Research Interests:

Music Criticism
Performance vs Recording
Music Perception & Evaluation
Performance Appreciation & Enjoyment

Elena Alessandri

Elena Alessandri is a Research Associate at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Hochschule Luzern – Musik) and since September 2010 she is also a doctoral student at the Royal College of Music in London for a PhD in the area of music psychology. At the same time she is completing the Laureate Programme at the Orpheus Institute for Advanced Studies and Research in Music in Gent (Belgium). Her research focuses on the three axes of music performance; perception, description and evaluation. On the line of these three axes she currently investigates the practice of music criticism, teaming up with the research department at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, as research collaborator for the project Reviews Reviewed, financed by the Swiss National Science Fundation (SNSF) and led by Dr. Hubert Eiholzer.

Between 2007-10 she has been working as Research Assistant at the Department for Research and Development, Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Prior to the research activity, Elena completed a piano degree in Italy and gained a MA in music pedagogy at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, studying with Prof. Nora Doallo. In addition, she has performed as a pianist in Italy, Austria and Switzerland.

Projects

Reviews Reviewed: Examining the Validity of Aesthetic Judgements in Criticism of Recorded Music

Sounding Silences: How Interpretive Choices affect the Perception of Tension in Music Pauses. (run at Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Sciences)

Publications

• 2012

  • Eiholzer, H. and Alessandri, E. "Performance Pleasures for the Audience", in Music and Value Judgement, M. Dogantan-Dack and A. Gritten (eds.) Indiana University Press. (Forthcoming)

• 2011

  • Alessandri, E. et al. "Investigating Critical Practice". In Williamon, Edwards and Bartel (eds.) Proceedings of the International Symposium of Performance Science 2011, Association Européenne des Conservatoires AEC. (Forthcoming)

  • Alessandri, E. "Discography or What Analysts of Recordings do Before Analyzing", in C. Emmenegger and O. Senn (eds.) Proceedings of the International Conference of Music Performance Analysis (ICOMPA), July 2009. Zurich: Chronos Verlag, pp. 111-125. (Forthcoming)

• 2010

  • Alessandri, E. "L’importanza dei preliminari: la discografia" in M. Zicari (ed.) Ricerca e Musica: Nuove frontiere, Varese: Zecchini Editore, pp. 81-99.