Dottorato

Il Dottorato si prefigge un dialogo innovativo fra la pratica e la ricerca nella musica e nelle arti performative, implementando formazione teorica, metodologica e critica anche in una prospettiva interdisciplinare, multidisciplinare e transdisciplinare. Il Dottorato MUSART intende valorizzare e stimolare la ricerca negli ambiti della creazione, della performance e della riflessione teorica su e intorno alla musica e alle arti performative; si prefigge inoltre di accrescere l’interazione e il dialogo di tali ambiti di ricerca con le scienze e in particolare con le discipline STEM, secondo una prospettiva trasversale e interdisciplinare. La trasversalità contribuisce all’emergere di linee di pensiero e di pratiche innovative, producendo quindi nuove prospettive epistemologiche e artistiche.

Il risultato della ricerca dovrà configurarsi secondo una delle due tipologie seguenti:

La realizzazione di eventi performativi, la produzione di opere, oggetti o dispositivi artistici, in concomitanza con la scrittura di una tesi (in italiano o in inglese) che fornisca nuove conoscenze attingendo a una varietà di campi teorici e scientifici.
Una tesi scritta (in italiano o in inglese), eventualmente corredata da supporti multimediali.

Engl:

The PhD aims at an innovative dialogue between practice and research in music and performing arts, implementing theoretical, methodological and critical training also in an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective. The PhD MUSART fosters research in the fields of creation, performance and theoretical reflection on music and around music and the performing arts; moreover, it aims to relate them in a transversal and interdisciplinary way to the STEM disciplines. Transversality contributes to the emergence of innovative lines of thought and practices, thus producing new epistemological and artistic perspectives.

The research results must be presented in one of the following two formats:

a) The realisation of performative events, the production of works, objects or artistic devices, in conjunction with the writing of a thesis (in Italian or English) providing new knowledge drawing on a variety of theoretical and scientific fields.

b) A written thesis (in Italian or English), possibly accompanied by multimedia support.

Collegio dottorale:

Candida Felici, Conservatorio di Milano, Coordinatrice
Elisabetta Andreani, Conservatorio di Milano
Livio Aragona, Conservatorio di Milano
Giacomo Danese, Conservatorio di Firenze
Peter Dejans, Orpheus Instituut
Leonardo De Lisi, Conservatorio di Firenze
Annamaria Fornasier, Conservatorio di Firenze
Fabiola Gianotti, CERN di Ginevra
Stefano Lombardi Vallauri, Università IULM di Milano
Gabriele Manca, Conservatorio di Milano
Roberto Perata, Conservatorio di Milano
Marco Rapetti Gasparrini, Conservatorio di Firenze
Augusto Sarti, Politecnico di Milano
Francesco Torrigiani, Conservatorio di Firenze

XLI ciclo
A.A. 2025/2026 XL ciclo
A.A. 2024/2025

Prec Succ

XLI ciclo – A.A. 2025/2026

Attività

Scarica il bando
198.7KB
Decreto nomina Commissione esaminatrice ed elenco candidature pervenute
148.5KB
Decreto di rettifica per errore materiale del decreto nomina Commissione esaminatrice
175.5KB
Verbale n. 1 Commissione esaminatrice
180.5KB

Verbale n. 2 Commissione esaminatrice
131.8KB
Convocazione prova orale del 3 novembre 2025 (estratto verbale n. 2)
97.8KB
Verbale n. 3 Commissione esaminatrice
143.0KB
Decreto graduatoria finale
88.5KB

XL ciclo – A.A. 2024/2025

Il Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano e il Conservatorio L. Cherubini di Firenze indicono in forma associata il bando di selezione per l’ammissione al corso di Dottorato (PhD) in “Musica, arti performative e STEM” (MUSART), con sede amministrativa presso il Conservatorio di Musica G. Verdi di Milano.
Il Dottorato si prefigge un dialogo innovativo fra la pratica e la ricerca nella musica e nelle arti performative, implementando formazione teorica, metodologica e critica anche in una prospettiva interdisciplinare, multidisciplinare e transdisciplinare. Pur preservando le differenti prospettive dei campi di indagine della creazione, della performance e della riflessione teorica su e intorno alla musica e alle arti performative, tale dottorato intende porle in relazione in modo trasversale e interdisciplinare con le discipline STEM. La trasversalità contribuisce all’emergere di linee di pensiero e di pratica innovative, producendo quindi nuove prospettive epistemologiche e artistiche.

Il risultato della ricerca dovrà configurarsi secondo una delle due tipologie seguenti:

La realizzazione di eventi performativi, la produzione di opere, oggetti o dispositivi artistici, in concomitanza con la scrittura di una tesi (in italiano o in inglese) che fornisca nuove conoscenze attingendo a una varietà di campi teorici e scientifici.
Una tesi scritta (in italiano o in inglese), eventualmente corredata da supporti multimediali.

Collegio dottorale:

Candida Felici, Conservatorio di Milano, Coordinatrice
Elisabetta Andreani, Conservatorio di Milano
Livio Aragona, Conservatorio di Milano
Giacomo Danese, Conservatorio di Firenze
Peter Dejans, Orpheus Instituut
Leonardo De Lisi, Conservatorio di Firenze
Annamaria Fornasier, Conservatorio di Firenze
Fabiola Gianotti, CERN di Ginevra
Stefano Lombardi Vallauri, Università IULM di Milano
Gabriele Manca, Conservatorio di Milano
Roberto Perata, Conservatorio di Milano
Marco Rapetti Gasparrini, Conservatorio di Firenze
Augusto Sarti, Politecnico di Milano
Francesco Torrigiani, Conservatorio di Firenze

INVIA LA CANDIDATURA

Dottorandi

David Antúnez Rodríguez

The Interpreter Alongside. Multimodal communication practices in music creation.

This artistic research aims to revalue the role of the interpreter in music by enhancing their creative involvement within composition, and to question the current tendency of reducing the ‘dialogue’ between interpreters and composers to the practical (and hermeneutic) relationship through the mediation of a written score. Therefore, the notion of textuality in music must be re-examined in order to extend its meaning beyond the limitations of traditional notation, to encompass other layers related to orality that give rise to a redefined text. Furthermore, new strategies are to be developed in collaboration with interpreters to enhance the uniqueness of performance, by working, for example, with the creative possibilities of their perception and memory applied to composition. A fundamental aspect of this research entails the analysis of multimodal communication systems within the paradigm of collaborative/co-creative encounters between interpreter and composer. While there are studies on multimodal communication in musical contexts, the majority of these focus on cases from masterclasses, pedagogical contexts, and rehearsals. However, the multimodal communication in the relationship between interpreter and composer has not yet been the subject of in-depth study, especially in relation to the analysis of the moment of musical creation, in which practices of collaboration, research and/or co-creation can be developed. Consequently, this research endeavour seeks to broaden the existing scientific studies in this domain. It is important to note that this theoretical approach is in continuous dialogue with the researcher’s own artistic practice, since the methodologies developed with and for the interpreters are found and applied in a series of case studies consisting of new compositions closely conceived alongside the interpreters.

Simone Cardini

The Space Between
Orchestrating Layered Agency in Spatial-MPE Chamber Praxis

Abstract

This research integrates MPE and volumetric control to define the Spatial-MPE as a unified metainstrument. By binding the electronic voice to continuous gestural energy, the performer assumes full morphological responsibility for the sonic envelope, shaping the sound’s evolution beyond the grid of discrete events. This praxis enables a model of layered agency, where the musician orchestrates simultaneous planes of Dynamics, Timbre, and Space, embedding the fluidity of physical phrasing within the digital domain.

To render this interplay reproducible, the study codifies a multi-layered notation system. This grammar captures the nuances of 5D touch (Seaboard) and aerial sculpting (Airwave), formalizing the continuity of gestural articulation to establish a transferable repertoire.

The artistic synthesis is “The Oak Tree”, a cycle of electroacoustic Lieder for voice and ensemble. Rooted in practice-based research, the work investigates Liminal Sonorities, transforming the meta-instrument into a breathing, responsive voice within the chamber dialogue.

Julian Croatto

JULIAN CROATTO

Musical translation in Uruguayan guitar music

What role does translation play in guitar composition, transcription, and performance?
The concept of translation will be used to analyze a series of musical processes in works by the Uruguayan composers Héctor Tosar and Coriún Aharonián, written or arranged for guitar. References to tango will be identified, especially to Gerardo Matos Rodríguez’s famous La Cumparsita, translated by each composer in different ways: as a quote, a stylistic reference to the specific tango-era of the song, and modeling of his structure. It will be shown how the chosen pieces also contain intersemiotic translations of tango poetry and dance.

Translation plays a fundamental role both in tango tradition and in classical guitar repertoire. The main outputs of this research are the translation of ¿y ahora? for solo guitar and Ritmo de tango for guitar and guitarrón duo, traditional tango instruments. By choosing the term translation we seek a transcription that goes further than adapting the pieces to a new instrument. In the process important issues come into play such as: identity, dialogue, (mis)understanding, conflict and cultural exchange.

Translation will be analysed both as a process and a result in composition, transcription and performance. Some relevant questions arise: is there also in musical translation a transfer of meaning? Does a reformulation of a message occur? Do we find in the translated music what Walter Benjamin describes as the “echo of the original”? Is there also in music the equivalent to a message to be reproduced in such a way that it can be understood?

Alice Cusi

UNRAVELLING MATTER: sound, matter, space, relations.

This research stems from a reflection on the role of spatialization in electroacoustic composition, with the intent of developing a musical language that moves beyond the generic notion of an evocative immersive experience. Space is understood here as a compositional parameter of equal relevance to more conventional ones, both in acousmatic and mixed music.

Spatialization is intended as localization and tangible movement of sound objects, as well as the construction of dynamic virtual spaces, within the compositional process and in relation to the performative space. The aim of the research is to approach spatialization as a means of foregrounding the material aspects of the musical work and of revealing a network of dynamic relations and interactions that emerge between sound objects, the composer, musical form, the listener, and the environment.

The adopted methodology frames artistic practice as an experimental phase and is articulated through the development of compositional strategies informed by several interconnected lines of inquiry. The study of relationships between sound and matter opens up the possibility of approaching sound objects in space as tangible entities with their own physical properties and behaviour; the observation of performative gesture from the perspective of physical materiality draws attention to interface phenomena – such as the action of forces or the microscopic behavior of materials – which can be incorporated as compositional sources; finally, creation of dynamic spatial dramaturgies unfolds through reflection on the agency of sound objects and of virtual and performative spaces.

Pietro Paolo Dinapoli

Pietro Paolo Dinapoli

The hyper-guitar

Abstract

Il progetto di ricerca “Hyper-guitar” esplora metodologie compositive e performative che integrano la chitarra classica con sistemi controllati di feedback audio. L’obiettivo è sviluppare pratiche compositive strutturate e notate in partitura, superando l’approccio improvvisativo.
Il nucleo del progetto è il Feed-Guitar, un sistema di chitarra classica aumentata in cui il feedback viene trattato come elemento compositivo con comportamento parzialmente non-lineare. A differenza dell’approccio deterministico tradizionale, la ricerca non mira alla ripetibilità assoluta, ma alla mappatura di “zone di controllo” – configurazioni parametriche in cui il sistema tende a manifestare comportamenti prevedibili entro margini definiti. Questo approccio permette la creazione di partiture strutturate che incorporano l’instabilità controllata come materiale compositivo.
Il progetto si articola in tre componenti integrate.  - Analisi sistematica delle tecniche estese chitarristiche mediante metodologie MIR (Music Information Retrieval), finalizzata alla creazione di una mappa timbrica che correla parametri gestuali ed esecutivi con caratteristiche spettrali e comportamento acustico. Questa mappatura costituisce la base per la progettazione degli algoritmi.  - Sviluppo di un sistema di feedback auto-adattivo che, analizzando in tempo reale il comportamento non-lineare dello strumento, identifica e stabilizza le zone di controllo utilizzabili in contesto compositivo.  - Implementazione di un prototipo basato su reti neurali per il riconoscimento automatico delle tecniche estese, aprendo possibilità per futuri sviluppi in contesti multimediali.
I risultati forniranno strumenti operativi per compositori e interpreti: un catalogo di tecniche estese analizzate spettralmente, protocolli di notazione per sistemi feedback-based, algoritmi funzionanti e strategie performative documentate attraverso un repertorio di composizioni originali per chitarra classica e live electronics.

Michael G. Jennings

J.S. Bach’s Clavier Übung I
A Rhetorical Perspective

The present doctoral project aims to inquire the stylistic and semantic complexities and the symbolic layers of Bach’s I Volume of the Clavier Übung’s (CÜ I), as well as its possible performative outputs, through the lens and conceptual categories of rhetoric.

Recognizing that J.S. Bach’s music, as well as that of his predecessors and contemporaries, was listened to, understood and experienced in a very different way than today is a fundamental premise for the current project: since music reflects a series of shared cultural, social, religious and aesthetical paradigms that have, though, for the most part been lost in our contemporary active listening habits, the research will approach and explain CÜ I’s multilayered complexities by utilizing those very concepts, categories and ideas upon which and with which it was first conceived: both as a strict discipline, as well as a broader analogy for expression, rhetoric was embedded in the society Bach lived in on multiple levels and dictated a general way of thinking in the arts and in music, on a theoretical, compositional and performative level.

In this regard, one must only think of J.J. Quantz’ quote for which “musical expression is comparable to that of an orator” to grasp the pivotal role that rhetoric embodies for understanding Bach’s music and that of his artistic heritage, as this statement is but a result of a centuries-long debate and elaboration of ideas throughout Europe that established strict correlations and parallelisms between music and rhetoric, both at a structural-compositional level, as well as at a surface and performative one. By studying the sources of this rhetorical conception of music-making that Bach shared, its implications with theology, numerology, dance and many other disciplines, the research will be able to explore CÜ I’s text in a new light, enabling us to study, listen and perform it as an eloquent and persuasive discourse, with newer conceptual tools and with a fresher, more authentic – in R. Taruskin’s understanding of the term – approach.

Raffaele Marsicano

Mistake: Error as Opportunity and Method.

Abstract

The research investigates the non-traditional sonic possibilities of brass instruments, aiming to recognise and reframe them as creative resources. It focuses particularly on accidental sounds, treating instrumental errors not as deviations from established norms, but as sonic opportunities and operative principles for compositional and performative practice. From this perspective, error is conceived as a generative phenomenon, capable of opening new modes of listening, performing, and compositional thinking.
Drawing on direct observation in instrumental class contexts and the analysis of recurrent errors in traditional practice, the research examines the processes through which unstable, ambiguous, or unconventional sounds emerge. These phenomena are explored across three descriptive domains—physiological, spectral, and perceptual— linking bodily gesture, the acoustic behaviour of the instrument, and the listener’s experience of sound.
At the core of the project is the development of a “sound mapping”, conceived not as a normative or classificatory system, but as an operative tool that makes the relationships between body, instrument, and sonic outcome legible. This mapping provides a foundation for artistic exploration and the creation of studies, performances, and compositions, while opening up new possibilities for performative and pedagogical experimentation.

Liliana Parisi

The Pianist in Contemporary Music
An Investigation On and Through Gesture

The pianist, through their own body, performs a creative act that begins with the score and flourishes in the personal interpretation of the compositional material. Beyond the gesture as codified within the extensive literature of piano technique, this project aims to delineate the intermediate zone between physical gesture and gesture as metaphor, in order to rethink my pianistic practice within contemporary music by un-learning acquired gestural habits.
The investigation begins with a definition of what gesture is not, focusing on the uniqueness of each interpretation, which is always characterized by a “doing that invents while doing” (Pareyson). This conception finds a theoretical reference in the reflections of Carlo Sini, for whom memory is not a repository of the past, but an active operation – a “reactivation” that transforms what has been into present experience. Gesture thus becomes the vehicle of a form of embodied memory, not mere repetition; memory manifests itself as a form of “voluntary amnesia,” insofar as every new music is also music from the past that has intelligently learned to forget itself (Berio).
From a methodological perspective, the research combines analysis, instrumental practice, and interdisciplinary experimentation. Alongside the study of contemporary repertoire, the project involves collaboration with living composers and experimentation with a contemporary dancer. Drawing on labanian eukinetics, the aim is not to add a choreographic dimension to piano performance, but to use the body as a critical tool for rethinking interpretation.
This work seeks to investigate what remains of gesture when sound withdraws, and how the memory of doing continues to operate even in absence. The project thus proposes a reflection on gesture as a form of embodied thought that, traversing past and present musical experience, configures itself as the true creative act of interpretation.

Scarica il bando
139.4KB
Rettifica scadenza bando
270.4KB
Notifica data di scadenza
52.6KB
Decreto nomina commissione valutatrice
72.2KB
Verbale n. 1 della Commissione esaminatrice
126.5KB
Decreto candidature pervenute
120.9KB
Avviso prova orale
73.1KB
Verbale n. 2 della Commissione esaminatrice
70.5KB

Verbale n. 3 della Commissione esaminatrice
104.5KB
Decreto candidature ammesse alla prova orale del 13 settembre 2024
86.5KB
Avviso prova orale - Cronoprogramma
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Verbale n. 4 della Commissione esaminatrice
56.4KB
Decreto graduatoria finale
89.0KB
Decreto rettifica graduatoria finale
86.6KB
Locandina Seminario dei Dottorandi, Firenze 26 e 27 settembre
232.1KB
Libretto Seminario dei Dottorandi, Firenze 26 e 27 settembre
385.3KB

Bosco della Musica

Unisciti al Conservatorio

Informazioni per iscrizioni Erasmus

Calendario generale

Calendario generale

I progetti del Conservatorio

Biblioteca del Conservatorio

Dottorato

Collegio dottorale:

XLI ciclo – A.A. 2025/2026

Attività

XL ciclo – A.A. 2024/2025

Dottorandi

David Antúnez Rodríguez