Sophia Edlund
College: College of Humanities
Discipline: Drama
Department: Drama
I am a voice practitioner-scholar working at the intersection of vocal practice, ecofeminism, mythology and performance psychology. In my curiosity to explore the vocal performance situation, I have worked within a variety of genres, researching health and wellbeing for singers as well as studying singing for health and wellbeing. I have over a decade of experience researching the ancient Greek Siren song myth, which has been a constant reference point for my research and source of inspiration for my practice.
I have an MA in Text and Performance (with Distinction) from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 2014. My practice-based dissertation, 'Sirens' Secrets', took the format of a series of vocal laboratories on the mythological Siren Song and resulted in an auditory performance in the dark. My interest in singing psychology led me to study an MSc in Performance Science at the Royal College of Music in London, where I was awarded a Distinction in 2018. My MSc dissertation was a case study exploring how a singer-conductor cultivates communication in performance. During 2017-2018, I was a part of the mentorship programme, Equilibrium, where I independently was able to research the art of singing from a holistic perspective, with a focus on the mental side of sung performance.
My current project is voice-based Practice-as-Research (PaR) on Voicing Thelxis (an ancient Greek word for 'enchantment') at the Drama Department, University of Exeter. My research is interdisciplinary and includes voice studies, performance studies, classical studies and folklore studies. In the academic year 2018-2019, I received financial support from the David Cawthra Memorial Fund.
Website
Publications
Edlund, S. and Hannigan, B. (2019), ‘A singer’s perspective on Sirens and singing: An interview with coloratura soprano/conductor Barbara Hannigan’, Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, 4:1, pp. 101–10, doi: 10.1386/jivs.4.1.101_1
Edlund, S. (2021), Theatre, Dance, and Performance Training Blog (TDPT): 'Humanimal' voice pedagogy (6/1)
Edlund, S. (2022), 'Vocal devising with seashells: An invitation to Voicing Thelxis', Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, 7:1, pp. 69-83, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jivs_00055_1
Edlund, S. and Bentivegna, F. (2022), 'Posthuman Voices: Channels across Time and Shared Memories', Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, 7:1, pp. 3-9, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jivs_00051_2
Conference Presentations
- Listening Across a Herding Call. Given at the Theatre & Performance Research Association Annual Conference for the Sound, Voice & Music Working Group (6/9/2019). University of Exeter.
- Luring Across Species. Given at the International Network of Herding Music Scholars, The First International Seminar (18/9/2020). Online.
- Welcome and opening of the Posthuman Voices Symposium. (16/7/2021). Online.
- Visualising Vocal Attraction: A practice-as-research provocation. Given at the Theatre & Performance Research Association Annual Conference for the Sound, Voice & Music Working Group (9/9/2021). Online.
- Voicing Thelxis: The enchanting powers of voice. Given at the Communications, Drama and Film Department Pre-Sessional, University of Exeter (23/9/2022).
- Reclaiming and Activating the Inner Mythos of Siren Song Within Ourselves, a Voice-Water Workshop Initiation. Given at the first annual Water Priestess Confluence, The Way of Melusine, Mami Wata, and The Magdalene, online (25/3/2023).
Awards
Overall Winner of the Images of Research Competition 2020, Researcher Development Programme, University of Exeter. ‘Interspecies vocal attraction’: http://www.sidmouthsciencefestival.org/events/images-research-2020
Researcher-led initiative award for ‘Posthuman Voices: Educating and training voices in practices of well-being together’, an interdisciplinary symposium (16-17/7/2021) funded by the University of Exeter Researcher Development and Research Culture team: https://interdisciplinaryvoicestudies.wordpress.com/2021/07/09/posthuman-voice-educating-and-training-voices-in-practices-of-well-being-together/
