Folk Song Lab
Folk Song Lab is an educational and artistic research project that focuses on the creation of new folk songs through deconstruction and improvisation.
Project manager and accountable authority: Susanne Rosenberg, KMH
Co-applicant: Fredrik Ullén, Karolinska Institutet
Finansiär: The Research Council (artistic research)
Project period: 2019-2022
Purpose and research questions
In the project, improvisation in folk song is tested within the framework of traditional forms of folk song: the ballad, the lyrical song, the chorale, etc. Where are the boundaries between improvising, composing, arranging? Are these borders more of a late construct?
The project has been ongoing since 2015 and has been presented in article form and at many conferences like Folk Trad Now, Röstforum, Nordic Network for vocal folk music and others. The project will be presented during more conferences and result in educational material and further articles.
Collaborating parties
The project is conducted in collaboration with students and teachers at KMH, but also together with external partners such as the Sibelius Academy, Finland, the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, UL, Ireland, and in collaboration with other current research projects in improvisation, for example opera improvisation with Sara Willén, Malmö Academy of Music.
A collaboration has also been initiated with Professor Fredrik Ullén at Karolinska Institutet, KI, with a focus on music and health to connect the Folk Song Lab project with the research expertise available at KI.