Automatic translation by Google Translate.We cannot guarantee that it is accurate.
Skoða vefinn á ÍslenskuSamhengi: Korda Samfónía & MetamorPhonics
Korda Samfónía & MetamorPhonics as an approach to socially engaged music making.
Þorbjörg and Sigrún will introduce the research project Building Bridges Through Collaboration (BBTC) (2024-27) founded by the Iceland Research Council, which will investigate three bands created and run by MetamorPhonics (MP): Korda Samfónía (Reykjavík, Iceland, founded in 2021), The Messengers (London, UK, founded in 2012) and a third band based in York being set up in connection to this project.
The presentation will focus on the work of Korda Samfónía, which consists of students from the Iceland University of the Arts and individuals who have or are still actively seeking support from occupational rehabilitation programmes across Iceland. Like all MP bands, Korda only performs music which is collaboratively composed by the group´s members. The band has achieved considerable milestones and interest in its four years, including a nomination for Event of the Year at the Iceland Music Awards in 2022, accepting the Encouragement Award in 2023, releasing an album of their original music and having a documentary TV programme aired on National TV.
The BBTC research project aims to comprehensively investigate MetamorPhonics’ (MP) community music practice and its impact on participants. It encompasses multiple aspects, including understanding the profiles and motivations of MP band members, exploring the principles and beliefs that guide MP, and comparing them to other community music practices. The project also delves into the core pedagogic approaches utilized by MP, investigating the strategies, methodologies, and instructional techniques that shape its practice. It examines how the social context and characteristics of participants inform the musical approach and leadership within MP. Additionally, the project explores the significance of the MP experience for band members, including the personal, social, and musical impact of participation and potential spillover effects on participants’ lives and engagement with broader communities.
Within the presentation the application process for Korda Samfónía will be explained for anyone interested in joining the programme for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Dr. Þorbjörg Daphne Hall is a Professor of Musicology at the Iceland University of the Arts. Her research has focused on exploring contemporary popular music in Iceland and the reception of jazz in Iceland. She is the PI of a research project on the social impact of participatory community music funded by the Icelandic Research Fund 2024-2027. Hall has published and presented conference papers internationally and is the co-editor of the book Sounds Icelandic (Equnox Press, 2017). She is the co-editor of the journal Þræðir, published by the Iceland University of the Arts.
Sigrún Sævarsdóttir-Griffiths is a musician, educator and music leader, with an international career spanning over 25 years, working within higher education and various social and community contexts. For 12 years, Sigrun was Course Leader of the Masters in Leadership Programme at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she continues to lecture and lead artistic work. She has guest lectured at the Iceland University of the Arts from 2000 and is founder and artistic director of MetamorPhonics, an award-winning Community Interest Company, establishing performing and recording musical bands, in collaboration with higher education institutions, occupation rehabilitation centres and homeless charities in the UK and in Iceland. Sigrun is passionate about enabling music making and access to the arts an essential, unifying element of life, in every community.
