Felicita Brusoni

PhD research project “A Voice beyond the Edge”

My research project is situated within the topic of exploring new fields in the scenario of the extra-normal voice. Research and experiments in this area have already enhanced our knowledge of what humans can do going beyond the limits of voice. So far, not enough investigation has been devoted to devising a method to handle and improve the extended vocal techniques, and to find tools that could provide upgrades for singers who are approaching to extra-normal voice, for those who already practice some techniques and want to improve them or learn others, and for composers who could refer to a specific system of techniques. My research project will focus on developing a coaching method to learn some extended vocal techniques.

Many kinds of sounds will be considered and explored, since there are many still unconsidered and unidentified (for instance, different kinds of multiphonics or the glottal whistle known as M4 mechanism). These techniques will be explored as empirical material, with the aid of experts (doctors, physicians, logopedics) and dedicated laboratories (Human Lab and the medical department in Lund): the aim is to find different ways to produce these extra normal sounds and to train them. So, I will conduct a practical research on myself and, as an extension of that, on other singers through workshops and collaborations with existing institutions around extra-normal voice (Dresden).

One of the outputs of my research project is to build a strong experience around extra-normal voice, giving Malmö a leading place on the international map about this topic. I would like the Malmö Academy of Music to become the Multimedia Center for the Extra-normal Voice, the first one in Scandinavia.

The research outputs will be gathered into a new-born Archive of Extended Vocal Techniques, which will be part of the Multimedia Center. The aim is to communicate the artistic knowledge nationally and internationally using new technology, and to translate the research into directly applicable information. The Archive will have a physical presence inside the Library in the Malmö Academy of Music and a digital presence, using new technology possibilities in the most useful and clear way to enhance knowledge about the voice issue.

Since the aim is also to communicate new knowledge, my intention is to run a New music vocal ensemble with students from the singing classes of the MHM, and to organize concerts and calls for scores dedicated to pieces that involve the extra-normal voice. Singing students will be involved also in collaborations with professional contemporary music ensembles that will be invited in Malmö.

Workshops and lectures about some specific topics on extra-normal voice will be also held: they will involve experts of some techniques who don’t belong to Western traditional world, such as folk singers who routinely produce sounds that extend beyond the bounds of the standard vocal production.

High soprano

Felicita Brusoni (b. 1986, Italy) is a soprano, vocal performer, and a PhD student in Artistic Research with a specialization in voice at Lund University (Sweden) carrying on an inquiry about extended vocal techniques. Some of her research projects were granted by Governor Per Westlings Memorial Fund (Lund University).

Her repertoire ranges pieces for solo voice, voice and electronics, duo with piano or other instruments and ensemble, by composers like Andriessen, Aperghis, Bauckholt, Berio, Bussotti, Cage, Castiglioni, Crumb, Curran, Edgerton, Globokar, Kagel, Kurtág, Lachenmann, Ligeti, Rihm, Saariaho, Scelsi, Sciarrino, Stockhausen, Widmann. She sang as a soloist in operas from the early XXth Century (Britten, Menotti, Puccini) to the contemporary repertoire (world premières by Abou Diab, Avramidou, Corpolongo, Dapelo, Wong, Viel).

She has premiered many pieces written especially for her voice, as she loves working together with composers in a mutual exchange of thoughts. Her last project is a song cycle, Dull Catastrophes and Love Songs, written by Andrea Agostini and premiered at Festival Aperto in Reggio Emilia in November 2022, and it will be soon released as an album. In January 2023 the radio play Sine Sole Sileo by Edoardo Dadone has been released by Stradivarius label.

She has been the voice in residence in composition workshops held by Federico Gardella, Stefano Gervasoni, and Marco Liuni (2020-2023).

Concerts led her to festivals all over Italy and Europe: Biennale di Venezia, Bologna Festival, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Festival Aperto Reggio Emilia, FestMus Castellon de la Plana, John Cage Orgel Foundation Halberstadt, Livorno Music Festival, Lund Contemporary, Mantova Musica, New Music Project San Marino, Ravenna Festival, Rondò by Divertimento Ensemble, Sound Spaces Malmö, Spazio Musica Cagliari, Stockhausen-Konzerte und -Kurse Kürten.

She is co-founder of Helmut Duo together with pianist Matteo Bogazzi, and the first soprano in vocal ensembles Voxnova Italia and Fragmente.

In 2021 she was a semifinalist at Music International Grand Prix and won the 2^nd Prize at Concorso Internazionale Città di Massa. In 2019 she won, in duo with Victor Andrini (bass), the “Special Jury” Prize for the performance of In the sky I am walking (Indianerlieder) by Karlheinz Stockhausen at Note tra i Calanchi Festival in Bagnoregio (Italy). In 2018 she won the “Best Singer” Prize at New Music Project San Marino for her performance of the piece for solo voice Jenseits der Sicherheit by Vinko Globokar. According to the composer, this was the best performance ever of the piece.

During her first years as a singer, Felicita worked with professional ensembles focused on early and baroque music (Ensemble Etruria Barocca, Ensemble San Felice), and sang masterpieces by Bach, Carissimi, Couperin, Händel, Mozart, Vivaldi. She has recorded the oratorios by Carissimi (Iudicium Extremum, Jephte) with Bongiovanni label.

She studied opera singing at the R. Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna (Italy) while obtaining a Bachelor Degree in Disciplines of Art, Music and Performance (2010) from the University of Bologna. Then, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree (2014) in Singing, and a first-class Master's Degree (2017) in Vocal Chamber Music (focused on Lieder and contemporary music repertoire) from the Conservatory in La Spezia (Italy), where she also began to study the French horn. Recently, she obtained a Second Level Master’s Degree (2022) in Vocal Music and Contemporary Musical Theatre from the Conservatory in Ravenna.

She improved in contemporary singing with Alda Caiello, Nicholas Isherwood, Neue Vocalsolisten, and Sarah Maria Sun.

She lives between Italy and Sweden.