen och universum». Victoria Johnson er fiolinist, underviser ved Institutt for musikkvitenskap og deltar i ulike forskningsprosjekter ved UiO. Hun har hatt solokonserter blant annet under Festspillene i Bergen, Ultima, Borealisfestivalen og Soundwaves i London. Hennes lidenskap for samtidsmusikk har resultert i flere bestillingsverk og plateinnspillinger. I denne sammenhengen vil hun spille musikk som er direkte komponert til bildene og objektene i utstillingen.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Kan musikk skape fred? [Internet]. Ungdomsavisa. doi: https:/ungdomsavisa.com/index.php?artID=763&navB=1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I kveld var en rekke personligheter fra musikkmiljøet samlet til debatt ved Universitetet i Oslo. Temaet var «Kan musikk skape fred?». Blant deltakerne var Birgitte Grimstad og Lars Klevstrand , som har underholdt med musikk i flere tiår. Debatten ble ledet av blant annet professor i musikkvitenskap ved UiO, Alexander Refsum Jensenius.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Sandvik, Kristin Bergtora; Grimstad, Birgitte; Røysum, Andreas Hoem & Klevstrand, Lars (2025). Kan musikk skape fred? doi: https:/www.oslopeacedays.no/program/2025/fred-og-musikk. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  På konsert føler vi samhold med fremmede, viser forskning. I et kort øyeblikk samler musikken oss. Hvordan kan musikk også samle oss i urolige tider? Flere artister jobber for fred, på ulike måter. Møt noen av dem på Scene Domus Bibliotheca! Hva er det med akkurat musikk som forener oss? Bli med på musikksnakk med artistene Birgitte Grimstad, Lars Klevstrand og Andreas Røysum. Du møter også fredsforsker Kristin Bergtora Sandvik. Her vil musikkprofessor Alexander Refsum Jensenius lede samtalen med ulike spørsmål knyttet til tematikken – kanskje svarer de på ditt spørsmål også? Samtalen er beregnet for et publikum uten faglig bakgrunn i temaet.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Nytt KI-senter ved UiO: MishMash. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Openness in the age of AI. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17652120. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Musikk, opphavsrett og KI. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Nytt KI-senter ved HF: MishMash. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Are we still needed? doi: https:/filmskolen.no/artikler/2025/ki-i-filmbransjen-2-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Den kunstige intelligensens frammarsj fortsetter å være den største kulturelle og samfunnsmessige omveltningen siden den industrielle revolusjonen. Siden fjorårets konferanse har det skjedd vanvittig mye, derfor inviterer vi igjen til en dag fylt med internasjonale nøkkelpersoner, banebrytende prosjekter og nye perspektiver på hvordan KI endrer måten vi utvikler, produserer og opplever film.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Bjerkestrand, Kari Anne Vadstensvik; Johnson, Victoria Christine Årang & Rao, Shabari (2025). Stillness – Silence. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/news-and-events/events/Research-Forum/2025/research-forum-stillness-and-silence.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  What can be learned by standing still in silence? Dancers typically move, and musicians move to produce sound. In this research forum, we explore the opposite: musicians and dancers who stand still in silence.

• Klungnes, Kristina Mariell Dulsrud (2025). Nostalgi og Stranger Things, 29. oktober - Studio 2 - NRK Radio. [Radio]. NRK P2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Intervju om nostalgi, musikk og Stranger Things

• Klungnes, Kristina Mariell Dulsrud (2025). Musikk og lyd i TV-serier som The Last of Us påvirker vår opplevelse av klimakrisen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  POPULÆRVITENSKAP: I en tid hvor «klimakrise» som begrep er snakket i hjel, er det kanskje nettopp film og TV-serier vi trenger.

• Haug, Judith Irmela (2025). The Tent of the Eye, Illuminated. Oriental(ist) Imagery and Schubert’s Interpretation. doi: https:/www.oeaw.ac.at/kis/archiv/archiv-jahrestagungen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This contribution explores darkness as an element of otherness that offers identification, unfamiliarity that offers inspiration, and seclusion that offers safety. Western Europeans in Schubert’s time perceived the “Orient” as a distinct sphere (albeit not invariably dark in the negative sense) that differed from lived reality for most and offered a canvas for all kinds of imagination. Increased translation and research improved readers’ access to the literatures of the Islamic world and allowed poets to draw inspiration that went beyond pure imagination of a mysterious Other. Friedrich Rückert played a considerable part in this development, both as a translator and as an author whose poems were set to music by several lieder composers. After setting Suleika I and II (op. 14/1 and op. 31, 1821; Marianne von Willemer in Goethe’s West-östlicher Divan), Schubert reacted immediately to Rückert’s Oestliche Rosen with Sei mir gegrüßt (op. 20/1). In 1823, op. 59 followed with four settings of translated or “oriental”-inspired texts by Rückert and August von Platen, among them Du bist die Ruh. Schubert is not commonly discussed as an Orientalizing composer, and Du bist die Ruh is not an Orientalist composition in the usual sense. Schubert’s approach to the material does not readily fit the established categories of 19th-century musical Orientalism, but a deep reading of Du bist die Ruh reveals how his individual understanding and interpretation of an Oriental(ist) text is nevertheless traceable in his music. One decisive instance for this is the movement with which Schubert lifts the harmonic structure into a different sphere to illuminate the striking image of the “Augenzelt”, Ḥāfeẓ’s ravāq-e manẓar-e čašm, (“porch of the pupil of the eye”). Ultimately, we may ask whether Schubert understood love as a place of protection and sensory deprivation removed from everyday life, like a closed eye or a dark dervish cell.

• Haug, Judith Irmela (2025). Performing an Early Mediterranean. Repertoires and Historicities. doi: https:/indicodb.uv.es/ims2025/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Mediterranean not only challenges musicologists to explore innovative research trajectories that go beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries, it also inspires musicians to cross-cultural artistic collaboration. Adding aspects of performance and music business to a discussion of the Early Mediterranean as a musicological thought model, the focus of the paper is on the market segment of cross-cultural projects in Early Music and Historically Informed Performance Practice. I am investigating how such projects combine notions of “Early-ness” and “Mediterranean-ness”. Taking two case studies from Puglia – “Oriamu pisulina”, a song in the grecanico minority language, and “Tu bella ca lu tieni lu pettu tunnu”, a sequence of stornelli – as a starting point, I set out to investigate how Mediterranean “folk” repertoire is co-opted into the sphere of Historically Informed Performance Practice, and to demonstrate how concepts of earliness (as temporal otherness) and “Mediterranean folk” (as spatial and/or cultural otherness) converge. The circumstance that temporal, spatial, and cultural otherness is usually perceived from the vantage point of a Western now necessitates reflection on the imbalance of historicities that comes into being if notated and dateable Western European repertoires are combined with so-called “traditional” repertoires from supposedly ancient oral transmission. When used to evoke soundscapes of the past, “traditional” musics can end up deprived of their own historical locations. The Early Mediterranean as a thought model hence also invites discussions on how history is documented, measured and explained differently in different cultures, and of how earliness tends to be defined on the basis of European understandings of music history.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Er gamle fioliner bedre enn nye? [Radio]. NRK P2. doi: https:/www.arj.no/no/2025/11/26/gamle-fioliner/. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Musikk og kunstig intelligens. [TV]. TV2. doi: https:/play.tv2.no/nyheter/god-morgen-norge-y05mec7j?play=true. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). What is the role of AI in creative activities? Full text in Research Archive
• Fredheim, Åse Ava Lange; Lund, Ketil Kielland; Storaas, Maria; Hunsgaard, Søren; Bratteng, Thea Tunås & Watne, Åshild [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). Ava Freddy: Tokens. doi: https:/avafreddy.bandcamp.com/album/tokens?search_item_id%3D736183422%26search_item_type%3Da%26search_match_part%3D%253F%26search_page_id%3D4857403641%26search_page_no%3D0%26search_rank%3D2. Full text in Research Archive
• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2025). The Origins of Intelligence – A performative statement on the primacy of movement. doi: https:/diegomarin.art/portfolio/the-origins-of-intelligence/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This choreographic performance interrogates the foundations of consciousness and the role of the body in the emergence of intelligence. The work traces the tension between biological evolution and artificial cognition, asking whether intelligence can exist without movement—or thought without sensation. Guided by enactivist perspectives, the piece unfolds between the microscopic pulse of organic life and the glitch aesthetics of computational environments. Through this interplay, human physicality meets digital motion, composing a rhythmic architecture between the living and the synthetic.

• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2025). Machinic Movement Matrix: A framework and tool for human-AI dance-creation. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Machinic Movement Matrix (MMM) is a conceptual framework for analyzing and designing human–machine creative interaction in dance. Developed through practice-led research combining dance anthropology, posthumanist theory, and AI design, the MMM offers a structured method for identifying how artificial systems participate in—or fall short of—genuine creative collaboration. Rather than focusing on the aesthetic outcomes of human–machine interaction, the MMM examines the underlying creative roles, levels of interactivity, and power dynamics that shape these processes.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MishMash and potential for games. Full text in Research Archive
• Guo, Jinyue; Tørresen, Jim & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Cross-modal Analysis of Spatial-Temporal Auditory Stimuli and Human Micromotion when Standing Still in Indoor Environments (poster). doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17502603. Full text in Research Archive
• Sareen, Siddharth; Danbolt, Bjørn Kristian; Aamaas, Borgar; Olsen, Cecilie Sachs; Bratland-Sanda, Solfrid & Holmen, Heidi [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2025). AYFs Jubileumsbok - De første ti årene. doi: https:/akademietforyngreforskere.no/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jubileumsbok-digital-3.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Duch, Michael Francis; Furunes, Alexander Eriksson; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Olsen, Cecilie Sachs (2025). Kunstnerisk forskning for en kompleks verden. doi: https:/akademietforyngreforskere.no/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Jubileumsbok-digital-3.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kunstfagene spiller en viktig rolle i å utvide måten vi jobber med og forstår komplekse samfunnsproblemer. Likevel blir kunstfagene stadig oversett og nedprioritert i forskningspolitikken. Vi spør derfor: hva er, bør og kan kunstens rolle være i det norske forskningslandskapet?

• Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Burnim, Kayla; Upham, Finn; Kelkar, Tejaswinee & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). LightHearted—A Framework for Mapping ECG Signals to Light Parameters in Performing Arts. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Who Owns Our Knowledge? Open Research in MishMash Centre for AI & Creativity. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MishMash og Kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MishMash Sentre for KI og kreativitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Jahr, Ida; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Lacroix, Mathieu & Graver, Fredrik (2025). Kunst i intelligens. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  En paneldebatt om kunst og kunstig intelligens.

• Kiberg, Håvard & Hagen, Anja Nylund (2025). Everyday Listening in a Platform Society. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The integration of sound-based media into everyday life has intensified with the ubiquity of smartphones, streaming services, and portable listening devices. Today, individuals engage with music, podcasts, and audiobooks not only for entertainment, but also as tools for regulating attention, emotions, and cognitive states in everyday contexts. This paper explores the role of audio media in everyday practices of self-regulation, focusing on how users incorporate platformized listening into routines, social interactions, and emotional management. It also examines listeners' awareness of algorithmic and commercial structures mediating access to and engagement with audio content. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 regular users of audio media, we ask: How do individuals experience and make sense of their listening practices in light of platform infrastructures? How do they negotiate, appropriate, or resist the logics embedded in algorithmic curation and platform governance? Theoretically, the paper engages with sociological perspectives on music (DeNora, 2001), platform studies (Poell et al., 2022), and affordance theory (Gibson, 1968), conceptualizing the relationships between human agency, technological affordances, and commercial infrastructures. By foregrounding the intersections between platform logics, mediated attention, and everyday listening, we seek to contribute to broader discussions on media consumption, the attention economy, and the sociotechnical shaping of contemporary life. While the past decade of research and public discourse on media use has largely focused on screen-based practices and social media, this study redirects attention to the sometimes overlooked role of audio media in shaping everyday engagement in a platformized society.

• Laczko, Balint; Rognes, Marie Elisabeth & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Poster for "Image Sonification as Unsupervised Domain Transfer". doi: 10.5281/zenodo.17513165. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The process of image sonification maps visual features into perceived auditory features. Most established sonification methods rely on identifying salient visual features in the input data and then mapping their distribution to a proportional distribution of auditory features. However, this approach requires both domain expertise and manual feature engineering. Here, we propose a new method of image sonification, leveraging recent advances in representation learning and domain transfer. Our approach introduces a pair of variational auto-encoder models that learn disentangled latent representations of the images and sounds, respectively, and a separate network that maps between these representations. The resulting sonification system encodes images into the latent space and then decodes them as sounds. Both representations and their mapping are learned in an entirely unsupervised manner. When evaluating the system in an interactive real-time setting, we observed that the model successfully learned disentangled representations of image and sound factors in our synthetic datasets.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MishMash - exploring AI and creativity between art and science. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A presentation of MishMash, a large Norwegian consortium dedicated to exploring the intersection of AI and creativity. Our primary objective is to create, explore, and reflect on AI for, through, and in creative practices. We will investigate AI’s impact on creative processes, develop innovative CoCreative AI systems, and address AI’s ethical, cultural, and societal implications in creative domains.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MishMash Centre for AI & Creativity. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A presentation of MishMash, a large Norwegian consortium dedicated to exploring the intersection of AI and creativity. Our primary objective is to create, explore, and reflect on AI for, through, and in creative practices. We will investigate AI’s impact on creative processes, develop innovative CoCreative AI systems, and address AI’s ethical, cultural, and societal implications in creative domains.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Musikk og KI - Utfordringer og muligheter. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kunstig intelligens påvirker det meste om dagen også musikklivet og musikkbransjen. Men hva er egentlig KI og hva er utfordringer og muligheter innenfor kunst og kultur? Presentasjonen diskuterer ulike pedagogiske tilnærminger og gir eksempler på hvordan det nye KI-senteret MishMash skal angripe problemstillingene.

• Christophersen, Bjørn Morten (2025). Wind Sweets. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Verk for 11 treblåsere

• Christophersen, Bjørn Morten (2025). Three Legs’ March. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Verk for tre slagverkere

• Christophersen, Bjørn Morten (2025). Amazing Phrase – Suite for Flute and Piano. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Verk for fløyte og piano

• Christophersen, Bjørn Morten (2025). Forventninger. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Verk for messingkvintett og orgel

• Kiberg, Håvard & Hagen, Anja Nylund (2025). Platformized Listening: Sound, Attention, and the Algorithmic Mediation of Everyday Life. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In recent years, sound-based media have gained an increasingly central place in our daily lives (Medietilsynet, 2024). Through modern, ubiquitous technology—such as smartphones, streaming services, earbuds, or headphones—sound follows us seamlessly everywhere: on the bus, at the office, in cafés, or while hiking in the woods. We actively listen to musical favorites, engaging audiobooks, and thought-provoking podcasts. But we also use sound functionally—as a means of shielding ourselves from noise, distractions, and what many perceive as an increasingly chaotic world (Johansen, 2024). This paper explores the meaning, value, and function individuals attribute to music and other sound-based media in everyday life—whether through playlists for instrumental music, podcasts, soundscapes, audiobooks, or other audio-based expressions. On one hand, we investigate how these media are used to regulate attention, emotions, or cognitive states such as focus and relaxation, focusing on how audio-based consumption shapes everyday routines, social interactions, or individual well-being. On the other hand, we examine listeners' awareness of their own listening choices and navigational patterns. Digital platforms, algorithms, and commercial considerations today exert significant influence over which content is most readily accessible to users (Maasø & Hagen, 2020). But how do listeners understand their listening practices in light of these structural influences? How do users perceive and reflect on the role of media structures in shaping their listening habits and preferences? Empirically, this paper builds on qualitative interviews with approximately 20 daily users of digital audio media, exploring their motivations, experiences, and perceptions of platform-driven listening practices. Theoretically, we draw on sociological research on the role of music in everyday life (DeNora, 2001; Hesmondhalgh, 2013; Hagen, 2015) to examine how sound media contribute to everyday self-regulation, identity formation, and emotional management. We also engage with platform studies (Poell et al., 2022) and affordance theory (Gibson, 1968), aiming to analyze the sociotechnical relationships amid humans, technology, and music – exploring how affordances shape both opportunities and constraints for listeners' engagement with digital sound media. Ultimately, the paper addresses the following research question: How do individuals experience and make sense of their engagement with digital sound media – in light of platform structures, algorithmic curation, and the commercial logics shaping how audio content is recommended, distributed, and discovered? By highlighting these questions, we aim to address both the industrial imperatives shaping today’s digital listening culture—through algorithmic structures, platform governance, and the economic incentives structuring the availability and visibility of different types of audio content—and how listeners negotiate, appropriate, or resist these structures in their everyday listening practices. Moreover, we contribute to broader discussions on media consumption, the attention economy, and digital infrastructures, expanding ongoing discourses on ubiquitous media consumption and mediated attention. While these discussions have been extensively examined in relation to social media and screen-based consumption, we argue that they are equally relevant when considering the widespread and growing presence of sound-based media – particularly when questioning how media shape our ways of being in the world, both individually and collectively, and what this means for imagining livable futures.

• Simionato, Riccardo & Tidemann, Aleksander (2025). Compressing Neural Network Models of Audio Distortion Effects Using Knowledge Distillation Techniques. doi: https:/aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23001. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Neural networks have proven to be effective for modeling analog audio effects using a black-box approach. However, few can guarantee lightweight solutions suitable for real-time environments where the models must run concurrently on consumer-grade equipment. This paper explores knowledge distillation techniques for compressing recurrent neural network models for audio distortion effects, aiming to produce computationally efficient solutions with high accuracy that maintain compact model size. In particular, we consider an audio-to-audio LSTM architecture for regression tasks where small networks are trained to mimic the internal representations of larger networks, known as feature-based knowledge distillation. The evaluation was conducted on three different audio distortion effect datasets with experiments on both parametric and non-parametric data. The results show that distilled models are more accurate than non-distilled models with equal parameter size, especially for models that exhibit higher error rates. Furthermore, we observe that smaller complexity gaps between student and teacher models yield greater improvements in non-parametric cases.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Fréttir - Spilari RÚV. [TV]. RÚV: The Icelandic National Broadcaster. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  ‘Tónlist í fangelsum’ (‘Music in prison’)

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Unheard by Most: Soundscapes of Incarceration in Irish Prisons. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This FUAIM lecture provides an overview of PRISONS OF NOTE, a four-year research project that employs mixed-methods to investigate the multifaceted role of music within the penal systems of Norway, Iceland, and Ireland. One of the primary aims of this research is to contribute new, interdisciplinary knowledge on how music is used and is useful in prisons from a peripheral perspective, shifting from isolated, single-nation case studies to interconnected, transcultural experiences. This lecture offers a critical reflection on this research project in progress, underscoring both the unforeseen challenges and the innovative opportunities encountered during the research process. With a particular focus on fieldwork conducted in the Irish prison context, the lecture will delve into two illustrative case studies: First, an “inside-outside” choir uniting men serving sentences in Mountjoy Prison with women from a Dublin workplace choir, and second, a collaborative soundscape created by students and their teacher from Cork Prison, exhibited as a sound installation on Spike Island in summer 2024. These cases uncover the nuanced dynamics and emerging tensions in the intersection of prison music-making, community-based artistic activities, and their various stakeholders. As such, the lecture explores music’s dual role as a medium of artistic citizenship and as a site for the negotiation and contestation of artistic agency and social values, highlighting the complexities inherent in such collaborative creative endeavors.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Krogsholm, Noah Mathias Winther (2025). Resonant Records: Popular Music and Documenting (In)Justice. doi: https:/iaspm-paris2025.sciencesconf.org/?lang=en. Full text in Research Archive
• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). InHouse Harmony: Music and Sonic Citizenship in the Irish Prison System. doi: https:/www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/events-calendar/events/2025/inhouse-harmony-music-and-sonic-citizenship-in-the-irish-prison-system.php. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Join us for a public talk that explores the ongoing Prisons of Note project, a ground-breaking four-year investigation into the impact of music and sound in criminal justice systems. This research crosses disciplinary boundaries and moves beyond isolated case studies to reveal how music is used and is useful in prisons from a peripheral perspective, through fieldwork in prisons in Norway, Iceland and Ireland. The talk will offer a critical reflection on this research project in progress, underscoring both the unforeseen challenges and the innovative opportunities encountered along the way. Focusing on research carried out in Irish prisons, we will delve into two particularly compelling case studies. First, an “inside-outside” choir that unites incarcerated men in Mountjoy Prison with women from a Dublin workplace choir, who have sang together as the InHouse Harmony choir for the past five years. Second, a collaborative soundscape project created by students and their teacher from Cork Prison, exhibited as a sound installation on the historic Spike Island in 2024. Throughout the talk, we will explore music’s dual role as a dynamic medium for sonic citizenship and the negotiation and contestation of artistic agency and social values. With the Irish prison service experiencing well-publicized challenges including during this period of research, such cases reveal the nuanced dynamics and emerging tensions arising from the intersection of prison music-making and community arts. This talk invites attendees to reflect on music’s potential to reshape and strengthen communities within and beyond the prison walls.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Pros and cons: The paradoxes of researching music in prison. Full text in Research Archive
• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Frödén, Lucy Cathcart (2025). The Auld Triangle: InHouse Harmony. doi: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsXlWSvcUNc. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Since 2019, incarcerated men in Mountjoy Prison have sung with women from SOLAS in a unique "inside-outside" choir. The choir is called InHouse Harmony.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan; Frödén, Lucy Cathcart; Toomey, Gavin & Krogsholm, Noah Mathias Winther (2025). Real Life: Venjas Harem. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Since the early ‘90s, the band Venjas Harem has existed in one form or another. Founded by Venja Ruud Nilsen in Oslo’s Bretveidt Women’s Prison, today this band of women meet every week on the outside to write original songs together, rehearse, record, and perform at concerts and festivals around Norway. ‘Real Life’ is the first song they wrote together.

• Kraugerud, Emil (2025). Specialized tools or all-purpose solutions? A comparative analysis of three DAWs. Full text in Research Archive
• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Woody Guthrie Book Award Panel. Full text in Research Archive
• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Frödén, Lucy Cathcart (2025). "Prisons of Note: focusing on the many uses and experiences of music and sound in prisons". doi: https:/afstada.is/afstada20.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Guðmundsdóttir, Ingibjörg Sara & Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Eru þrír rapparar frá Belfast bjargvættir írska tungumálsins? - RÚV.is. [Journal]. RÚV: The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hip-hop tríóið Kneecap skaust upp á stjörnuhimininn á síðasta ári. Hljómsveitin rappar á írsku og er vinsæl langt út fyrir landssteinana. Írskur tónlistarfræðingur segir hljómsveitina gera eitthvað einstakt með því að rappa bæði á írsku og ensku.

• Frödén, Lucy Cathcart & Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Heimskviður - Spilari RÚV. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvað gerist þegar fangar fá að koma saman til að búa til tónlist. Getur það jafnvel stuðlað að jákvæðum breytingum og hjálpað föngum að aðlagast aftur að samfélaginu? Þetta eru vísindamenn við háskólann í Osló í Noregi að rannsaka í þremur löndum, meðal annars á Íslandi. Ingibjörg Sara Guðmundsdóttir ræddi við tvo þeirra og fékk að vita allt um þetta áhugaverða verkefni.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Heimskviður - Spilari RÚV #214 - Einangrun á Suðurskautinu, pólitískt írskt hip hop og viðburðaríkir dagar á Grænlandi. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Getur hip hop bjargað írska tungumálinu? Það er góð spurning og kannski er tríóið Kneecap frá Norður-Írlandi með svarið við því. Írska er að minnsta kosti að ganga í endurnýjun lífdaga í rappi hljómsveitarinnar. Hljómsveitin hefur sagt markmið sitt vera að gera tungumálið aðgengilegra fyrir ungt fólk. En hvað er það við þessa hljómsveit sem hefur vakið nýjan áhuga á tungumálinu? Ingibjörg Sara Guðmundsdóttir ræddi meðal annars við Áine Mangaong tónlistarfræðing um hljómsveitina, af hverju hún er einstök og írska tungumálið.

• Guðmundsdóttir, Ingibjörg Sara; Mangaoang, Áine Ryan & Frödén, Lucy Cathcart (2025). Tónlist getur hjálpað föngum að komast aftur inn í samfélagið að lokinni afplánun - RÚV.is. [Journal]. RÚV. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvað gerist þegar fólk kemur saman í fangelsum til að búa til tónlist? Getur tónlist jafnvel hjálpað föngum að aðlagast aftur að samfélaginu? Þetta eru vísindamenn við háskólann í Osló í Noregi að rannsaka í þremur löndum, þar á meðal á Íslandi.

• Mangaoang, Áine Ryan (2025). Prisons of Note: bringing harmony to rehabilitation. [Internet]. Ireland.ie -- An official website of the Government of Ireland. doi: https:/www.ireland.ie/en/norway/prisons-of-note-bringing-harmony-to-rehabilitation/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  When you think of music in prison, you might jump immediately to the iconic image of Johnny Cash’s performance at Folsom Prison in California. However, music in prisons is not just a thing of the past. It continues to prove an instrumental tool for rehabilitation and a means to allow prisoners to express themselves in difficult circumstances. There are a number of interesting research projects in this area, one of which is led by Irishwoman Dr Áine Mangaoang. Dr Mangaoang is taking a closer look at the role of music in the lives of persons in prison in Ireland, Iceland and Norway.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). KI og det nye MishMash-senteret. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Muligheter for deltagelse i MishMash Senter for KI og kreativitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Technologies supporting research on music-related body motion. doi: https:/www.liser.lu/events/EXPAR2025-09-18. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As researchers, we are increasingly using emerging technologies, such as multiple mobile eye tracking, virtual reality, and physiological indicators (e.g., heart rate and respiration) to study professionals’ individual and collaborative work practices. In this workshop, we will demonstrate how these technologies can be provided to professionals in various fields (e.g., education, healthcare, business, engineering, the arts) as a resource for self-reflection, enabling them to study and improve their own practices. The goal of this workshop is to introduce and facilitate participants to experience novel approaches that use these emerging technologies and tools to help practitioners study their own skills and understand their learning processes. We will also show how focus groups and stimulated recall interviews can encourage and guide professionals to discover ways to incorporate these new technologies into their practice as resources for reflection and growth. The workshop’s theme is educational practice and research, with a focus on showing how we can offer teachers theoretically driven and empirically validated methodologies for witnessing the micro-processes of collaborative mathematics learning. We will show and discuss how multiple mobile eye-tracking and virtual reality can be used in educational practice and for teacher training and professional development. This approach and these emerging technologies are applicable not only in education, but also in all other fields of research that aim to study individual and collective practices, as well as professional learning, during the process of acquiring new skills or improving existing ones.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Video Visualization - Learn to use MG Toolbox. doi: https:/www.liser.lu/events/EXPAR2025-09-19. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This workshop is targeted at students and researchers working with video recordings You will learn to use MG Toolbox, a Python package with numerous tools for visualizing and analyzing video files. This includes visualization techniques such as motion videos, motion history images, and motiongrams; techniques that, in different ways, allow for looking at video recordings from different temporal and spatial perspectives. It also includes some basic computer vision analysis, such as extracting quantity and centroid of motion, and using such features in analysis. MG Toolbox for Python is a collection of high-level modules that generate all of the above-mentioned visualizations.The toolbox is relevant for everyone working with video recordings of humans, such as in linguistics, psychology, medicine, human-computer interaction, and educational sciences.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). RITMO, MishMash and the fourMs Lab. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A presentation for the Ukrainian Research Council.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Kreativitet og KI. doi: https:/www.arj.no/no/2025/08/28/ki-filmbransjen/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Jeg vil presentere MishMash Senter for KI og kreativitet samt gi en mini-introduksjon til KI generelt.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Jahr, Ida & Nordgård, Daniel (2025). MishMash Senter for KI og kreativitet. doi: https:/www.forskningsradet.no/arrangementer/2025/presentasjon-ki-sentra/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A presentation of the planned activities of MishMash Centre for AI & Creativity

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Eksternt blikk på NMHs forskningsaktivitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Noen resultater fra tre år med forskningssamarbeid med tre orkestre. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne presentasjonen oppsummerer resultater fra forskningsstudier på og med tre skandinaviske symfoniorkestre. I alle tilfeller har både kvalitative og kvantitative data blitt samlet inn på prøver og konserter i konsertsaler.

• Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Computational music analysis. Full text in Research Archive
• Wosch, Thomas; Vobig, Bastian & Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Human Interaction assessment and Generative segmentation in Health & Music. doi: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4jaZIzX0wg. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Improvisation in music therapy has been shown to be an effective technique for engaging clients in emotionally rooted (inter)action to treat affective disorders such as major depression (Aalbers et al., 2017; Erkkilä et al., 2011). During improvisation, however, a variety of musical information is exchanged, resulting in a highly complex musical and interpersonal situation. While traditional models of music therapy analysis emphasise aural analysis and assessment of single sessions (Bruscia, 1987), more recent and elaborated methods, such as microanalysis, focus on the detailed development of improvisation sessions (Wosch, 2021; Wosch & Erkkilä, 2016), which comes at the cost of a more time-consuming application process. Digital processing, as in music information retrieval and machine learning, seems promising to accelerate the analysis process, but requires considerable preliminary work in data preprocessing and formalisation of the high-level concepts used in music therapy to develop a suitable dataset for model training. Moreover, additional benefits of digital processing comprehend a more detailed and precise analysis of musical data.

• Sudo, Marina; Ziegler, Michelle; Akkermann, Miriam & Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Towards Collaborative Analysis: Kaija Saariaho’s Io (1986–87). Full text in Research Archive
• Sudo, Marina & Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Contemporary Music Analysis and Auditory Memory: The Use of Computational Tools as an Aid for Listening. doi: https:/fabricadesites.fcsh.unl.pt/ncmm/ncmm-2025-program/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Music analysis involves categorising and interpreting sonic elements to uncover the structure and meaning of a work. In contemporary music studies, analysts often face methodological challenges in this process, especially when dealing with works that contain high degrees of complexity and ambiguity in terms of timbre, texture and temporal structure. This paper proposes a methodological model for analysing spatiotemporal complexities commonly observed in contemporary repertoires, utilising computational tools to enhance auditory memory and expand interpretative possibilities. Auditory memory plays a pivotal role in aural analysis, an approach that serves as a valuable alternative or complement to traditional score-based analysis. Rooted in Pierre Schaeffer’s typomorphology of objets sonores and the work of other analysts in electroacoustic music studies, the general principles of aural analysis can be outlined in a three-step process: 1) attentive listening to the acoustic properties of sounds, 2) describing and categorising their sonic variations, and 3) assessing their functions within a large-scale formal structure. Computational sound visualisation tools are frequently employed in this process to assist in transcribing and retaining musical events that are either absent from the score or difficult to interpret aurally due to textural complexities and/or timbral elusiveness. Despite their increasing use, however, the full potential of these tools remains largely unexplored in contemporary music studies. By digitally decomposing the transformation processes of ambiguous musical flows and supporting the organisation and structuring of auditory memory, computational analysis of audio data and various visualisation methods can deepen our understanding of both local sonic morphology and large-scale formal trajectory. In line with these considerations, the paper investigates how specialised computer interfaces can facilitate music analytical processes. Two research questions guide this investigation: 1) How can we analyse a stream of sonic textures; and 2) How can we outline the formal structure of a work that embraces extremes of sonic energy and polyrhythmic intricacy? To explore these questions, we have developed muScope, a new computer program that enables users to browse within high-resolution sonograms in tandem with a range of graphical representations capturing audio, timbral, rhythmic and structural descriptions. The analysis of spectral “fluctuations” allows for the identification of rapid pulsations at the middle ground between rhythm and timbre. Self-similarity matrix representations can serve as a tool for outlining the structural division of the audio data based on various sonic attributes. We integrate these visual representations into an analytical workflow designed to support the construction of a composition’s formal structure. Our methods are demonstrated through an analysis of excerpts from Kaija Saariaho’s Io for large ensemble and electronics (1986–87) and Raphaël Cendo’s Corps for piano and ensemble (2015). This integrated analytical approach offers new insights into the interplay between musical perception, memory and analytical interpretation using digital tools.

• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria; Glette, Kyrre; Lartillot, Olivier & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MusiQAl: Music Question Answering through Audio-Video fusion. doi: https:/ismir2025.ismir.net/program-detailed-schedule. Full text in Research Archive
• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria (2025). The Benefits of Multimodal MIR in Computational Analysis of Music Therapy Improvisation. doi: https:/ifas.thws.de/fileadmin/user_upload/250917_HIGH-M_Symposium_Programme_updated.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Computational Music Analysis Applied to Music Therapy Improvisation. doi: https:/ifas.thws.de/fileadmin/user_upload/250917_HIGH-M_Symposium_Programme_updated.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier (2025). Computational Music Analysis: Toolbox and application to music psychology & therapy. Full text in Research Archive
• Christodoulou, Anna-Maria & Lartillot, Olivier (2025). A Multimodal Dataset of Greek Folk Music. doi: https:/dlfm.web.ox.ac.uk/2025-programme. Full text in Research Archive
• Laczko, Balint (2025). Presentation of PhD project: Perceptually Aligned Deep Image Sonification. doi: https:/comma.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/creative-audio-synthesis-and-interfaces-workshop/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Imaging technology has dramatically expanded our understanding of biological systems. This overabundance of images has come with unique problems, such as visual overload, which can potentially obscure data relationships and induce eye fatigue or divert vision from important tasks. Image sonification offers potential solutions to these problems by channeling data into the auditory domain, leveraging our natural pattern recognition skills through hearing. In my PhD project I have been exploring the potential of Machine Learning in solving the two fundamental challenges of image sonification: the perceptually aligned representations of images and sounds, and the cross-modal mapping between them. In this talk I will present my journey through timbre spaces, Differentiable DSP, and cross-modal domain transfer in search of new methods for image sonification.

• Laczko, Balint (2025). C2HO Workshop on Image Sonification with Pixasonics. doi: https:/www.hf.uio.no/imv/english/research/networks/creative-computing-hub-oslo/pages/c2ho-workshops/image-sonification-workshop.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  How can we turn images into sound? And what can we learn about those images by listening? Why listen instead of looking? These are some questions Bálint Laczkó's research on image sonification aims to find answers to. Bálint has been researching applications of image sonification in biology and medical research and started working on a toolbox for Python, which he will be presenting during this workshop. The toolbox originates from bio-medical research, but it can also be used creatively for sound design. Bring your laptop with Python (or Anaconda) installed, and some images you'd like to squeeze some sounds out of!

• Laczko, Balint (2025). Insight Through Sound: Image Sonification in Biology Research. doi: https:/www.uio.no/forskning/satsinger/livsvitenskap/livsvitenskapskonferansen/2025/sidearrangementer/workshop/insight-through-sound-image-sonification-in-biolog.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Laczko, Balint (2025). Oral presentation on ICAD 2025 about Pixasonics: An Image Sonification Toolbox for Python. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Pixasonics is a new Python library for interactive image analysis and exploration through image sonification. It uses real-time audio and visualization to help uncover patterns in image data. With Pixasonics, users can launch one or more small web applications (running in a Jupyter Notebook), probe image data using various feature extraction methods, and map those feature vectors to synthesis parameters. The target users are researchers interested in exploring image and volumetric data and creative users who want an intuitive tool for experimental sound design. Pixasonics’ design aims to strike a balance between an easy-to-use web application with minimal boilerplate code necessary and a library that can be integrated into more advanced workflows. Real-time exploration is at the heart, but it can also be used to script non-real-time sonifications of large datasets. This paper presents Pixasonics, its structure, interface, and advanced features, and discusses preliminary feedback from biology researchers and music technologists.

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Walderhaug, Bendik; Hole, Erik & Sørli, Anders Ruud (2025). Sinsenfist på ROSA-konferansen 2025. Full text in Research Archive
• Hübenette, Saira Jameela; Solbakk, Anne-Kristin; Danielsen, Anne; Endestad, Tor & Blenkmann, Alejandro Omar (2025). Hearing in motion: Spatial and temporal processing of auditory stimuli. doi: https:/www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ijya3kj1w1dl2e7vyjo5y/ICAC25-poster.pdf?rlkey=2516eohjz9vyx3g7qj7rjsedc&st=wm335i35&dl=0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Tracking a moving sound in space requires continuous prediction of its next location. This implies that we must combine information about the time and location of the sound, to accurately predict its trajectory. Using EEG, auditory motion processing has previously been found in frontal, central, and parietal areas of the brain. Prior studies have suggested that space and time for auditory stimuli are processed separately in the brain. Despite the seemingly distinct processing pathways of spatial and temporal sound information, they must integrate at some stage to enable the prediction of movement. It remains unknown if these processes are initially working in parallel and then converging at some point, or if there are several instances of convergence throughout. The goal of this study was to delineate the neural correlates of spatial and temporal processing of moving sounds, and to assess how and when they converge to aid in the tracking of the sound movement.

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Walderhaug, Bendik; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus; Sørli, Anders Ruud & Hole, Erik (2025). Sinsenfist på Bilkollektivets 30-års-jubileum. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Bjørkheim, Terje; Hole, Erik; Walderhaug, Bendik; Sørli, Anders Ruud & Ugstad, Magnus (2025). Sinsenfist på Audunbakken 2025. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas; Walderhaug, Bendik; Hole, Erik; Bjørkheim, Terje; Ugstad, Magnus & Sørli, Anders Ruud (2025). Sinsenfist på Festival Bohem 2025. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2025). Manifesting the Rapping Chimera. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In Albert Bregman’s Auditory Scene Analysis, he describes “chimeric percepts” – auditory streams we hear as “one”, which in reality originates from multiple different sound sources. In music, however, this apparent failure of our perceptual system is treated as a feature rather than a bug. In hip-hop music, there has been a tradition of emphasising key words and syllables either live – via “hypepersons” doubling the lead vocalist, or in the studio – by stacking vocal tracks in various ways. These doublings – the chimericity, or degree to which a stream is perceived as one or many – can be transparent or opaque to the listener, and is yet another manipulable parameter for aesthetic effects in the modern producer’s arsenal. In this presentation, different techniques and approaches of summoning and taming the rapping chimera will be showcased through an original track produced and recorded especially for AR@K. What is the truth of the chimera? Is it one beast or an amalgamation of multiple? Or is it really both, and is that the creature’s very reason to exist?

• Oddekalv, Kjell Andreas (2025). Chimericity in the Orchestration of Rap Vocals. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In hip-hop music, the layering and sequencing of vocal tracks is an integral part of the compositional process. Ranging from simple “backtracks” adding subtle emphasis to key words and syllables to intricate interplay between emcees and/or effects-processed supernatural simulacra – these techniques can be understood, differentiated between and recreated using the conceptual framework of chimericity. Albert Bregman describes chimeric percepts as an error in our auditory scene analysis – a failing to identify that a sound originates with multiple sources rather than a singular one. He also notes that in music such chimeric passages are considered a feature rather than a bug. Nowhere is this as evident as in hip-hop music. This paper will introduce the concept of chimericity. How it can be more or less transparent or opaque. How it can be layered and/or sequential (vertical/horizontal). How it can be influenced via mode and voice. How it relates to central aspects of Black American aesthetics such as Tricia Rose’s (via Artur Jafa) concept of flow, layering and rupture(s) in line, Olly Wilson’s heterogeneous sound ideal and more broadly to Signifyin(g) as theorized by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Eileen Southern urges us to perform and create Black music to understand and analyse it. As analysts we should take inspiration from practitioners’ workflows. Using audio waveforms across multiple tracks in a DAW arrangement/timeline view is one intuitive visualization of chimericity (among others) this paper will showcase.

• Upham, Finn & Burnim, Kayla (2025). ACCELEROMETER-BASED SYNCHRONISATION PROTOCOL FOR MUSIC-ALIGNED MEASUREMENTS OF DISTRIBUTED DATALOGGING WEARABLES. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.15838480. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Many commercial wearable biosensors can be set to record (datalogging) cardiac activity, motion, respiration, and other signals in devices easily worn during group musical activities. However, despite offering research-relevant sample rates and exportable data formats, these commercial units are not designed for high accuracy synchronisation to external clocks. Anticipated uses like solo exercise and sleep monitoring do not require inter-device alignment below a few seconds, while musical activities feature discernible events within 200 ms and action alignment between participants under 10 ms. In the absence of a mechanism to digitally communicate timing triggers across datalogging devices, we have developed a synchronisation protocol to embed audio-aligned cues in active accelerometers to allow reassignment of timestamps after recording. This process substantially improves inter-unit signal alignment, correcting initialisation time offsets and clock drift to within accelerometer sample rate in recordings spanning 3 to 10 hours. Implemented in 15 recording sessions over 5 experiments, involving 9 to 95 units of various datalogging wearables, the resultant datasets support analysis of inter-participant coordination across signals and, with audio-based dynamic time warping, relatively high precision comparisons of sensor measurements to repeated musical events, all outside of laboratory conditions.

• Upham, Finn (2025). Workshop: Coherence and Cause - Exploratory analysis strategies for physiological measurements from live concert participants. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Concert research involves studying humans engaged in very complex activities: highly predictable but constantly changing stimuli experienced through multiple sensory modalities and socio-cultural constraints. Physiological measurements of audience members and musicians during such activities reflect that richness with substantial differences between participants, with substantial ambiguity around the contributions of the shared musical activity on their respective heart rates, respiratory sequences, and movement timing. Some analysis strategies treat this richness as noise around more obvious correlates identifiable in laboratory conditions (ex: loudness, listener arousal, and heart rate). Others invoke complex data-agnostic assessments of shared information to demonstrate the existence of synchronicity with little opportunity to investigate how intervals of coherence emerge, whether across a crowd or between performers and audience. This workshop presents a data-centric approach designed to facilitate the discovery and evaluation of causal connections between musical information and physiological events during concerts. With examples from audience motion and performer respiration, Finn will demonstrate this process of exploration, identification, and probabilistic evaluation and then share some data from past studies to be explored by attendees and discussed as a group. Key issues discussed will include: Assessing the limits of a dataset, whether it can provide enough information to test for the phenomenon suggested. Controlling the analysis sequence through identification and evaluation. Projecting the consequences of the identified phenomenon and performing orthogonal tests on the same or related datasets. Conditions for dropping the thread when the evidence doesn't hold up, and making the most of analysis mistakes. Hypothesis-lead controlled experimental work may be the gold standard for building scientific knowledge, but there is more to discover than that which we already know to look for. Exploratory approaches that are sensitive to both the mechanisms of music production as well as the characteristics of measured physiological signals can expose patterns with more explanatory power than large-scale evaluations of coherence. Potential exploration datasets include: - respiratory-cardiac interactions in brass players - laughter and concert audience motion - Applause textures, synchronous vs independence

• Upham, Finn (2025). Respiratory timing in orchestral performance. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Breathing is a necessary physiological function during music performance, and the timing of respiration by wind players and singers are reliable constrained by their performance actions. The relevance of respiration timing to other instrumentalists and across large ensembles has not be investigated in detail. One study on solo pianists found little reliability, while many studies of string quartets and other chamber groups often have not bother to monitor performers’ breathing. The Bodies in Concert experiments measured orchestral musicians breathing, cardiac activity, and motion during repeated performances in three concert series. Looking closely at the timing of respiratory sequences captured for a set of annotated pieces (6 pieces, 5-8 performances, 30 - 55 musicians per ensemble), we consider specifically the coincidence of inspiration and expiration onsets between performers in each section of the orchestra and within performers between performances with audio-based dynamic time warping. These orchestral musicians’ breathing show consistent timing beyond the most expected cases. Performers varied in their intra-performance reliability, averaging 20-50% consistency while playing (depending on the section) and 10-15% while tacet. Between players, expiration onset coincidence rates were also significantly higher that chance or alternative conditions for all string sections as well as brass and winds. Patterns within string sections over repeated performances highlight passages for which these players reliably recruit their respiratory system. However, these moments do not appear sufficient to fully explain the exceptional degree of respiratory coordination measured in each performance. The respiratory patterns captured show substantial disruptions allowing alignment with musical action rather than coincidental phasing between steady oscillatory systems, even in non winds. For many of these musicians, breathing looks to be an important if not always essential component of precise musical performance.

• Vuoskoski, Jonna Katariina; Perik, Lieke; Foldal, Christian Dyhre & Stupacher, Jan (2025). Rhythmic complexity and trait empathy modulate internal motor simulation in response to music. Full text in Research Archive
• D'Amario, Sara & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Workshop on Women Musicians Wellbeing. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/workshops/2025/women-wellbeing/. Full text in Research Archive
• D'Amario, Sara; Løve, Andreas; Foldal, Maja Dyhre & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Responses of Professional Violinists during Orchestra Performances. Full text in Research Archive
• D'Amario, Sara (2025). Well-being Experiences of Professional Women Musicians during Live Concert Performances. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

• Rolfsjord, Sigmund Johannes Ljosvoll; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Fatima, Safia & Baselizadeh, Adel (2025). Multimodal Transfer Learning for Privacy in Human Activity Recognition. Full text in Research Archive
• Danielsen, Anne (2025). The TIME project. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/news-and-events/events/workshops/2025/paradata/. Full text in Research Archive
• Danielsen, Anne (2025). Intervju om "Take on Me". [Radio]. NRK-P2. Full text in Research Archive
• Blenkmann, Alejandro Omar; Leske, Sabine Liliana; Volehaugen, Vegard Akselsson; Carvalho, Vinicius Rezende; Kochen, Silvia & Endestad, Tor [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2025). Intracranial high-frequency activity and oscillatory cortical dynamics of auditory prediction error propagation in humans. doi: https:/www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/file/icac2025abstracts-2025-09-11pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Danielsen, Anne; Langerød, Martin Torvik & London, Justin (2025). Where is the Beat in that Complex Note? Effects of Instrument Asynchrony and Attack on the Perceived Timing of Compound Musical Sounds. doi: https:/www.jyu.fi/en/file/rppw20programmeandabstracts-5pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In musical ensembles most notes/chords are sounded by more than one instrument at the same time, and we hear them as simultaneous, even when their onsets are not precisely simultaneous. Here we obtain estimates for the perceptual centers of such compound sounds when there are microtiming asynchronies between the instruments. In Exp1 three combinations of fast-attack instruments (acoustic kick drum/synthetic kick, kick/hi-hat, kick/bass) were presented with five levels of instrument asynchrony relative to the kick (-40, -20, 0, 20, and 40 ms); the ISI was 600ms (100 bpm) and the task was to align a click with the compound sound. An RMANOVA shows main effects (p<.001) of Asynchrony and Instrument combination, and a U-shaped relationship between Asynchrony and P-center, such that asynchrony in both directions relative to the kick (kick early and kick late) delays the P-center for the compound sound. In Exp2 we used combinations of fast and slow attack instruments. Ten combinations (three fast-attack–fast-attack, three slow-attack–slow-attack, four fast-attack–slow-attack) were presented with seven levels of instrument asynchrony: -80, -40, -20, 0, 20, 40, 80. RMANOVAs of the results revealed different relationships between asynchrony and P-center (p<.001): Fast/fast attack combinations replicated the U-shape of experiment 1. In fast/slow combinations, the P-center followed the fast-attack instrument linearly, and in the slow/slow combinations, P-centers followed the higher-pitched instrument. P- centers of compound sounds depend on both the asynchrony between the instruments and the shape of their attacks. Combinations of fast-attack instruments with extreme asynchrony produce bimodal distributions, indicating perceptual segregation of the two sounds. The findings align with studies showing that sharp sounds are used as landmarks for segmentation and timing in speech and music.

• Blenkmann, Alejandro Omar; Leske, Sabine Liliana; Volehaugen, Vegard Akselsson; Carvalho, Vinicius Rezende; Kochen, Silvia & Endestad, Tor [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2025). Spatiotemporal dynamics of auditory prediction error propagation via intracranial EEG in humans. doi: https:/www.frm2025oslo.no/s/FRM2025_AbstractBook.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• London, Justin; Paulsrud, Thea Sørli & Danielsen, Anne (2025). Musical expertise affects the rhythmic perception of sung and spoken speech syllables: The effect of top-down motor representations. doi: https:/www.jyu.fi/en/file/rppw20programmeandabstracts-5pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Previous research (Danielsen et al. 2022) has shown that musical expertise affects the perception of the temporal location (i.e., P-center) of an instrumental sound. Here we extend this research to the context of vocal music. In two experiments expert singers in jazz and classical genres were presented with a range of stimuli, including neutral Stimuli (e.g., noise bursts, clicks), vowel sounds sung by jazz and classical singers, and spoken versions of the vowel sounds. As with our previous study, neutral stimuli produce largely the same responses in both participant groups, while a linear mixed model showed that jazz participants placed their p-centers earlier (22 ms; p=.044) and with lower variability (21 ms; p = .025) than classical participants. Contra our hypothesis, the between-group differences for P-center location and variability persisted in the context of spoken sounds. Why should this be so? Expert musicians develop highly specific motor representations of their own actions and use them when singing and playing. For singers, these these models overlap with speech production more generally. This could explain the carry-over to speech stimuli. Likewise, the vocal stimuli presented our participants with not only acoustic cues for the P-center location of the sounds themselves, but also cues for synchronizing individual actions in performance (coordinating the behaviors that produce the sounds with others). This indicates that the vestiges of joint action that remained in our experimental context were enough to engage their top-down sensorimotor models, as would be used in an actual singing or speaking context.

• Danielsen, Anne (2025). Rytme og kognisjon - sansning, struktur og samspill. Full text in Research Archive
• Polak, Rainer (2025). The musical beat is multimodal. Full text in Research Archive
• Polak, Rainer (2025). Music is Multimodal: A Multi-Data Corpus of Music and Dance Derformance. Full text in Research Archive
• Barbero, Francesca; Lenc, Tomas & Polak, Rainer (2025). Rhythm categorization is present in human newborns and further shaped across the lifespan. Full text in Research Archive
• Lenc, Tomas; Barbero, Francesca & Polak, Rainer (2025). Revealing rhythm categorization in human brain activity. Full text in Research Archive
• Guérin, Ségolène; Coulon, Emmanuel; Lenc, Tomas; Polak, Rainer; Keller, Peter & Nozaradan, Sylvie (2025). Culture-Driven Plasticity and Imprints of Body-Movement Pace on Musical Rhythm Processing. Full text in Research Archive
• Polak, Rainer; Dutta, Sagar; Psaroudakis, Georgios; London, Justin & Jacoby, Nori (2025). The musical beat is multimodal. Full text in Research Archive
• Polak, Rainer; Dutta, Sagar; Psaroudakis, Georgios; London, Justin & Jacoby, Nori (2025). Music is multimodal: introducing a multi-data corpus of music and dance performance. Full text in Research Archive
• Bacot, Baptiste (2025). Mr. Bill: a case study of the entangled platforms of electronic music production. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mr. Bill is a professional producer and educator who has been publishing content for over fifteen years. As an Ableton Live expert user, he regularly livestreams his music production sessions on Twitch. This content—the video files, the Ableton Live sets, and other resources as well—is available on his website (mrbillstunes.com). Additionally, Mr. Bill is the founder of Billegal Beats, a music and sample pack label that publishes material on music streaming platforms and Splice, respectively. These activities, along with music releases, touring, merchandising sales, are promoted and discussed on a dedicated Discord server. Mr. Bill is therefore serves as a perfect case for questioning the entangled platforms that support electronic music production on various levels. By exploring the material Mr. Bill has generated over the last decade, this paper addresses two questions regarding research methodology and musical creativity. Firstly, it examines the issues surrounding the value of music platformization data: how can the wealth of digital information generated be leveraged for empirical musicology and popular music studies? Secondly, it engages with the impacts of platformization on musical creativity: whereas music production has always been a covert activity, it is now conducted in semi-public and interactive formats where viewers can watch and comment. What is the weight of this new setting on the creativity of the producers and eventually, on the final product? Concluding remarks will highlight the layered and interdependent structure of platforms as key factor for building a successful career, while also reassessing the so-called “democratization” that companies claim to bring through their digital products.

• Bacot, Baptiste (2025). Sampling and resampling in Bass music. A musicological perspective from the DAW. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This presentation explores sampling practices in EDM production. Sampling involves extracting audio fragments from preexisting records and using them in new musical contexts. Though rooted in post-WW2 avant-garde music, sampling is now ubiquitous across numerous musical genres. Despite its longstanding use, it is most often examined from a legal and copyright perspective (Demers 2006; Brøvig 2023), whereas musicological aspects—more complex than they appear at first glance—are often overlooked. Although detailed accounts of sampling are scarce, they do exist (Butler 2014; Déon 2020; Harkins 2020) and encourage conceptualization at the intersection of creativity and technology. Following this route, and leveraging Ratcliffe’s (2014) typology of sampled material within EDM, as well as drawing inspiration from sketch studies (Sallis 2015), this paper examines a collection of Ableton Live projects (.als files) and video live streams by senior producer, DJ, and educator Mr. Bill. Analyzing this material reveals the sampling stages clearly, along with the digital processing that follows the import of sounds into the project. This investigation highlights various sampling techniques, particularly resampling, which involves sampling sounds from within the DAW. This self-sampling approach allows producers to create new sounds from existing materials within the current project through the signal routing capabilities of the software. Consequently, sampling becomes an internal process for generating new sonic material without needing external sounds. This study contributes to a better understanding of the technological practices in hyper-contemporary popular music by shedding light on the micro-level implications of recording as a technology.

• Bacot, Baptiste; navarret, Benoît & Bigo, Louis (2025). “Intabula rasa”: An exploratory user study of tablature software and perspectives on popular music creativity with algorithmic tools. doi: https:/vimeo.com/1094106619. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  What are the affordances of music notation software (MNS), and how do they impact musical creativity? This paper specifically examines tablature software (TS); seldom studied, they are a good entry point to question the weight digital notation has on the creative process in popular music. Do TS design and features influence creativity? How does a new composition begin in these environments, and how is it subsequently built? Can a better understanding of these processes inspire the development of user-centered algorithms that could foster new beginnings at different stages of composition? Results from a mixed-method study (a questionnaire, interviews and TS tasks) provide a deeper understanding of the perception and use of tablature software, and reveal salient topics of TS creativity. Then, in an effort to bridge the gap between musicology, music practices and computer science, these findings are harnessed to conceptualize algorithmic tools for composition. A set of research and development tracks that could potentially improve guitarists’ experience when composing music with a TS is proposed, and two prototypes are presented, paving the way for new beginnings in music technology and creativity.

• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2025). Matriz de Movimiento Maquínico (MMM): Una herramienta conceptual sobre la creación de danza humano-máquina. doi: https:/masters.filescat.uab.cat/muet/classe-magistral-amb-diego-marin-bucio/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This lecture introduces a conceptual framework for mapping the ontological roles of technology in choreographic creation. Drawing on case studies of AI-integrated works, it examines human–machine interaction and the redistribution of agency across dancers, choreographers, and computational systems. The resulting framework offers a practical tool for distinguishing when AI functions as an instrument and when it participates as an active co-creator in dance.

• Marin-Bucio, Diego (2025). Co-creation of rhythm in Djembe Music-Dance. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This talk examines the intricate and reciprocal relationship between music and dance in the context of Djembe rhythms. At the heart of these celebrations lies a unique interplay where rhythm serves as both a foundation and a catalyst for collective expression. Alongside Djembe playing, dancers and musicians engage in a dynamic process of mutual influence, creating a multimodal dialogue that evolves in real time. The discussion explored how rhythm emerges, not as a static entity, but as a shared negotiation where movement and sound coalesce to generate meaning and aesthetic congruence. Central to this process is the interplay between music and dance through structured improvisational elements, which provide a double-encoded catalyst that works as a framework and as a creative stimulus. Through video recordings and a comparative analysis of Djembe music and dance structures, I illustrate how this rhythmic catalyst takes shape through elastic sound and movement phrases that influence the decision-making of both, dancers and musicians. This study reveals that Djembe's rhythms transcend unimodal agency to become a collective/multimodal phenomenon. The insights gained underscore the transformative power of rhythm in co-creative processes, offering remarkable perspectives on performance, dialogue, and the interplay between sound and movement.

• Arnim, Hugh Alexander von; Erdem, Cagri; Côté-Allard, Ulysse Teller Masao & Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). A Sensor is not a Sensor: Diffracting the Preservation of Sonic Microinteraction with the SiFiBand. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper documents our exploratory work to preserve the interactive music system Stillness Under Tension—developed to explore inverse sonic microinteraction—by porting it from the original and discontinued Myo sensor armband to SiFiBand, a new prototype armband with motion (IMU) and muscle (EMG) sensors. We approach this by merging the Multilevel Dynamic Preservation model with a “diffraction-in-action” method grounded in a theoretical entanglement perspective. Rather than focusing on the Myo version’s artefactual remains, we explore the difference in data representations offered by the two devices as our point of departure. The paper describes the sensor devices, evaluating their data representations given their technical specifications, and describing how these differences propagate throughout our attempt to preserve the system, enacting necessary changes. We discuss the implications of merging these methods in view of the long-term preservation of interactive music systems. Our version 2.0 of Stillness Under Tension finds itself experientially in a position between familiarity and newness.

• Câmara, Guilherme Schmidt (2025). Just Noticeable Difference Thresholds of Musical Microrhythm (Asynchrony and Non-isochrony) in Multi-Instrumental Groove-based Performance. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Musicians can convey different ’timing feels’ in performance by manipulating asynchronies between instrument onsets (’behind’/’ahead’/’on-beat’) as well as the degree of non-isochrony within metrical subdivisions (’straight’/’swung’). The extent to which we can perceive such microtiming nuances has only yet been examined in non-/quasirhythmic contexts involving monotonic and single-layered stimuli, with mixed results regarding effect of musicianship. Studies have also found that pupil size increases linearly with asynchrony magnitude, but not yet examined non-isochrony. We measured the just noticeable difference (JND) thresholds of asynchrony (Exp. 1) and non-isochrony (Exp. 2) in a naturalistic, multi-layered groove (funk pattern, IOI 143ms) with 5 instruments (guitar/bass/kick/snare/hi-hat). Using a 1IFC staircase and global displacements of individual instrument layers (asynchrony: 1-100ms [early/late], non-isochrony: +1-71.5ms [late]), we tasked participants (N=64; musicians N=32; non-musicians N=32) to determine whether instruments were playing; "together" with or "before/after" other instruments (Exp. 1); and with "straight/even" or "swung/uneven" rhythm (Exp. 2). Pupil response was also measured. As expected, JND thresholds were higher than reported in previous literature (+4%/+2% of IOI for asynchrony and non-isochrony, respectively) likely due to greater attentional ’noise’ from additional simultaneously playing instruments, and lower for for musicians (14%/16%) than for non-musicians (22%/24%) due to greater training in the perception/ production of musical microrhythm. For the first time, we also demonstrate an effect of both Instrument and Timing displacement, where onset displacements were harder to detect: in string (22%/24%) rather than drum (15%/18%) instruments - likely due to perceptually ’fuzzier’ acoustic attack profiles; and in late (20%) rather than early (16%) displacements - likely due to forward acoustic masking effects. We also found a linear relationship between pupil size and both asynchrony and non-isochrony, further indicating that the pupil indexes mental effort in auditory processing of microrhythm more generally.

• Menicanin, Sadie Caroline (2025). The Wienerwald and the Making of Vienna as Musikstadt around 1900. Full text in Research Archive
• Appen, Ralf von; Clercq, Trevor de; Danielsen, Anne; Doktor, Stephanie DeLane & Moore, Allan (2025). Studying the Fish and/or the Water?. A Discussion About the Past, Present, and Future of Popular Music Theory in Europe and the U.S. Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (ZGMTH). ISSN 1862-6750. 22(1), p. 29–29. doi: 10.31751/1220. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). MishMash, musikk og kunstig intelligens. Full text in Research Archive
• Zelechowska, Agata (2025). Riktig musikk til trening øker prestasjonene betydelig. [Internet]. Nettavisen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Du blir beviselig raskere og bedre av en god spilleliste til trening, ifølge forskere. Velger du riktig er det faktisk umulig å stå stille.

• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). What happens in the body when you stand still? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Professor Alexander Refsum Jensenius will talk about his decade-long exploration of human micromotion. Motion data from the 365 standstill sessions he carried out during 2023 reveals lots of biomechanical noise, but also some interesting signals.

• Monstad, Lars Løberg (2025). Bandet har millioner av avspillinger på Spotify uten å eksistere: – Problematisk. [Internet]. NRK. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kunstig intelligens vil prege musikkproduksjon fremover, tror musikkbransjen. – Det føles meningsløst å lage musikk manuelt, sier musiker i Brenn.

• Esterhazy, Rachelle; Arnim, Hugh Alexander von & Damsa, Crina I. (2025). Multimodal learning analytics to explore key moments of interdisciplinary knowledge-construction. Full text in Research Archive
• Bishop, Laura (2025). Individuality and collectivity in professional orchestra string sections: Gauging the strength of coordination in body motion. Full text in Research Archive
• Miles, Oliver; Hazzard, Adrian; Moroz, Solomiya; Bishop, Laura & Vear, Craig (2025). Meaningful interactions in human-AI musicking. Full text in Research Archive
• Bishop, Laura (2025). Bodies in Concert: Assessing group coordination in live concert settings. Full text in Research Archive
• Kjus, Yngvar (2025). Sonic citizenship: To what extent is the use of technological opportunities gendered? Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). CoARA principles in practice. Insights from a crossdisciplinary Centre of Excellence. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The presentation discusses the practical application of the NOR-CAM framework and CoARA principles at RITMO, a cross-disciplinary research centre. It highlights the challenges and strategies involved in promoting comprehensive and transparent research assessment, especially in interdisciplinary settings where values and evaluation criteria differ across fields. The author emphasizes the importance of redefining openness in research, professionalizing hiring committees, implementing structured career development programs, and fostering a culture of sharing and caring. These efforts aim to create a more equitable, supportive, and effective academic environment that values diverse contributions and supports researchers' well-being.

• Kjus, Yngvar (2025). Orality and Literacy: What is a song? Full text in Research Archive
• Olsen, Cecilie Sachs; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Duch, Michael Francis (2025). Kunstnerisk forskning for en kompleks verden. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (2025). Forskningsfronten - Mensblod mot Alzheimers. [Radio]. NRK P2 Abels tårn. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kan personlighetstrekket avgjøre om du liker å danse?

• Riaz, Maham (2025). Where is That Bird? The Impact of Artificial Birdsong in Public Indoor Environments. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores the effects of nature sounds, specifically bird sounds, on human experience and behavior in indoor public environments. We report on an intervention study where we introduced an interactive sound device to alter the soundscape. Phenomenological observations and a survey showed that participants noticed and engaged with the bird sounds primarily through causal listening; that is, they attempted to identify the sound source. Participants generally responded positively to the bird sounds, appreciating the calmness and surprise it brought to the environment. The analyses revealed that relative loudness was a key factor influencing the experience. A too-high sound level may feel unpleasant, while a too-low sound level makes it unnoticeable due to background noise. These findings highlight the importance of automatic level adjustments and considering acoustic conditions in soundscape interventions. Our study contributes to a broader discourse on sound perception, human interaction with sonic spaces, and the potential of auditory design in public indoor environments.

• Riaz, Maham (2025). VentHackz: Exploring the Musicality of Ventilation Systems. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ventilation systems can be seen as huge examples of interfaces for musical expression, with the potential of merging sound, space, and human interaction. This paper explores conceptual similarities between ventilation systems and wind instruments and explores approaches to "hacking" ventilation systems with components that produce and modify sound. These systems enable the creation of unique sonic and visual experiences by manipulating airflow and making mechanical adjustments. Users can treat ventilation systems as musical interfaces by altering shape, material, and texture or augmenting vents. We call for heightened attention to the sound-making properties of ventilation systems and call for action (#VentHackz) to playfully improve the soundscapes of our indoor environments.

• Laczko, Balint; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Rognes, Marie Elisabeth (2026). Instrumental Image Sonification: Towards an Accessible and Reliable Method for Life Science and Sonic Design. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Biological image sonification—the transformation of data relationships in biological images into perceived auditory relationships—offers potential for improved medical diagnosis, immersive multimodal data exploration, new interfaces for musical expression, and educational innovation. However, trust in auditory displays is undermined by the non-proportional relationship between control parameters and perceived sound, limitations in reproducibility, and the inherent bias in human-handcrafted feature extraction. The first paper in this dissertation is a systematic review that establishes the state of the art, identifies Parameter Mapping Sonification as the dominant strategy, catalogs software tools, and traces the integration of machine learning. The second paper proposes Pixasonics as a standardized Python toolbox for image sonification, intended for both real-time and non-real-time applications. Furthermore, in the third paper, an interactive “Synth Maps” method demonstrates the non-proportionality between synthesis parameters and the auditory result, highlighting a critical limitation of Parameter Mapping Sonification and the inconsistent perceptual alignment of current audio representations. Finally, the fourth paper introduces the method “image sonification as unsupervised domain transfer” (ISUDoT), which leverages self-supervised representation learning to ensure proportionality in cross-modal domain transfer, thereby removing human bias in feature engineering. Collectively, these contributions advance image sonification as a reliable scientific instrument for life science researchers and an inspiring sound design tool for everyone else, accessible to both experts and non-experts.

• Haug, Judith Irmela & Chruickshank, Vilde Marikken Borck (2026). Aesthetic multimodality of swans in ballet: How ballet communicate meaning through evoking sensory perception. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this thesis the research question how Swan Lake and A Swan Lake utilise semiotics to communicate meaning to this audience is explored by using Nicholas Cook’s models conformance, contest and complementation and Charles Peirce’s theory of signs. Additionally, the question on how this reflects the relation between the visual and auditory elements of a ballet is investigated. The thesis has concluded that while ballet carries a complementation relation between the audience, they will utilise the other relations to for a contrasting feel and help the storytelling and this relation is strengthening with semiotics such as signs. Iconic and indexical signs are utilised to construct the swans of the ballet. Swan Lake utilises syntax such as the Swan Theme as a developmental theme that follows and enhancing the narrative, and the choreographic pose arabesque as a leitpose. A Swan Lake on the other hand utilises auditory and visual capture in its multimodal polyrhythmic expression by not only utilising choreography and music, but also the added aesthetic component of scenography and water. Swan Lake has an expression that is rooted in familiarity and guided narrative, while A Swan Lake’s expression is rooted in engaging the audience’s sensory and emotional perception.

• Skjerdal, Øyvind; Kjus, Yngvar & Stordalen, Fabian (2026). Skaperundersøkelsen: Rapport fra en spørreundersøkelse om musikk, teknologi og mangfold. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Kjus, Yngvar & Thorvik, Sondre Thomassen (2026). Musikkutdanning + musikkarbeidsliv = sant?. - en intervjustudie med studenter og arbeidsgivere. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne masteroppgaven undersøker hvilke muligheter og utfordringer som ligger i overgangen mellom utdanning i musikkvitenskap og musikkarbeidslivet. Utgangspunktet er at arbeidslivsrelevans fremstår som problematisk i politiske og institusjonelle debatter, musikkutdanning varierer, musikkarbeidslivet har sine utfordringer og koblingene mellom musikkutdanning og musikkarbeidslivet er komplekse. I denne oppgaven presenteres begrepet “koblingsarbeid”, og defineres som en innsats studenter, utdanningsinstitusjonen og arbeidsgiverne gjør for å skape relevante koblinger mellom utdanning og arbeidsliv. Denne studien baserer seg på syv dybdeintervjuer med fire (tidligere) musikkvitenskapsstudenter og tre musikkarbeidsgivere. Funnene viser at musikkvitenskap gir et allsidig kompetansegrunnlag, som kan oversettes til ulike musikkjobber i feltet. Samtidig fremstår overgangen som preget av mye frilansarbeid, usikkerhet, få faste stillinger, behov for videreutdanning og manglende bransjeuavhengige kompetanser. Praksis viser seg å være en effektiv arena for koblingsarbeid, der studentene får konkret arbeidserfaring og nettverk, og arbeidsgiverne får mulighet til å skape tillit og kjennskap til musikkvitenskapens kompetanser. Nettverksbygging fremstår “dessverre” som kanskje den viktigste koblingen. Masteroppgaven konkluderer med at musikkvitenskap kan være arbeidslivsrelevant, men at relevansen også må skapes gjennom aktivt koblingsarbeid mellom studentene, utdanningsinstitusjonene og arbeidsplassene.

• Hawkins, Stan & Andersgaard, Ingvild Skarv (2026). Unplugging the Norwegian Music Industry. Re-Gendering and the Politics of Exclusion. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Keywords: Gender Imbalance, Music Production, Norwegian Popular Music, Technology and Gender. The gender imbalance in Western popular music production is acknowledged through research across fields such as media studies, gender studies, and critical musicology. The under representation of women and gender diverse people is most visible through Norwegian and international Western statistics and is dependent on gendered conceptions of technology, the positioning of the producer as male, representation within the popular music industry as a whole, in addition to a male-coded studio culture, which can function as excluding and sometimes hostile for marginalized groups within the studio context. This thesis is situated in critical musicology, media studies, and gender studies. The following dissertation reflects on this theory in a Norwegian context and considers the gender imbalance in the Norwegian popular music industry in relation to diversity policies and representations of gender in Norwegian popular music. Only 2% of actors in Norwegian music production who profit from or are unionized are women or non-cis genders. The research questions are as follows: Why is there such a gender imbalance in music production in a country such as Norway? What barriers do women and non-cisgender people face when trying to establish themselves in the Norwegian music production industry? How can we interpret Norwegian Popular music in terms of gender when women and non-cis people are so absent from the producer role, and hence, in general, not represented in creative control of the creation of music? How does the invisibility of female and non-cis actors in music production affect Norwegian popular music expressions? Through an autoethnographic approach, hermeneutical and contextual readings of Norwegian popular music, and the Norwegian popular music industry I aim to contribute to the discourse which evolves around the under representation of women within creative, musical practices.

• Polak, Rainer & Kallar, Magnus Olsen (2026). The Snare Drum That Keeps You Awake. The Sound of Snare Drums in Hardcore Music. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hardcore depends heavily on percussive intensity, with the snare drum playing a crucial role both as the rhythmic backbone of the music, and as a primary source for aggression and punch in its sound. It is the responsibility of music producers and mixing engineers to achieve this sensation within recordings of the genre. Despite this importance, the topic remains largely unstudied in academic literature. This thesis investigates how producers approach crafting a snare drum sound for hardcore music through elicitation interviews with five different producers working in the genre. The participants describe in detail their decision-making during the recording stage, and explain how they use mixing technologies to manipulate the snare into a finished, impactful and aggressive sound. The study concludes that knowledge of what types of snare drums and snare drum tunings best serve the genre’s sound, combined with the use of more extreme processing moves during the mixing stage to enhance key frequency, harmonic and dynamic elements are central to creating a snare drum sound suited to hardcore music.

• Weisethaunet, Hans & Hansen, Jørgen Berg (2026). Tradisjonsmusikalske linjer. Fra Sharp til Røysum: engelsk tradisjonsmusikk i muntlig, skriftlig og hørbar kontekst. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Engelsk tradisjonsmusikk er underlagt svært få konstanter. Akademikere, feltarbeidere og folklorister har i mange år forsøkt å definere sjangeren, tilsynelatende til liten nytte. Cecil Sharp tilhører klikken av edwardianske innsamlere med størst repertoar, men metodene har i ettertid vært omstridt. Mange diskurser utgår fra et perspektiv hvor sangene utelukkende har sirkulert gjennom muntlig tradering. Tilsvarende vektlegges Sharps nedtegnelser som siste instans i denne tankerekken; de er immune mot endring. Likevel fortsetter utøvere å utvikle materialet, gjennom instrumentering, omarrangering og sjangerfusjon. Hvilken innvirkning hadde Sharps sosiokulturelle bakgrunn og ideologiske grunnlag på materialet han nedtegnet, og hvordan har dette materialet endret seg i etterkant?

• Vouskoski, Jonna Katariina; Vrasdonk, Atilla Juliana & Kverndal, Jens Henrik (2026). Presence & Performance: Perceiving Flow States in Flamenco Performances. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The flow experience has been described as a highly desirable state to be in, where performances are automatic and seemingly “out of the hands of the performer”. Researchers have explored the possibilities of its application in numerous areas in life, like in: work, sports, games, and the arts, etc. However, rarely has it been studied from the observer point of view, if at all. In this study, the performances of two flamenco duos (consisting of a guitarist and dancer) were investigated using time-series analyses, looking into fluctuating flow intensities and their effect on observers. 47 participants evaluated 12 different flamenco performances by continuously rating the perceived flow state of the performer, as well as rate enjoyment and emotional impact. The participants' continuous flow rates were cross-correlated with the continuous flow ratings of the flamenco artists. Musical expertise and flamenco familiarity were used as independent variables for flow perception as well. The findings showed conflicting views on the perceptibility of the flow experience, with only one of the four flamenco performers having significant correlations with observer perceived flow ratings. This suggests that expressivity of flow might have individual differences. Questions were raised regarding the inconsistent circumstances. Enjoyment and emotional impact proved to be unrelated to flow in performances. Although, doubts of the method's validity were raised. Musical background showed no interaction on the perception of flow, implying that people of all musical backgrounds could detect flow expressivity in certain individuals.

• Danielsen, Anne & Røse, August Feen (2026). Fremøring av jungle på akustisk trommesett. «Digital likeness» i akustisk fremføring. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne masteroppgaven vil jeg ta for meg to konkrete spørsmål: Hva kjennetegner jungle som musikalsk stil og hvilke utfordringer er knyttet til det å overføre en digitalt produsert stil generelt, og jungle spesifikt, til akustisk trommesett? For å gjøre dette har jeg valgt to ulike metoder. Den første metoden er gjennom å se på tidligere litteratur i feltet om digital musikkproduksjon. I tillegg har jeg sett på litteratur knyttet til jungle som sjanger og breakbeatets rolle i sjangeren samt andre eksempler på akustisk fremføring av sjangere med tydelige digitale uttrykk. Gjennom litteraturen vil jeg få et overblikk over sjangeren og konseptene knyttet til problemstillingen, samtidig som jeg vil få konkrete og nære eksempler på krysningen mellom det akustiske og det digitale. I denne oppgaven vil jeg vise hvordan man bør gå frem når man fremfører en sjanger slik som jungle, på et akustisk trommesett, og dette gjør jeg blant annet gjennom en analyse av trommeslager Russell Holzmann. Gjennom analyse av to av Holzmann sine videoer på digitale plattformer, presenterer jeg tydelige og konkrete eksempler hva som kjennetegner jungle som sjanger, og hva som kreves av den i møte med akustiske verktøy. Jeg diskuterer også hvordan jungle skiller seg ut fra andre sjangere, slik som hiphop, med tanke på fremgangsmåten knyttet til det å fremføre sjangeren akustisk. Det å fremføre jungle krever en viss kunnskap om hva jungle er og om hvordan sjangeren produseres, og ikke minst om hva som gjør jungle til en sjanger med tydelige digitale kjennetegn. Gjennom nøye dekonstruering av sjangerens typiske trekk, kan man finne de tydelige digitale elementene som sjangeren inneholder, og overføre disse til et akustisk trommesett. I denne prosessen fåren interessant krysning mellom maskin og menneske, noe som Holzmann tydelig viser frem i hans fremføringer av sjangeren.

• Mangaoang., Áine & Jacobsen., William (2026). REACT. A study of the recognition of musical taste through emotional labour. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This thesis is an exploration of the ways music listeners seek, receive and grant recognition of their musical taste through music sharing. As I argue, the degree to which listeners absorb the music they listen to into their identities, internal and external, comes with both the promise for their “musical identities” to be recognised by others and the risk for their musical identities to be misrecognised or not recognised at all. These promises and risks become especially salient when music is shared and listened to together. The emergence of the genre of music reaction videos potentially promises a virtual replacement for this process of recognition. Whether virtual or in-person, this process potentially involves a significant amount of what Hochschild calls emotional labour, a conscious regulation of outward emotional expression and/or inner, felt emotion to produce the proper state of mind in the other. To test the theory laid out here, I have employed a twofold research method consisting of textual analysis of two selected music reaction videos, juxtaposed with qualitative in-depth interviews that included an informal experiment meant to simulate a music reaction scenario. My research found that a) the participants felt a very real (albeit of varying salience) sense of identification of the music that they listen to, b) when sharing their music with another person in a live listening session, the reactivity of the other has the potential to grant a sense of recognition or misrecognition (to highly varying degrees of salience) in the participant, and c) that some, but not all participants reported found themselves regulating their outward emotional expression during the listening experiment so as produce the proper state of mind in their interlocutor (me).

• Brøvig, Ragnhild & Ostad, Mads (2026). Live fra studio. En studie om hvordan live-innspilling i studio kan anvendes i moderne musikkproduksjon. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sammendrag Denne masteroppgaven undersøker liveinnspilling i studio som praksis i dagens musikkproduksjon. Med liveinnspilling forstås samtidig opptak av flere musikere, ofte med begrenset bruk av overdubbing og omfattende digital redigering. I en produksjonskultur preget av høy teknologisk kontroll og normer for perfeksjon undersøker oppgaven hvilken relevans liveinnspilling har i dag og hvordan praksisen faktisk anvendes. Problemstillingen er: På hvilke måter er liveinnspilling fortsatt en relevant praksis, og hvordan brukes det i dagens musikkproduksjon? Dette belyses gjennom perspektiver på samspill, rom, estetikk, produsentrolle, sjangerlogikk og praktiske rammebetingelser. Studien bygger på et kvalitativt forskningsdesign bestående av semistrukturerte intervjuer med tre profesjonelle musikkprodusenter samt en praksisbasert undersøkelse (research‐creation) der tre musikalske verk spilles inn med systematisk variasjon i grad av liveinnspilling, isolasjon og etterarbeid. Studien er forankret i et konstruktivistisk vitenskapssyn og analyseres i lys av teori om liveness og autentisitet, studioet som teknologisk og sosialt rom, samt sjanger‐ og tradisjonsbaserte lydidealer. Funnene viser at liveinnspilling sjelden brukes som en «ren» metode, men fremstår som en hybrid og situert praksis. Produsentene beskriver liveinnspilling som et strategisk valg for å fremme samspill, kollektiv timing, energi og helhet, der rom, lekkasje og mikrofonplassering fungerer som estetiske ressurser, mens redigering og digitale verktøy brukes selektivt. Samspill fremheves som den sentrale verdien, men graden av isolasjon og etterarbeid tilpasses sjanger, musikerkompetanse og rammebetingelser. Analysen viser at produsentrollen i livebaserte og hybride prosesser preges av at estetiske og tekniske valg må tas tidlig, noe som skjerper produsentens ansvar i opptaksøyeblikket. Produsentene må kombinere teknisk ekspertise, prosessledelse og sosial støtte. Estetiske valg tas ofte tidlig i produksjonen («valg på vei inn»), noe som kan effektivisere arbeidsflyten, men også øker kravene til erfaring og forberedelse. Oppgaven konkluderer med at liveinnspilling fortsatt er en relevant og meningsfull praksis, forstått som en fleksibel og strategisk produksjonslogikk som støtter musikalitet, nærvær og helhet i moderne musikkproduksjon.

• Gudaityt&#279;, Ieva (2026). Listening to War Through Digital Community Radio Practices in Ukraine and Beyond. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This thesis investigates, through interviews as well as broader fieldwork, how people listen to and make sense of their lives at war through digital community radio and its broader practices in Ukraine and beyond. With a focus on radio stations in Kyiv (20ft Radio, Gasoline Radio), their collaborators in Berlin (Cashmere Radio) and Warsaw (Kapitał Radio), in addition to other related cultural institutions, it examines how musicians and semi-professional music enthusiasts mobilise around a variety of radio-related sound practices to meaningfully engage in public cultural life through listening, and why such practices are a suitable way for them to do so at war. Concentrating on the first two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the thesis starts by asking what happens to such small, niche, non-commercial radio stations and their team members at war. It then delves deeper into the diverse ways in which people listen to war and communicate their wartime experiences through radio shows, events, sound installations, records, radio plays, and other formats related to radio media. The thesis conceptualises the radio station as having a dual function. Firstly, as a site for people to gather and collectively make sense of their changed realities through sound. Secondly, as a channel for sharing the complexity and ambivalence of living and listening in wartime to a broader audience. Radio media thus becomes a way to regain agency in otherwise precarious conditions and to express that agency through aural knowledge production and transfer. In this context, questions emerge of epistemic justice, collective responsibility, and moral dilemmas around sonic entertainment in war. Their examination offers a way to better understand the complex experiences of wartime through sound, which include violence, trauma, and hope, but also frustration, boredom, and curiosity.

• Pleiss, Martin Peter (2026). Towards a Phenomenology of Novelty: Perceiving and Engaging with Virtual Reality. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In 4E cognition, - which holds that the mind is embodied, embedded, enacted and extended - the role of contexts is highly relevant, as an agent is understood as a system reciprocally connected and dependent on its environment. A way to evaluate contexts is to look at the familiarity or novelty of phenomena and relationships within that system. However, these observations are challenging because they aim at the subjective perspective within an experience. In this thesis, I explore the notions of unfamiliarity and novelty through a phenomenological lens while mapping the structure of subjective capabilities and relationships in a specific version of unfamiliarity. I present an iterative experiment where participants face the unfamiliar and experience the process whereby what is novel becomes, to a degree, familiar and meaningful to them. Hence, the participants experience a virtual reality artwork characterised by its abstract presentation and a difficult-to-recognise context. Afterwards, they participate in extensive phenomenological interviews to produce qualitative descriptions of their perceptions, intentions, affect, and reflections. I hermeneutically evaluate and phenomenologically treat these descriptions. Across participants, clusters of descriptions form intersubjectively relevant consensus categories used for structural analysis of the experience. I describe an observed ‘self’-enabling drive to act, characterised by the participants’ focus on their potential actions. They anticipate, actuate, and realise their relevance within the new environment. I also observe what I call ‘mediating action potentials’ that differ from classical habituated actions in the specificity of involved expectations and intersubjective openness. These observations fit the assumptions that action perception strives for optimisation with the help of experiential ‘types’ and supports the notion of a minimal self sedimenting in and through a lived body.

• Tomlinson, James Ralph (2025). The Production and Transmission of Polyphony in Late Medieval England. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigates the individuals and institutions that cultivated and circulated polyphony in fourteenth-century England. I focus on surviving sources of music that shed new light on the ownership and transmission of polyphonic repertoires and collections. By analysing the manuscript Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College 512/543, I challenge its previous attribution to Norwich Cathedral and resituate its compilation within a medieval English university in the earliest decades of the fourteenth century. I reveal that the compiler of the book, John Rudham, copied most, if not all of the musical contents, and that he was probably a secular Master in Arts at Oxford or Cambridge. By foregrounding the scribal and material aspects of the musical contents, I create a profile of Rudham as a musician, demonstrating his interest in musical reworking, notational translation/adaptation, emendation, and pedagogy at a time when musical systems were changing rapidly in England and mainland Europe. I propose that the music flyleaves of another source, the manuscript Durham, Cathedral Library C.I.20, belonged to a music book compiled in Oxford in the mid-fourteenth century, and that its relationships with other musical and music-theoretical sources may reflect the lively circulation of polyphony at Oxford and the existence of a network of university musicians. These analis provide evidence for the cultivation of polyphony in English universities one hundred years before previous reckonings and challenge the received view that greater monasteries dominated the production of polyphony before 1400. I conclude that English universities may have been important sites for the transmission of both domestic and French polyphony. Finally, I demonstrate how scribes made later additions to collections of polyphony and that aspects of scribal work and source compilation inform the production and performance of specific liturgical repertoires.

• Al-Ghawanmeh, Fadi; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum & Smaili, Kamel (2025). Ṭarab and AI: Maqām Music Generation through Machine Translation and Motion Capture. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This multidisciplinary dissertation explores computer music generation and motion capture-informed personal adaptation in maqām improvisation. Maqām music, prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, is characterized by audience interactivity, fostering intense emotional and meaningful physical engagement and enchantment (ṭarab). The dissertation explores how artificial intelligence and modern sensing technologies can enhance the experience of ṭarab. The first part of the dissertation is based on machine translation (MT) to generate real-time instrumental improvisatory phrases for the mawwāl and taqāsīm traditions, viewing these phrases as “sentences” through the lens of natural language processing (NLP). Due to the lack of transcribed improvisations and challenges in the automatic transcription of this non-metric interactive practice, I developed tools for curating textual datasets from vocal and MIDI inputs. I created a dataset with local musicians in Amman, collecting 6,991 parallel mawwāl sentences for MT (from vocal calls to instrumental responses), treating maqām improvisation as an under-resourced language. I aimed to simplify the representation of sentences while achieving high translation results and maintaining musical content. Using scale degrees and quantized durations, I reduced the vocabulary to 15 distinct elements. Merging similar adjacent notes also helped. This approach yielded successful results comparable to typical NLP applications, using a small, diverse dataset (8 maqāmāt). I validated the conventional MT measure, BLEU, with musically-informed objective metrics, which aligned well. Additionally, experts’ assessments helped interpret BLEU scores. MT results, both neural (NMT) and statistical (SMT), showed that merging different maqāmāt sub-datasets doesn’t necessarily improve outcomes; it can favor shorter, less sophisticated sentences in both approaches, especially in NMT. Confusion matrices revealed that in small datasets, the performance gap between SMT and NMT widens if user styles or skills differ from those who built the dataset. My discussion highlights that user musical background, performance decisions, as well as the training dataset size and performance quality are crucial factors in system design. The proposed modeling was validated through a user experience interview and an artwork. Additionally, due to the limited usefulness of the mawwāl dataset in the context of instrumental improvisations independent of voice (taqāsīm), I commissioned 717 taqāsīm, extracted frequent patterns (n-grams), and proposed a method to transform these into elaborate sentences using iterative translation, enabling real-time adaptation. The second part of the dissertation examines perceivers’ subtle musicrelated body motion to gauge their engagement with human-performed taqāsīm, considering their cultural background. Using a specially designed stimulus, I validated accelerometer-based motion capture (mocap) for measuring the quantity of motion (QoM) in the lab and conducted a crosscultural perception test with 60 participants in Amman and Oslo. QoM signals helped decode significant engagement patterns. Combining them into trend curves illustrated key gradual and abrupt engagements with both structural and non-structural aspects of the taqāsīm. QoM indications aligned with self-reported data and music literature. Conventional classification and clustering models were applied to QoM. SVM made informed guesses about participants’ cultural backgrounds, while K-means clustering emphasized the importance of music training. This demonstrates the potential of accelerometry mocap to enhance real-time music generation and perception, to achieve ṭarab. The overall results in generation and perception could significantly impact the future of interactive instrumental artworks. I conclude by proposing a preliminary algorithm for mocap-adapted taqāsīm generation, paving the way for further research.

• Plath, Mirjana (2025). Maxing out German Operetta in Stockholm: Max Hansen’s Popular Musical Theatre Transfers in the 1930s and 1940s. University of Oslo (UiO). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigates the role of the actor, cabaret artist, and stage director Max Hansen in the transfer, performance practice, and reception of popular musical theatre in Stockholm in the 1930s and 1940s. As a prominent satirist, voicing criticism against Hitler before 1933, and being of Jewish descent, Hansen left Nazi Germany in the 1930s and became a popular figure in the Swedish entertainment industry. In his exile, Hansen contributed to a vibrant operetta practice in Stockholm in the 1930s and 1940s, while the genre in other countries gradually lost its dominant position in popular culture. Performing mostly pieces from Berlin and Vienna, he promoted culture of Germanophone origin in Sweden, an allegedly neutral state in World War II, at a time when Nazi Germany instrumentalised culture to promote its ideologies both at home and abroad. The Swedish translation of "Bezauberndes Fräulein" in 1935 is Hansen’s first appearance in an operetta in Stockholm. The thesis then proceeds to investigate the period leading up to "Im weißen Rössl" in 1948. Drawing upon a rich array of archival materials, including stage books, personal letters, and theatre contracts, the research highlights the powerful position of Hansen in Stockholm’s theatre scene and the strategies theatre artists used to escape persecution in Nazi Germany. Hansen ridiculed nationalism and stereotypical gender roles, criticised the execution of persecuted politicians in Nazi Germany, and mocked supposed Nazi collaborators in his songs. By analysing performances and their cultural historical contexts, this study contributes to a richer and more nuanced understanding of how operetta served as both entertainment and a vehicle for social and political commentaries.

• Fong, Daniel Xiong Yang; Hansen, Kai Arne; Edwards, Peter & Hilder, Thomas Richard (2025). Queer Living and Dying in Opera: (Re)thinking Gender-Sex-Sexuality as/for Queer Opera Singers. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article-based dissertation examines how queer opera singers, particularly those in Norway, perform, regulate, and negotiate their genders-sexes-sexualities. Through close engagement with posthumanist theories, the researcher tracks the many ever-changing materials and discourses that (might) shape singers’ identities on and off the stage. In doing so, this dissertation examines the multiple and nuanced ways in which singers co-constitute themselves and are being co-constituted. To facilitate such an examination, the researcher employs autoethnography and conducts ethnographic research with members of a Norwegian queer opera company and a higher music education vocal department in Norway. Granted that the world and people are necessarily in flux, this research situates itself within the post-qualitative paradigm, continuously (dis)entangling personal, local, regional, and global data in its analyses and outputs. In doing so, the research vacillates between the empirical and speculative to elucidate the potential opportunities and limitations faced by singers. The research offers the following findings: First, that queer opera singers, especially those in Norway, continue to face gender-sex-sexuality-related tensions and limitations despite society’s social progress. Secondly, that such tensions and limitations arise due to the complex entanglements between society’s and opera culture’s various materials and discourses and the queer singer’s body-voice, experiences, and material histories. Hence, this research recommends that it is only by attending to the specific material-discursive relationships in a queer singer’s milieu that appropriate interventions can be found. Finally, that Norwegian queer opera singers, in response to the difficulties they face, adopt strategies of negotiation whilst in operatic spaces and create their own opera productions and expressions that both assert and challenge present gender-sex-sexuality concepts.

• Radzina, Ieva (2025). Care for a bonbon? Introducing strategic communication in musicology. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Memis, Ahmet Emin (2025). IEMA: Exploring Complex Data Spaces with Body-Motion Interaction. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Interactive search in complex data spaces is a crucial and challenging task in audio data retrieval field, where efficient methods are needed to recommend users relevant content from vast audio databases. This task can be addressed through various approaches, often combining multiple techniques together. This thesis proposes the Immersive Evolutionary Motion-controlled Algorithm (IEMA), an interactive system that combines Interactive Evolutionary Algorithms and body motion interaction to guide the exploration of discrete audio data. To aid in the design of such systems, it also presents an evaluation framework that informs how to develop and assess similar interactive evolutionary systems. Through stage-wise prototype design and experimentation, the thesis demonstrates the applicability of IEMA for high-dimensional discrete audio search. The thesis also shares the software implementation of IEMA as open-source. Furthermore, it highlights potential areas for future research in the field of interactive evolutionary music systems.

• Juarez, Karenina Natalia (2025). Frankenfender. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This thesis explores the application of eco-critical feminist principles in the design and creation of DMIs to enhance sustainability and inclusivity in digital lutherie. Central to this research is the Ecofeminist Digital Luthier Framework, which emphasizes three key pillars: accessibility, longevity, and sustainability. The main research question is, "How can ecofeminist principles inform the design and development of sustainable DMIs?" To answer this question, this thesis focuses on three objectives. First, it examines how eco-feminist values shape accessibility and reusability in DMI design, identifying effective materials and methods for environmentally conscious practices. Second, it investigates the repurposing of instruments, highlighting the FrankenFender, a modular DMI made from salvaged parts from an electric guitar, as an example of creativity in sound production and resourcefulness. Lastly, the research evaluates the designer' perceptions and interactions with instruments designed within this framework. Through implementation and analysis, this thesis demonstrates how integrating ecofeminist principles can promote sustainable practices and community engagement in music technology, offering valuable insights for the future of digital lutherie.

• Oldfield, Thomas Eric (2025). Flexi-tone: A Multi-Dimensional Foot-Based Interactive Music System for Expressive Control of Audio Effect Parameters. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Olsen, Karl-Magnus Skaar (2025). Lytting og tenking: Musikk, mening og estetisk erfaring i «Soupir» og «Placet futile» av Mallarmé, Debussy og Rave. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne oppgaven er en studie av musikk, mening og estetisk erfaring i Claude Debussy og Maurice Ravels tonesettinger av Stéphane Mallarmés «Soupir» (1864) og «Placet futile» (1897). Å beskrive musikk i språk kan oppleves som en utfordrende oppgave, ettersom musikken tilsynelatende ikke følger et eksplisitt semantisk system. Der språk består av tegn som refererer til noe utenfor seg selv, fremstår musikken som flytende og assosiativ, hvor mening ikke er fastlagt på forhånd, men oppstår i møtet mellom lytter og lyd. Denne problematikken blir særlig tydelig i forsøk på å overføre et litterært verk til musikk. Hvordan kan en tekst, som er forankret i språklige referanser, gjendiktes i et medium som uttrykker seg gjennom klang og tid? Dette spørsmålet blir sentralt når Ravel og Debussy skal tilnærme seg Mallarmés poesi. Mallarmés poesi kjennetegnes av en sammenveving av form og innhold, hvor grensene mellom det musikk-poetiske og det tekst-poetiske viskes ut. Dette stiller særlige krav til enhver som søker å overføre hans dikt til et annet medium. Ravel uttalte i 1927 at han i Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé (1913) forsøkte å «transponere» Mallarmés poesi til musikk, et prosjekt som reflekterte hans oppfatning av Mallarmé som den eneste «sanne» franske poeten. Ifølge Ravel gjorde Mallarmé det franske språket poetisk, til tross for dets iboende motstand mot poesi (Orenstein 2003, 450). Parallelt med Ravel arbeidet Debussy med egne musikalske tolkninger av Mallarmé, nesten tjue år etter at han komponerte «Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune». Til tross for at de hver for seg, uavhengig av hverandre, hadde planlagt å tonesette Mallarmés poesi, viste det seg at både Ravel og Debussy hadde valgt å tonesette de samme diktene: «Soupir» og «Placet futile». Dette sammenfallet reiser et viktig spørsmål: Hva ved disse diktene gjorde dem interessante for to av de mest sentrale franske komponistene i deres samtid? I møte med denne problemstillingen undersøker jeg i denne oppgaven hvordan Ravel og Debussy forsøkte å oversette eller transponere Mallarmés tekst, billedspråk og struktur til musikk. Gjennom en analyse av «Soupir» og «Placet futile» belyses de estetiske og kompositoriske strategiene som benyttes for å overføre litterære elementer til et musikalsk «språk». Videre plasseres denne oppgaven innenfor en bredere historisk og kontekstuell ramme, med en gjennomgang av komponistene, poeten, diktene og musikken. Jeg diskuterer også overordnede teoretiske perspektiver på meningsskapelse i skjæringspunktet mellom musikk og tekst, og hvordan dette kan forstås i lys av både musikkestetiske og litterære teorier. Jeg argumenterer også for at musikk, særlig på grunn av dens ikke-referensielle kvalitet, har mulighet til å henstille lytteren i en tilstand hvor man opplever mening, uten at meningen nødvendigvis kan beskrives med forforståtte begreper. Denne «lyttende» tilstanden er avgjørende for å kunne oppnå endring, nettopp fordi den åpner for en forståelse av verden uten forforståtte begreper. Jeg setter den norske musikkfilosofen Peder Christian Kjerschow og den franske filosofen Jacques Rancière i dialog, og tilfører derfor et nytt blikk på musikkens potensial, hvor Rancières begrep om kunstens tredje form for effektivitet (det estetiske regimet), kan fremtre i musikk og poesi.

• Edvardsen, Sveinar Ytterstad (2025). “It’s just a record player played the wrong speed, look how great it is”: chipmunkson16speed and the transformative power of varispeed music. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Bartolo, Lorenzo Lo (2025). Duduk in the Desert Level: Cultural (mis-?) Representation in Video Game Music. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Aas, Ada Helen (2025). Å Kuratere en Samtidsmusikkfestival: Kurateringen av Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival i Samspill med Kunstfeltet og dets Omgivelser. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ultimafestivalen har gjennom flere tiår vært en plattform for samtidsmusikk og eksperimentell musikk i Oslo. Denne oppgaven undersøker festivalarbeidet gjennom begrepet om kuratering; en prosess der kuratoren står som mellomledd i en rekke forhandlinger når musikken skal rammes inn og presenteres. Gjennom kvalitative intervjuer og feltobservasjon forsøker jeg å finne ut av hvordan ledelsen i Ultimafestivalen forholder seg til kuratorrollen og forhandlingene som inngår i festivalarbeidet. Oppgaven ser også på utviklingstrekk, særlig fra de siste 20 årene av festivalens historie, som kan bidra til å forklare hvordan kurateringen av festivalen utvikler seg.

• Berg, Asbjørn Roald (2025). Making New Music Using Ancient Greek Theory, Practice, and Fine-Tuning. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Hvesser, David Kristoffer Torp (2025). Kollektivt Låtskrivingsarbeid. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Lillestu, Anette Skogheim (2025). Artists of the climate crisis: Exploring cultural norms on the social role of music. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Facing climate crisis, many musicians experience an increasing sense of responsibility and use their artistic platforms aiming to aid climate change mitigation. This thesis explores the normative framework facing such artists adapting environmentalist practices. When artists incorporate climate awareness in their work, a tension appears between personal interests and career concerns, as current norms of the music field denote the direct nature of this political engagement as something negative, and something art should not be preoccupied with. Through the history art has been recognized as an important part of human social life, but today’s music industry is colored by lingering romanticist values deeming art unfitted for such instrumental functions, and rather, vagueness is rewarded in musical lyrics as well as in the aesthetic humanities field. Within the field of environmentalist music, responsibilization of the individual is consistently being used as an argument to devalue artists’ efforts within a very convoluted field where real leeway is often determined far beyond individual control. Moving forward, it seems highly beneficial to renegotiate how we treat environmentalist music, allowing more flexibility for artists to explore alternatives to the current canonized norms. More tangible perspectives are needed if music is to play out its full potential in contributing to climate change mitigation, as currently the canonized vagueness is rather reinforcing the passivity that has led to the climate crisis.

• Grøsfjell, Sander Slettebø (2025). Musikalen på Det Norske Teatret. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne oppgåva tek føre seg musikalrepertoaret til Det Norske Teatret, og kvifor dei nettopp sett opp noko så kommersielt som ein musikal. Det Norske Teatret, er eit nynorsk teater som sidan 1949 har spesialisert seg på å sette opp musikalar, og har vore staden som har sett opp og produsert fleire musikalar og musikalstjerner. I oppgåva vart det presentert ein mikrohistorie om Det Norske Teatret sine musikalar i tre akter. Første akt handlar om musikkteateret på Det Norske Teatret før Egil Monn-Iversen starta å jobbe på Det Norske Teatret. Andre del handlar om musikkteateret under Egil Monn-Iversen sin arbeidsperiode på Det Norske Teatret. Tredje og siste del handlar om musikkteateret etter Egil Monn-Iversen sin arbeidsperiode. Mikrohistoria gjer oss eit blikk over kva Det Norske Teatret har gjort av musikalar, og kva typar Det Norske Teatret setter opp. Mellom anna ser vi på korleis musikalen kom til Noreg, dei første norske musikalane, satsinga til ulike teatersjefar, og løfter fram nokre av våre største norske musikalar som vore spelt på Det Norske Teatret. Alt i nynorsken sitt namn. I problemstillinga ser vi på kva for nokre faktorar det er som gjer at Det Norske Teatret sett opp musikalar. Dette eksemplifiserast gjennom ein analyse av forleggar og komponist Julian Berntzen si tese om korleis du får ein musikalsuksess. Eg påstår i denne masteroppgåva at det er fleire faktorar til at Det Norske Teatret bør gjere musikalar, og at dei er eit sterkt musikkteaterhus, som må ha mykje i bakhovudet når dei skal velje ein musikal.

• Jensen, Sol Strøm (2025). Musikeren og sosiale medier - En kvalitativ undersøkelse av de sosiale medienes påvirkning på musikerens oppfatning og utforming av egen identitet. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne oppgaven undersøker på hvilke måter musikeres oppfatning og utforming av egen identitet påvirkes gjennom bruken av sosiale medier som del av virket deres. Undersøkelsen tar utgangspunkt i aktive yrkesmusikere i alderen 25-27 år som er bosatt i Oslo, og som benytter seg av sosiale medier som del av virket deres. For å oppnå ønsket innsikt, benyttes den kvalitative metoden intervju. Hensikten med undersøkelsen er å løfte frem musikerens opplevelser, erfaringer, tanker og refleksjoner- og å kunne bidra til dypere innsikt i tematikken slik den oppleves akkurat her og nå, av musikere i dagens samfunn. Funnene peker på faktorer som algoritmer, synlighet, relasjonelt arbeid, samfunnsmessige forventninger og bransjemessige vurderinger som påvirkere i musikerens oppfatning og utforming av egen identitet. Med utgangspunkt i eksisterende forskning, og i lys av relevante teoretiske perspektiver, viser denne undersøkelsen hvordan musikerens oppfatning og utforming av egen identitet formes gjennom et komplekst samspill mellom teknologiske, sosiale, kulturelle og personlige faktorer.

• Kverno, Trond Hallvard Engeset (2025). Å lage sin egen losje. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Med sine røtter i folkemusikksjangeren viser Valkyrien Allstars seg som et av de mest innovative bandene vi har i Norge. Deres albumet Slutte og byne har de med elementer av rap med tittellåta “Slutte og byne”, jazz og afrikanske rytmer i “Ikke no å spare på”, og popelementer som bruk av synth og tekster om kjærlighet og sorg. Samtidig som de utforsker nye impulser så viderefører de uttrykk fra folkemusikken hvor sangteknikk og deklamering av tekst står i forsete og gir en forankring i folkemusikktradisjonen. Det at de bryter med konvensjoner og antagelser vi har om folkemusikk gjør at vi må se på sjangeren med nytt blikk og skaffe oss bedre innsikt i hvordan skapende praksiser skjer i norsk musikkliv. Oppgavens problemstilling er dermed: Hvordan forstår man originalitet og nyskapning i Valkyrien Allstars sin låtskriving i konteksten av folkemusikksjangeren de kommer fra?

• Juberg, Jardar Østbø (2025). Slippet – Antiklimaks, usikkerhet og et punkt på veien. En studie av band og artisters erfaringer med å slippe musikk i dagens musikkbransje. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Det har aldri blitt gitt ut så mye musikk som i dag. Digitaliseringen har senket terskelen for å distribuere, promotere og slippe musikk på egen hånd. Samtidig er konkurransen om oppmerksomheten større, globale plattformer skaper uforutsigbarhet og den økonomiske verdien til innspilt musikk har i stor grad forsvunnet. Utgivelsen står likevel sentralt for mange musikere. Denne masteroppgaven ser på hvordan band og artister forholder seg til slipp av musikk, hvordan vi kan forstå slippet som praksis, og som et kulturelt, sosialt og økonomisk-fenomen. Gjennom semi-strukturerte kvalitative intervjuer med tre soloartister og to band innenfor det norske indiefeltet har oppgaven gått bredt ut for å fange ulike aspekter ved å slippe musikk. Slippet forstås som en prosess, som starter med innspilling, planlegging og promotering – lenge før utgivelsen kommer ut. For informantene kan slippet oppleves som en konsekvens av at man holder på med musikk, snarere enn som hovedmålet. Informantene opplever usikkerheter og ambivalens i møte med strømmeplattformer og sosiale medier, i tillegg til manglende økonomisk verdi ved å gi ut musikk. Informantene navigerer dette gjennom å mobilisere ulike ressurser, som bidrar til å forsvare hvorfor de slipper musikk, og den viktigste ressursen er selve musikken. I en digitalisert musikkbransje, hvor de økonomiske marginene stadig blir mindre, gjenstår spørsmålet hvorvidt det er mulig å fortsette med musikk, kun på grunnlag av musikkens verdi eller musikernes indre motivasjon.

• Winje, Simen Marinius Jacobsen (2025). Sold out: The history of selling out, why it has expired, and the new way of selling out. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Eikeland, Sebastian Johnston (2025). From Melody to Mood: Are Music-Induced Emotions Constructed from Changes in Affect? Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Humans possess an intrinsic musicality characterized by a seemingly universal and effortless capacity to express and evoke emotions. This phenomenon has intrigued scholars of music psychology and laypeople alike; however, the underlying mechanisms of this emotional connection remain somewhat unclear, partly due to the plurality of theories and methods in music psychology. Rooted in general psychology and neuroscience, this thesis applies a constructionist perspective on emotions to assess its validity in music and emotion research. The overarching goal is to bring theoretical coherence and clarity to psychological research on music and emotion. The thesis demonstrates how current empirical evidence of the perception and experience of emotions through music can be reinterpreted through the lens of constructionism. The main argument is that musical sound expresses and induces subtle changes in affect, requiring additional top-down processing to become full-blown emotional perceptions and experiences. The reported online experiment provides some of the first music-specific tests of the constructionist perspective. The experiment explicitly tested a constructionist hypothesis by inducing changes in affect through music and triggering emotional conceptualization processes by priming emotion-related words. Results did not align with the constructionist hypothesis, but intriguing evidence for the role of dispositional empathy was detected. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

• Simionato, Riccardo (2025). Neural Modeling of Musical Devices. Efficient and Low-Latency Data-Driven Emulation of Nonlinear Time-Variant Instruments and Effects. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Modeling musical devices, whether instruments or effects, acoustic or electronic, is a dynamic area of research and development characterized by significant scientific relevance, a rich history, and far-reaching artistic implications. This multidisciplinary field encompasses a diverse range of perspectives, from musical acoustics to digital signal processing. Musical devices present nonlinear and time-variant characteristics that provide unique soundings and behaviors that are challenging to replicate in digital emulation. Thanks to the increasing computational power of general-purpose computers, deep learning has emerged as an approach for modeling musical devices, particularly analog audio effects. In this thesis a step forward in this direction is taken, broadening the understanding of the use of neural Networks to model musical devices that process or generate sounds, with a focus on complex devices that pose challenges for current neural modeling methods. In this research, novel neural architectures are investigated, placing great emphasis on essential aspects of modeling Networks such as low latency, computational efficiency, and interactivity, all of which are crucial to achieving ’playable’ emulations. Furthermore, the thesis develops architectures, subcomponents, and methods designed for wide applicability across different musical device categories with minimal need for customization. The primary focus lies on two case studies involving nonlinear, time-variant musical devices representative of the acoustic and analog realms: the compressor, as a processor, and the acoustic piano, as a generator. Besides proposing novel neural architecture for modeling musical devices, in this thesis, the understanding of learning strategies in neural models is advanced, and the application of neural techniques for parameter-sensitive musical behavior is refined. Additionally, it compiles a variety of datasets of the musical devices being studied.

• Øyvin, Dybsand, & Ståle, Langhelle, (2025). En kronglete vei hjem: En undersøkelse av hvordan Gustav Mahler utvikler hovedtema og relaterte temaer mot et høydepunkt i 1. sats av sin syvende symfoni. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Første sats av den syvende symfonien av Mahler inneholder et av de mest brutale høydepunktene i hans virke. I denne satsen når musikken det dypeste mørke og i neste øyeblikk det høyest sublime. Noen av Mahlers mest sangbare melodier er sidestilt med hans krasseste orkestreringer. Jeg undersøker hvordan han utvikler hovedtema og relaterte temaer mot et høydepunkt. Gjennom denne analysen blir vi kjent med noen av begrepene til Leonard B. Meyer og Theodor Adorno og hvordan de kan forklare dette musikalske forløpet. Oppgaven undersøker også teorier rundt fysiologiske reaksjoner lyttere kan ha til slike høydepunkter i musikk, eksemplifisert blant annet ved såkalt musikalsk gåsehud. Metoden jeg har brukt er fortrinnsvis partituranalyse, men i kombinasjon med en hermeneutisk tilnærming til stoffet.

• Hans, Offerdal,; Morten, Christophersen, Bjørn & Harald, Galåen, (2025). Gaute Storaas' filmmusikk: – en filmmusikalsk analyse av Tre nøtter til Askepott og Halvdan viking. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne masteroppgaven presenterer en filmusikalsk analyse av Gaute Storaas´ komposisjoner til de episke barnefilmene Tre nøtter til Askepott (2021) og Halvdan Viking (2018). Gjennom analyse av Storaas´ harmonikk, orkestreringsteknikker, tekstur, klangfarge og melodier, ønsker jeg å se nærmere på hvordan han forener film og musikk, og undersøke hvilke narrative funksjoner og virkemidler som han legger til grunn for å sette musikk til det bevegelige bildet. Oppgaven inkluderer et utvalg av scener, med særlig vekt på åpningssekvenser, landskapsbevegelse, fluktsekvenser og kampscener til hver av filmene; settinger som kan sies å være representative for andre barnefilmer med historie og eventyr som tema.

• Andreas, Oddekalv, Kjell & Henrik, Frøysaker, Truls (2025). Polymetrum: En undersøkelse avv polymetrum i musikken til King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Lartillot, Olivier & Sudo, Marina (2025). AcousMuScope: Users' Guide. Universitetet i Oslo. doi: https:/www.uio.no/ritmo/english/projects/mirage/software/AcousMuScope/index.html. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  AcousMuScope is a new software for music analysis of audio recordings, focusing on the graphical interface to browse into the analyses.

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