Franziska Schroeder

I am a saxophonist and improviser, originally from Berlin, and work as a Professor of Music and Cultures at the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University Belfast. My research interests are in digital performance, music improvisation, VR/AR/XR musical instruments and my passion is in accessible, inclusive music making.

Inclusive Musicmaking Research

In 2015 I set up a research group at Queen’s, called Performance without Barriers, a group of PhDs, Post-Docs and Visiting Scholars who are keen to think through and to research more accessible and inclusive ways to designing music technologies for and with disabled musicians. The group’s agenda-setting research in designing virtual reality instruments was recognised by the Queen’s Vice Chancellor’s 2020 Prize for Research Innovation.
Improvisation
As an improviser, I have recorded music on diverse labels (pfMentum, Creativesources, Bandcamp), and my research on ethnographies of Improvisation cultures in Brazil (2013) and Improvisation cultures in in Portugal Portugal (2016) are published online.
AI and Music
My current passion is AI and Music, and I create and design my own immersive performance AI eco-systems, using #StableDiffusion techniques and specifically trained neural networks. On this latest AI endeavour I collaborate with live coder and improviser Federico Reuben. See
Blog
My blog on Improvisationresearch is dedicated to free composition where I post publications, activities and presentations that address this topic
Contact
Twitter: Franzschroeder

Email: f.schroeder@qub.ac.uk