Contemporary Musical Virtuosities

Contemporary Musical Virtuosities

Twenty-first century concepts of musical virtuosity are continually evolving, and are the subject of much debate in the academy and in the field. Contemporary Musical Virtuosities is a book project that aims to address frictions generated between conventional definitions and contemporary practices by encompassing a wide range of abilities, practices and processes across genres. This book presents a broad range of practices that provide insights into virtuosity in a contemporary context, offering models for supporting and recognising a plurality of virtuosities, and their implications for musical practice today. The edited collection published by Routledge in 2024 features writings from leading international artists, academics and artist-academics in both the global north and south.

Funded by Australian Research Council (DE200100555), Monash University POCCEE seed funding.

Creative investigators: Dr Louise Devenish and Professor Cat Hope (co-editors and authors), with author contributions from Dr Ros Bandt, Professor Sandeep Bhagwati, Professor Clint Bracknell, Alberto de Campo, Echo Ho, Hannes Holzl, Associate Professor Jonathan Impett, Molly Joyce, David Moran, Dr Sam McAuliffe, Maggie Nicols, Associate Professor Margaret Schedel, Dr Jennifer Torrence, Karina Utomo, Dr Cathy van Eck, Dr Salomé Voegelin and Dr Iran Sanadzadeh.

Link to publication here.

This project stemmed from The New Virtuosity: A Manifesto for Contemporary Sonic Practice, by Prof Cat Hope and Dr Louise Devenish in 2020. It has been translated into Icelandic, Italian, German and Spanish, and available here.