Abstract
This paper introduces an international research project which pioneers new forms of collaborative research and creativity. The project brings together researchers and musicians from across the maqām world to work across geographical borders. Our methodology combines musical creativity (stimulating and showcasing new forms of cross-border performance) with musical research (analytical, archival and ethnographic). We aim to stimulate new transnational links between musicians and scholars working in the maqām sphere, and to create and curate a new body of work in the form of collaborative performances and compositions.
Our approach does not follow the established model of musical collaboration which uses Western classical music as the core and adds in other “world” traditions for exotic flavour. We aim to foster a different kind of collaboration: egalitarian creative encounters between neighbouring traditions. Our projects are specifically designed to stimulate new cultural flows and new exchanges in forms of knowledge and creative practice within the maqām cultural sphere. We ask, what musical materials do existing maqām repertoires provide for new styles of performance and new forms of creativity across borders; and how do musicians listen, perform and collaboratively create across borders?