During the COVID lockdowns, I missed seeing the audience. It was strange – one would think that audiences don’t do anything at a concert, yet the music felt very different without them. But I slowly realized just how much audiences help me shape the music through the way that they listen.

I began to research works by composers whose music explored the act of listening, especially Pauline Oliveros, James Tenney, and Cornelius Cardew. When concerts became possible again, I created many programs which involved audiences actively participating the performance. I still find this a fascinating and exciting way of making music together, and I realized there was much more I could learn.

Cristiano Viviani, a jazz multi-instrumentalist and colleague of mine in the Royal Conservatory, spoke with me about this one afternoon, and that led to our creation of a musical laboratory in The Hague, which we called Play!. In workshops with audience, musicians, and music students, we search for the meanings of the sounds we create, and explore music through lenses including our expectations, community, and history. The workshops culminate in a final performance, created and curated by all participants.