Orpheus Sounds

What does it mean to slow down in 2026? How could we connect differently with each other and with our environments? In this episode, we speak to Yuri Tuma, sound researcher, listening artist, and director of the Institute for Post Natural Studies in Madrid about why "post nature" works better as an invitation than a definition, and how active listening can be an act of resistance against pressures...

How can we make contact with the sounds and habits of the nineteenth century? In this episode, we speak to Emily Worthington, co-principal investigator of the research cluster Performance and Embodiment at Orpheus Instituut. She tells us about how playing the clarinet can sometimes involve time-travel and what our bodies can teach us about making music and bringing history to life through musical...

On today's episode, we talk to electronic musician and sound artist Hainbach about how to discover amazing sounds in the most unexpected places and from the most unusual sources. Finding the fascination in big dials and knobs and pushing his equipment to the edge of its capabilities (and sometimes beyond), Hainbach introduces us to his site-specific world of exciting new sounds. Join us on a journ...

Today, we hear from William Texeira, a cellist specialising in the performance of new music. He gives us insights into his work centred on the world's largest wetlands, the Pantanal region of Brazil and the immediacy of ecological crisis. He has just performed at the COP CMS (Conference of Parties, Conservation of Migratory Species) in Campo Grande, Brazil. Our conversation moves from conventional...

On today's episode, part two of two, we continue our conversation with Laura Andriani on performing Paganini in a new way. Centuries after Paganini died, our fascination with his presence and impact endures. Precise measurements and musical intuition meet the speculative nature of artistic practice, research in the arts and sciences, and their connections to science fiction - approaching the bound...

On today's episode, part one of two, we are speaking with violinist Laura Andriani about her work with the nineteenth century composer and virtuoso Paganini and her relationship with the physicality of playing. Performing some of the most difficult repertoire ever written for her instrument, Laura tells us about rediscovering the history of her instrumental technique and the importance of letting...

Today we are speaking with John Chowning and Juan Parra Cancino. Without John Chowning's work on FM Synthesis in the 1970s, music as we know it today would sound very different. Starting with the most well-known (and apparently very heavy) result of his research, the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, our conversation moves through why the sound of the 80s was defined by "the first button you press" and an e...

On today's special episode, our host Magno Caliman presents Sound Arguments, an innovative laboratory-atelier for creative artists and researchers dealing with sound. Magno is one of the coordinators of the series, and registrations are open for the 2026 edition. Sound Arguments is hosted by Orpheus' research cluster Music, Thought and Technology ( https://orpheusinstituut.be/en/projects/music-tho...

Ton Koopman shaped the sound and the intellectual position of the movement to discover how the musicians of the past might have performed the music of their time. Orpheus Instituut is very grateful for the acquisition of the Ton Koopman collection, now integrated into the work of the Resounding Libraries research cluster:  https:// orpheusinstituut.be/en/ projects/resounding-libraries --- Referenc...

Our doctoral researcher Alicia Reyes talks about her work exploring what music means in a world which is not only focussed on humanity. How do we create a more equitable environment, and what can the otherworldly and half-organic shape of plastics formed over decades by the power of the sea bring to a musical and theatrical experience?  --- References: Donna Haraway - Staying with the Trouble: Mak...

Welcome to Orpheus Sounds ! We are Magno Caliman and Arabella Pare, and we are excited to introduce this series of snapshots of Orpheus Instituut, a research center where we explore the making and understanding of music. Here, we are going to invite the researchers, colleagues and guests of Orpheus to come and tell us about why they are so passionate about their work. The curtain is rising, and yo...