In the Making #15: Research in Performance

*Image Credit: Portrait picture of Karin Hellqvist, by Oskar Kullander

ITM #15 – February 12th, 19:00

Research in Performance

With Karin Hellqvist

In the second session of this year’s series, acclaimed violinist Karin Hellqvist will present her exploration of performer creativity and collaborative work in music creation.

In the context of her PhD project in artistic research at the Norwegian Academy of Music in the years 2018–2024, Karin has explored the expansion of the artistic palette as a multidimensional concept comprising embodied, contextual, relational and intuitive dimensions. Her research explored how the performer could embrace a broad scope of creative possibilities. In this period, she worked in collaboration with composers such as Liza Lim, Carola Bauckholt and Manos Tsangaris.

The presentation will include the live performance of one of the works she developed in collaboration. After her presentation, a panel discussion will follow with a number of artist researchers engaged in music performance who will share and discuss on their trajectories and challenges.

Bio

Swedish violinist, researcher, and educator Karin Hellqvist works at the forefront of contemporary music. A sought-after soloist and committed chamber musician, she pairs exploratory curiosity with precision, developing new works through close collaboration with composers and interdisciplinary artists. Her projects frequently expand violin practice through electronics, objects, and sound-based approaches, challenging traditional concert formats and modes of artistic creation.

Karin performs with leading Scandinavian ensembles—including Cikada, Oslo Sinfonietta, neoN, KammarensembleN, and Duo Hellqvist/Amaral—championing both commissioned works and the broader modern repertoire. She appears regularly at major international festivals and her recordings include the acclaimed solo albums flock and Palette on LAWO Classics.

From 2018–2025 she was a PhD artistic research fellow at the Norwegian Academy of Music, publishing on collaborative and creative processes and investigating expanded roles for the classical musician.