Who Gets to Be Heard and What Are We Hearing? Rethinking Inclusion in Contemporary Music
This panel discussion examines reciprocal relationships between inclusivity and contemporary music-making. It addresses key questions such as: How can we establish practices that are genuinely inclusive? And how does inclusivity shape and enrich the artistic output? By commissioning new works from marginalised communities, we not only cultivate more inclusive creative processes but also produce art that is more resonant, relevant, and reflective of a broader range of human experiences. We also consider what inclusive music making in educational contexts can offer creative practice more broadly.
This panel brings together experienced and inspirational practitioners and academics to explore how contemporary music can better reflect the full spectrum of human experience. By commissioning new works that centre the stories, voices, and perspectives of marginalised communities, we don’t just address issues of equity—we also expand the creative possibilities of the art form itself. Inclusive practices don’t dilute artistic excellence; they deepen it, offering richer, more resonant music that speaks to a broader audience.
Join us as we rethink what it means to “be heard” in music today—and who gets to shape the sounds of tomorrow.
Participants
Nikki Moran (chair, Edinburgh University)
Tia DeNora (Exeter University)
Gordon Dougal (Limelight Music)
Atzi Muramatsu (Sonic Bothy)
Gema Swaratyagita (Perempuan Komponis)
Tia DeNora is a Fellow of the British Academy and holds two professorships, at the universities of Bergen (Norway) and Exeter (UK). She is also a faculty fellow at Yale University and is widely regarded as one the most influential academics in the world working within area of music and sociology. Her pioneering publications have help led a global revolution within musicology and her books have not only changed how we think about music and health, she has helped make the academic study of music more vital, relatable, relevant and engaging for generations of academics, therapists and the general public.
Dr Nikki Moran is a musicologist and a senior lecturer in music at Edinburgh University with an interdisciplinary specialism in music psychology and ethnography. Her work examines the social situation of musical performance, focusing on the interpersonal processes that enable people to participate in expressive arts. Projects to date have involved elite North Indian instrumentalists, jazz and free improvisers, and western classical ensembles and conductors. She Editor-in-Chief of Psychology of Music (SAGE)., a former President of the International Society for Interdisciplinary Musicology (2022-4), and co-Chair of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (2019-21).
Gordon Dougall founded Limelight Music in 1989, and since then, his mentorship skills have supported the careers of many of Scotland’s disabled musicians and performers. An experienced musical director, composer, writer, and theatre director, Gordon has worked in the arts and entertainment industry for over 35 years He also served as Musical Director and Composer for the Kings Theatre Glasgow for four years. A multi-award-winning artist, Gordon has directed and co-written many successful Tron Theatre pantomimes and composed numerous scores for feature films and television.. In addition to his artistic achievements, Gordon is an SFA football coach and coaches his local team, Symington Tinto AFC.
Atzi Muramatsu is an award-winning multi-disciplinary composer and cellist based in Edinburgh. His works are seen in multiplicity of genres - concerts, dance, poetry, visual art, and film. His artistry is rooted in free improvisation, embodied music cognition, and inclusive music-making. He plays in various contemporary and experimental ensembles including Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and New String Collective. As Creative Director of the pioneering inclusive music charity Sonic Bothy, he leads innovation in new music with disabled artists - radically advocating for equality in contemporary music. His music features in three BAFTA winning films, including a New Talent Award in 2016.
Gema Swaratyagita (co-founder of Perempuan Komponis) is a composer, performer, and music educator whose work often explores interdisciplinary arts, bridges traditional, poetry, body performance to experimental practices, and collaborative projects with cross-disciplinary artists. She has also begun creating works in performing arts for children’s audiences with Kentjan Ketjil and by founding Bumi Bunyi Creative Music Education, a creative music learning space for children. She is the founder of Laring Kolektif.
