Sara Wilén is a Swedish singer, opera improviser, PhD candidate in Music and teacher in improvisation. Sara took her Master degree in Vocal Studies at the Music Programme at Malmö Academy of Music (Lund University) in Sweden 2003. Her opera roles include Violetta in La Traviata (Verdi), and Mozart roles as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Pamina in The Magic Flute, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, as well as contemporary operas and music theatre works. Engagements also include oratorios and a substantial art song and chamber music repertoire. As an opera improviser in different ensembles, Sara performs in in theatres, opera companies, schools, festivals, conferences, broadcast and television. at Malmö Academy of Music, performing both classical and contemporary improvisation and repertoire. Her research includes performance projects, papers, and workshops in performance venues, conferences and festivals in Sweden and abroad. The dissertation Singing in Action – an inquiry into the creative working processes and practices of classical and contemporary vocal improvisation is due to be defended in Malmö on October 1-2, 2017.
Performances (examples)
25% performance with OI, Rosenbergsalen 20/10 2011.
(Re)thinking improvisation: participation the operan I Norton, IAC, 29/11 and performance with Operaimprovisatörerna in the session Text And Action 30/11 2011.
Opera Nova- makt, kärlek, remix. 11 performances och 3 stage conversations (as moderator/member of panel) Stockholm, Vadstena and Malmö 2012.
Workshops/pilot project Handling och känsla med Impromans and Kent Sjöström, March-April 2013.
Bänkad med Ella med Operaimprovisatörerna, radio, SR P2 140201.
Alto soloist in Messias, G.F. Händel, Uppåkra kyrka, 140413.
Våryra, opera improvisation performance solo singers at Malmö Academy of Music, and Conny Antonov, 140430.
Facet lab, IAC 140608-140610.
Director and coach Impro-Opera i Nordplusprojektet Improvise to Improve, Helsinki 140822.
Mozart in Uppland, tour, Operaimprovisatörerna.
Last Minute – an Opera Adventure! Operaimprovisatörerna and Svenska Kammarorkestern, Hjalmar Bergmanteatern 140929-141004.
För den som i hemlighet lyssnar, romanskonsert/ performance, Francisca Skoogh, IAC, 141203.
Facet II: open lab, Impromans och Kristofer Langerbeck, Tacit or Loud, IAC, 141204. Performance Impromans Taking the animal turn, Impromans Pufendorfinstitutet (PI) 141210.
Egna improvisationer och Mozartscener, opera improvisation performance, solo singers, MAM, 150201.
Vernissage, Staffanstorps Konsthall, 150215.
Mirrors of time, ledare för opera med improvisationskurs, Helsinki Metropolia 150319.
Alto soloist in Messias, G.F. Händel, Uppåkra kyrka, 150329.
Performance, Ecology of Trust: Performance/performativity GSM, 150423.
Performances and work shops: Opera Nova för unga, Tyresö skolor.Operaimprovisatörerna, maj 2015.
Ljudo, Audio Activists, IAC, June, 2015.
Impromans: concert and presentation på Pufendorf institutem Kulturnatten i Lund 150919.
Orenaes saloner + utställning A She-story of Wester music improvisation, Impromans, 151115. Kabaret Anti-Himlakroppar och Drömmar, fakultetsgemensam, IAC 151120.
Performance and exhibition at Swedish Research Council, IAC, 151126.
Opera i Juletid, Olympiateatern, Operaimprovisatörerna, Stockholm, 3 förest, dec 2016. Genrep Inre Landskap + A S/He-Story of Western Improvisation, Suellska Villan, 160515. Gravity of Life workshop+ performance I 160903-04
Last Minute – an Opera Adventure!, Operaimprovisatörerna, Svenska Kammarorkestern 161010-161015.
Gravity of Life workshop + performance II 161026-27.
Gravity of Life workshop + performance III 161109-10.
Gravity of Life workshop + performance IV 161202-04.
Gravity of Life workshop + performance V 170128-29.
Last Minute – an Opera Adventure! Operaimprovisatörerna, Gävle Symfoniorkester, Feb 2017.
Presentations and lectures (excerpts)
Performance lecture: Impromans, de Staël och HC Andersen, att improvisera, fast klassiskt? Teaterns Dag, Malmö City Libraray, 110327. Presentation Opera in process: possibilities and challenges of opera improvisation, EPARM: Sounds, searchings, sharings, Belgrad 110408. Presentation/framträdande på Workshop (2): Krismetoder Program K – PhD Programme in Cultural Studies, Literature and the Arts (ex. Copenhagen Doctoral School) Lund, 110411.
Presentation: Singing in action vid (Re)thinking improvisation 111130.
Research work shop: Deda Colonna and Peter Spissky, MHM, 111206-07.
Presentation: Sång i handling, operaimprovisation som opera i process på annual meeting at Röstforum, Linköping 120421.
Improv Opera work shop performance and talk på Comprovisations – Improvisation Technologies for Performing Arts, Montreal 120525.
Lecture/seminar: Singing in action, students and the composition programme at Malmö Academy of Music.
Lecture: Singing in Action. Operahögskolan, Stockholm 130109.
Presentation and performance: Opera improvisation vid Nordplus project Improvise to Improve, Metropolia Universitety of Applied Sciences, Helsingfors 130107.
Performance lecture with Impromans and students: Operaimprovisation – att undersöka olika perspektiv och roller i klassisk sång, theme day, Faculty of the Arts, Skapande i förändring, Inter Arts Center 130207.
Performance and presentation: Creative dimensions of opera improvisation EPARM research conference: Between Madness and Method, Lyon 130419.
Presentation Sång och handling, biennal in music, Lund University, 130504.
Performance paper: Impromans Operaimprovisation at Kulturnatten, Lund 130921. Performance paper: Impromans, Operaimprovisation – vad är det? på Odeum i Lund 131013. Participation in EPARM conference at KMH, Stockholm 140307-140308.
Presentation To research and communicate processes of opera improvisation, KMH 140325. Performance: History is myth, performance with Tapani Heikinheimo, Vetenskapsfestivalen in Göteborg 140508.
Presentation and performance with Impromans: Pufendorfinstitutets 5-year jubilee 140505.
Teacher, and singer Improvise to improve, Nordplus project, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, 140818-140822.
Participating presenter at Forskar Grand Prix, Lund University, 161014.
Presentation and performance: Impromans at Skissernas Museum 80th year jubilee, 141025, presentationer
Singing in action, to research processes of vocal improvisation, Improvisation as creative method for classical musicians.
Presentation: Singing in action, to research processes of vocal improvisation. Swedish Research Council symposium on artistic research. Borås, 141127.
Facet II: open lab, performance and seminar. Impromans and Kristofer Langerbeck, Tacit or Loud, Inter Arts Center, 141204.
Facets of improvisation: performing, teaching and researching in higher music education, at The Reflective Conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music, 150227.
Presentation: Images at play: to communicate, create and research through vocal improvised performance at The Reflective Conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music, 150228. International creativity and music drama work shop, conference at Helsinki Metropolia, 150316.
Presentation and performance: Improvisation as performative space for classical singers vid Ecology of Trust: Performance/performativity GSM, 150423.
Leader experimental research session, Operaimprovisatörerna, AVaCO, Operaimprovisatörerna, PI 150410.
Research presentation, teacher, work shop leader and singer: Improvise to improve, , Nordplus project Helsinki Metropolia 150817-150821
Kommunikation i Kör och Sång, presentation on the Pufendorf institute project AVaCOs, Orkanen, Nordiska Körledarkonferensen 151003.
Presentation: Nationell konferens om examensarbetet på musikerutbildningarna, Inter Arts Center, arranger Malmö Academy of Music, 151109-10.
Performance and exhibition: A She-story of Western music improvisation II på Swedish Research Council symposium on artistic researc, IAC 151126.
Images at play – Re:searching operatic and lyrical improvisation, performance paper at Shaping the moment, operasymposium at SKH, Stockholm 160108.
Performance paper Impromans Operaimprovisation – kreativa undersökningar av den klassiska sångarens yrkesroll, Röstforum, HSM Göteborg, 160410.
Performance paper Impromans: Sång och handling – om improvisationens processer, Konstex, Inter Arts Center, 160511.
Salon + exhibition: A S/He story of Western improvisation. Interferens 160913.
Presentation and poster: The situated voice – improvisation as performative space for classical singers, Vocality/Instrumentality, University of Huddersfield, 170115.
Presentation and workshop: Singing in action. FINATS, finska sångpedagogförbundet, Helsingfors, 170212.
Presentation: Performativity, hexis and improvisation in classical singing, Interferens, 170316. Presentation: Diffracting the musical agency – improvisation as performative tool for classical singers. Embodied Monologues, Maynooth University, 170331.