Creative Research Conversations
Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University
- 16
- Episodes
- Monthly
- Cadence
- 2023
- First episode
About Creative Research Conversations
Creative Conversations: Research in Music is a podcast presented by the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. The podcast delves into the topics of music, creativity, research and collaboration with musicians, researchers and world-renowned experts that visit our school. From music education, to social justice, feminism, ecopolitics and artistic research - you may be surprised where music can take you. Hosted by Professor Cat Hope. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
- Publisher
- Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University
- Category
- arts · music · science
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 20 Jul 2023
- Latest episode
- 14 Sept 2026
Latest episodes
16 episodes in the feed.
14 Sept 2026
Recomposing Birdsong with Dr. Hollis Taylor
Violinist/composer, zoömusicologist, and author Dr. Hollis Taylor performs her (re)compositions of avian songs on violin alongside her environmental field recordings, and she also reimagines pied butcherbird repertoire for other human instruments and voices. She has held research appointments at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Institute for Advanced Study (Berlin), the Museum of Natural History (Paris), the University of Technology Sydney, and Macquarie University. She received the 2025 Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. In addition to her CD Absolute Bird, she is author of Is Birdsong Music?, Post Impressions, and Music from Another Species: Australian Birdsong Transcriptions. The theme music for Creative Conversations: Research in Music is "Gleam" by Helen Svoboda. Links: Works discussed in this episode can be found at www.hollistaylor.com (www.hollistaylor.com) Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
10 Jul 2026
Artistic Research with Dr. Sonya Lifschitz
Dr. Sonya Lifschitz is an award-winning Ukrainian-Australian pianist, performance-maker, pedagogue, artistic researcher, and cultural leader at the forefront of classical and contemporary art music. Recognised with a 2024 Australian Women in Music Excellence in Classical Music Award, and praised internationally by the New York Times and The Age for her dynamic and powerful performances. She has appeared at major festivals and venues worldwide, including the Barbican Centre in London, the Venice Biennale, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Bargemusic in New York, and all of Australia’s major festivals. With repertoire spanning from 15th-century Faenza Codex to works written for her today, Sonya is known for her fiercely imaginative, daring collaborations across theatre, dance, film, visual art, and spoken word to create work that positions art music at the nexus of interdisciplinary performance practices. The theme music for Creative Conversations: Research in Music is "Gleam" by Helen Svoboda. Links: Works discussed in this episode can be found at www.sonyalifschitz.com (http://www.sonyalifschitz.com/) Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
13 May 2026
Jazz-Trained Women Vocalists with Merinda Dias-Jayasinha
Merinda Dias-Jayasinha is an outstanding, genre-crossing, multi-talented Australian vocalist. Her PhD project at Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music explores jazz-trained women vocalists' experiences of education and professional roles in the music industry. What is unique about Merinda's project is her use of narrative and poetic inquiry methodologies, and the development of techniques informed by an intersectional feminist lens. She uses these methods to explore participant perceptions of intersectional factors facilitating or constraining their career progression and industry engagement. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Aug 2024
Overcoming the Neoliberal University with Artmaking for Empathy with Bronwyn Davies
Today we’ll be joined by Lauren Stewart joined by our guest Professor Bronwyn Davies. Bronwy Davies is an Independent Scholar, Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Emetruis Professor at the University of Western Sydney. She was a professor of Education at James Cook University and then at the University of Western Sydney before becoming an independent scholar in 2009. Bronwyn was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for her work in early childhood at Uppsala University. She is author of 22 books and more than 150 book chapters and papers, many of them co-authored. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Lauren Stewart and Professor Bronwyn Davies. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Aug 2024
Creative Communities with Lauren Stewart
Lauren Stewart is a PhD candidate at Monash University and a recipient of the Monash Graduate Excellence Scholarship (MGES). Her doctoral research takes a holistic approach to the study of songwriting, exploring the technical, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors that can enable or inhibit early-career songwriters’ development. She completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees at Monash University in 2015, specializing in Popular Voice Studies at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music. This was followed by a Bachelor of Music (Honors) degree, which sparked her research interests in popular music, songwriting, and the creative process. Outside of her research pursuits, Lauren works as a singing teacher, a teaching associate, and a vocalist with a variety of bands and ensembles, including the Australian Army Band Corps (Melbourne). This year, she also worked as a music mentor for the ADF Arts for Recovery, Resilience, Teamwork and Skills (ADF ARRTS) program in Canberra. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Aug 2024
Counselling and Comedy with Jonathan Wyatt
Today we’ll be joined by Miranda Park and our guest Professor Jonathan Wyatt. Jonathan is the Professor of Qualitative Inquiry and Director of the Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry, at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. Jonathan trained as a counsellor, part-time, at the Isis Centre in Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. For ten years, he worked in the NHS as a counsellor in primary care and, until moving to Edinburgh in September 2013, ran a small private counselling and supervision practice. He originally worked as an English teacher, then subsequently in youth and community work, before moving into staff development and training. He completed his doctorate at Bristol in narrative and life story research in 2008. Jonathan is an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and a member of the International Association of Qualitative Inquiry, the Narrative Inquiry Centre at Bristol and the Centre for Arts Therapies Research, Roehampton. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Miranda Park and Professor Jonathan Wyatt. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Aug 2024
Musical Women with Cassandra Gibson
Cassandra is a PhD candidate with the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University in Naarm, Australia. She has a bachelor’s degree in music performance with honours (awarded in 2020) through Monash University. Cassandra has also obtained a Bachelor in secondary education from the University of Canberra in 2015 and completed her Licentiate degree with distinction in classical flute performance from the Australian Music Examination Board in 2017. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Aug 2024
Accountability & Autoethnographny with Bryant Keith Alexander
Today we’ll be joined by Cassandra Gibson and our guest Dr Bryant Keith Alexander from Loyola Marymount University in the US. Dr Bryant Keith Alexander is dean of the LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts. He is professor of Communication, Performance and Cultural Studies. Alexander is an active scholar with a distinguished record of teaching, service, professional activity, and a regular performer and keynote speaker at universities and conferences around the US. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Cassandra Gibson and Dr Bryant Keith Alexander. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
29 Aug 2024
Jazz Inequalities with Miranda Park
Miranda Park is a PhD candidate, writer, musician and editor. Her doctoral research is an intersectional feminist, narrative examination of students’ and teachers’ experiences in Australian tertiary jazz institutions. This project involves fieldwork across three jazz courses in Australia, with the aim of understanding how individual and institutional practices and beliefs contribute to, or challenge, enduring inequalities in higher jazz education. Miranda is part of the ARC-funded project Diversifying Music in Australia: Gender Equity in Jazz and Improvisation at Monash University, which investigates the gendered practices of inclusion and exclusion in the Australian jazz and improvisation industry. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
7 Sept 2023
Creativity & Collaboration: A bonus conversation with Professor Margaret Barrett & Professor Stacy Holman-Jones
In this special bonus episode, we'll be joining our head-of-school Professor Margaret Barrett in conversation with our host Professor Stacy Holman-Jones. Professor Margaret Barrett is a leading figure in Australian and international music education. She is currently professor and Head of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance at Monash University. She is currently Founding Director of the Pedagogies of Creativity, Collaboration, Expertise and Enterprise (or PoCCEE for short) research focus at Monash. Join Stacy and Margaret as they discuss the importance of creativity and collaboration in research! Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
24 Aug 2023
Ecologies of practice: A conversation with Joseph Callaly
In this episode, we'll be joining PhD Candidate Joseph Callaly in conversation with our host Professor Stacy Holman-Jones. Joseph contemporary musician whose practice blends performance and research. In particular, his writing examines the intersection of creative practice and ecological theory - following the notion that the environment is perceived by way of action. Central themes of Joseph’s PhD inquiry include: the relationality of powers enacted through forms of creativity, the question of creative agency within a more-than-human world, and the political significance of the labourization of creativity. By examining interdisciplinary models and practices, Joseph aims to contribute to the rewilding of creativity, thereby elevating the diversity of forms in which it appears. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
21 Aug 2023
The Politics of Music Education: An interview with Dr. Alexis Kallio
In this episode we'll be joining PhD candidate Joseph Callaly in conversation with Dr Alexis Kallio from the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Dr. Kallio is Deputy Director (Research) of the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University and Deputy Director of the Creative Arts Research Institute. A specialist in the politics of music education and research methodologist, she works in close collaboration with community groups, policymakers, and educational institutions to explore how music education policy, practice, and research can structure opportunities for equity and justice in school, university, and community settings. In this interview Joseph explores Alexis’ research and perspectives on Music Education. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
10 Aug 2023
Music Engagement in Aged Care: A conversation with Iris Kennedy
In this episode, we'll be joining research assistant Iris Kennedy in conversation with our host Professor Stacy Holman-Jones. Iris is a research assistant at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, she’s also our concerts and social media coordinator. She’s the person behind the microphone producing this podcast! Iris is a musician, poet and writer. She completed her honours degree in musicology/ethnomusicology in 2021, researching the impacts of older adult’s music engagement in aged care. Iris is interested in the impact of music and the creative arts on health and wellbeing throughout the lifespan. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
3 Aug 2023
Communal Music Making for Social Justice: An interview with Katherine Zeserson
In this episode we'll be joining research assistant, musician, writer and our very own podcast producer Iris Kennedy in conversation with Katherine Zeserson. Katherine Zeserson is a UK-based strategic thinker, facilitator, musician, writer and community music advocate. She has worked across a wide spectrum of organisations and communities - from early years settings to universities, grassroots women’s groups to local municipality departments, and small arts collectives to government ministries, major arts centres and concert halls. From 2001 to 2015 Katherine was Founding Director of Learning and Participation at Sage Gateshead (http://www.sagegateshead.com/) in the Northeast of England, responsible for the strategic design and leadership of its music learning and participation programme, delivering across the Northeast of England, nationally and internationally. She is a co-founder and Chair of the Board of Sing Up Ltd (https://www.singup.org/)., a member of the Board of Dash Arts (UK) and Chair of the Blackhall Mill Community Association. In this interview Iris explores Katherine’s work in community music, and creative practice. Links: Find out more about Katherine Zeserson's work here (https://www.zeserson.com/)! Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
27 Jul 2023
Feminist Bogan Dramaturgy: A conversation with Mish Grigor
In this episode, we'll be joining theatre-maker and our very own doctoral student Mish Grigor in conversation with our host Professor Stacy Holman-Jones. Mish Grigor is a performing arts maker, writer and performer. She works across a range of collaborative formats. Mish is co-director of APHIDS with Lara Thomas, and one third of POST with Zoe Coombs Marr and Natalie Rose. Mish is a PhD researcher at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance Monash University, working under the 'Staging Australian Women's Lives' ARC project, and is proposing a feminist bogan dramaturgy. Links: Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
20 Jul 2023
Making Art at the End of the World: An interview with Professor Natalie Loveless
In this episode, we'll be joining theatre-maker and our very own doctoral student Mish Grigor in conversation with Professor Natalie Loveless. Professor Natalie Loveless is Professor of Contemporary Art and Theory in the Department of Art & Design at the University of Alberta, located in ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan) on Treaty Six territory, where she also directs the Research-Creation and Social Justice CoLABoratory. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists). Natalie’s most recent book, How to Make Art at the End of the World: A Manifesto for Research-Creation, was published in 2019. In this interview Mish explores Natalie’s research, perspectives on creative research within a university setting and her approach to creative practice. Links: Find out more about Professor Natalie Loveless' work here (http://www.loveless.ca/about)! Check out Professor Natalie Loveless' most recent book, How to Make Art at the End of the World: A Manifesto for Research-Creation (https://www.dukeupress.edu/how-to-make-art-at-the-end-of-the-world) Find out more about the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music & Performance (https://www.monash.edu/arts/music-performance) at Monash University Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MonashUniversitySchoolofMusicandPerformance/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/monash_school_of_music/) & Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusicAtMonash)! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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