Discussion Forum

Who Gets to Be Heard and What Are We Hearing? Rethinking Inclusion in Contemporary Music

Nikki Moran (Chair), Tia DeNora, Gema Swaratyagita, Gordon Dougall and Atzi Muramatsu

This panel discussion examines reciprocal relationships between inclusivity and contemporary music-making. It addresses key questions such as: How can we establish practices that are genuinely inclusive? And how does inclusivity shape and enrich the artistic output? By commissioning new works from marginalised communities, we not only cultivate more inclusive creative processes but also produce art that is more resonant, relevant, and reflective of a broader range of human experiences. We also consider what inclusive music-making in educational contexts can offer creative practice more broadly.

This panel brings together experienced and inspirational practitioners and academics to explore how contemporary music can better reflect the full spectrum of human experience. By commissioning new works that centre the stories, voices, and perspectives of marginalised communities, we don’t just address issues of equity—we also expand the creative possibilities of the art form itself. Inclusive practices don’t dilute artistic excellence; they deepen it, offering richer, more resonant music that speaks to a broader audience.

Join us as we rethink what it means to "be heard" in music today—and who gets to shape the sounds of tomorrow.

Dr Nikki Moran is a musicologist and a senior lecturer in music at Edinburgh University with an interdisciplinary specialism in music psychology and ethnography. Her work examines the social situation of musical performance, focusing on the interpersonal processes that enable people to participate in expressive arts. Projects to date have involved elite North Indian instrumentalists, jazz and free improvisers, and western classical ensembles and conductors. She Editor-in-Chief of Psychology of Music (SAGE)., a former President of the International Society for Interdisciplinary Musicology (2022-4), and co-Chair of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (2019-21).

Tia DeNora is a Fellow of the British Academy and holds two professorships, at the universities of Bergen (Norway) and Exeter (UK). She is also a faculty fellow at Yale University and is widely regarded as one the most influential academics in the world working within area of music and sociology. Her pioneering publications have help led a global revolution within musicology and her books have not only changed how we think about music and health, she has helped make the academic study of music more vital, relatable, relevant and engaging for generations of academics, therapists and the general public.

Gema Swaratyagita is a musician and composer exploring interdisciplinary arts. Since her Tubuka (2018) works, she developed her research and method in music composition based on bodies, sound, and words. Her works entitled Tuwakatsa (2018), the Ngangon Kaedan series: Dongeng Polifoni (2018), Dari Ruang Rahim (2019) and Jeng Sri (2020), as well as the short opera film BANE (2021) are compositions that raise a more therapeutic theme and explore a lot of vocal (sound) and percussive elements as the main sound instrument. Gema founded Laring Collective as a sound-based creative activity, musicians and artists collective, which focuses on cross-disciplinary collaborative work. She has studied with Slamet Abdul Sjukur as well as several masterclass sessions with Dieter Mack, Roderik de Man, Manfred Stahnke, and Gatot Danar Sulistiyanto. As a composer, her works have been performed at the Modern Ensemble at the Holland Festival, Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival, Indonesian Composers Week, Solo International Gamelan Festival, Djakarta Theater Platform, and Musim Seni Salihara. Apart from working and teaching, this women composer who has received EWA Kelola is also the director of the Pertemuan Music and one of the co-founder of the Perempuan Komponis: Forum & Lab.

Gordon Dougall founded Limelight Music in 1989, and since then, his mentorship skills have supported the careers of many of Scotland’s disabled musicians and performers. He helped establish the first generation of professional disabled music workshop leaders and Musical Theatre directors. He has works with people of all ages and all abilities, and has a unique wealth of experience in using music in all its outputs to engage individuals, groups and communities. This, coupled with his experience as an award-winning musical director and composer has enabled him to create projects which are truly transformative and completely engaging for the communities he works with.
Gordon has worked across Europe and in the USA and Africa, and as Limelight Music’s Artistic Director and heads their successful and unique inclusive training programme, finding and educating young adults from disabled communities across the country and providing them with secure employment, mentorship and support.

Atzi Muramatsu is an award-winning multi-disciplinary composer and cellist based in Edinburgh. His works are seen in multiplicity of genres - concerts, dance, poetry, visual art, and film. His artistry is rooted in free improvisation, embodied music cognition, and inclusive music-making. He plays in various contemporary and experimental ensembles including Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and New String Collective. As Creative Director of the pioneering inclusive music charity Sonic Bothy, he leads innovation in new music with disabled artists - radically advocating for equality in contemporary music. His music features in three BAFTA winning films, including a New Talent Award in 2016.

GIOFest XVII

Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra hosts the internationally acclaimed 2024 edition of their annual festival: GIOFest. This year sees GIOFest XVII bring together artists from around the world, presenting newly commissioned work created especially for GIO’s unique and diverse ensemble.

Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra - one of the world’s leading large improvising ensembles - is the hub of a truly international community of musicians, reflected in the range of works they perform, and in their year-round programme of innovative collaborations with groups and artists from across the world.

The festival will present a series of concerts, workshops, films and discussions, exploring new possibilities for large ensemble performance, improvisation and composition. We will host a live interactive virtual event with artists from around the world.

This year the focus is on our collaborations with partners from South East Asia – Indonesia, Japan and Sri Lanka, with artists and groups from these countries joining us here in Glasgow for GIOfest.

www.glasgowimprovisersorchestra.com

Festival Passes

Festival passes can be bought here.

Passes grant access to GIOFest's full programme, however you must still book a free ticket for each event you want to attend.