My Themes — Victoria Tzotzkova

I

The Art & Science of Playing One Note

The subject of my doctoral thesis: piano tone as a meditative practice, where sound and the means of its production become one. The discussion draws on cognitive theory (Varela, Neisser, Bach-y-Rita) and sound studies. Three directions run through it — a Romantic sensibility toward tone, audio-haptics (a merged auditory-tactile capacity), and improvisation-like real-time adjustment.

II

Preludes and Repertoire

Improvised preluding practices inspired by Romantic keyboard traditions, particularly Chopin and Liszt, incorporating keyboard harmony and music analysis. I think of preluding as a way of developing creative agency — a sense of authoring one’s own performance actions.

III

Creative Agency in Classical Music Performance

Drawing on the work of sociologists McCormick and Hunter, this theme addresses how classical-music institutions maintain restrictive authority structures, and advocates for fostering performers’ sense of ownership and creative freedom.

IV

Collaborative Listening

Listening is always a creative act. Using a lighting metaphor, this theme illustrates how audiences actively co-create the experience of a concert.