Doctoral student Libero Mureddu is a spokesperson for improvisation
Libero Mureddu is an improviser, composer, and musician. He is currently pursuing his artistic doctoral degree at the Sibelius Academy and has emerged as an advocate for improvisation education across Europe.
Mureddu’s journey in the METRIC project reflects his passion for music and the transformative impact of improvisation. The METRIC project (Modernizing European Higher Music Education through Improvisation) is a network of 17 institutions, working together to harmonize improvisation education across the continent.
How did the METRIC project begin?
The Metric project began as a European initiative when the AEC brought together institutions that offered improvisation education. The main goals were to enhance improvisation teaching in classical music, create an online resource for teaching improvisation, establish criteria for assessing improvisation, and develop joint study modules in improvisation. However, during the years we have been constantly developing the network’s offering by including elements of electronics, interdisciplinarity, and at times non-Western improvisatory practices. Within the project, we’ve made it a point to understand and respect each other and avoid disputes about musical styles. There’s a constantly focus on collaborating, and we strive to seek common ground and include all the members’ different approaches to improvisation. Compared to few years ago, we’ve seen a growing number of students interested in improvisation, with some already well-versed in improvisation when they join for example the Sibelius Academy and that stimulates us in keeping developing the project.
The project concluded in 2018. What has happened after that?
We decided to continue it independently, with ongoing support from AEC. Currently, we gather once a year for the Metric IP (Intensive Period), a week-long event where teachers and students from various institutions meet. These gatherings provide valuable learning and networking opportunities for both students and educators. For our students, the main gateway to the Metric IP is through the course I teach together with Veli Kujala, called ‘Contemporary Free Improvisation’. However, depending on various practical factors, there might be possibilities for more students to join the IP. The next Metric IP will be held in Antwerp in 2024, and the following one is likely to take place in Helsinki in 2025.
How is the improvisation education at the Sibelius Academy at the moment?
Improvisation at the Sibelius Academy encompasses most instruments and departments. We have an improvisation minor programme, which is actually quite a unique offering, in which students can combine improvisation-related courses from all the departments. It started a few years ago and has been steadily growing. Right now, I’m working on creating more opportunities for people to connect, a demand that has arisen from the students themselves, and hopefully I’ll be able to announce some exiting news soon!
On the Uniarts Helsinki level, years ago I’ve had a course on improvisation with music and dance, taught together with a part-time teacher at TeaK, and I’m delighted to see that now there is an interdisciplinary improvisation offering, for example at the Global Music department. I would love to create more of these opportunities, both within and outside the Academy. The main constraint is time; establishing and nurturing connections requires time and effort.
One important remark: every time I talk about improvisation, I need to separate my personal bias and my own improvisation experience and practice. For me, music improvisation is any form of real-time art creation with sounds. Within that definition, there’s the area of ‘improvised music’ in which I’m active as an artist, researcher, and teacher.
How do the students perceive improvisation in their education?
Students’ attitudes toward improvisation depend on individual teachers and how they introduce the concept to their students. Within METRICc, some institutions have Ph.D. programs in improvisation, while others even have dedicated improvisation departments. Different approaches to improvisation reflect the traditions of each institution and the individuals involved. I think that, broadly speaking, in classical music education there has been a strong focus on the craftsmanship of composition and a strive for near-perfection. Looseness and unpredictability haven’t been as emphasized, but things are changing.
How do you feel Metric has contributed to the discussion and awareness of improvisation, especially in Europe?
Through Metric, I’ve learned the importance of focusing on commonalities. It’s been a forum to listen to different viewpoints from diverse age groups, countries with distinct histories, and various musical traditions. I see that improvisation is becoming a more widely discussed topic, and in this context, our diversity at the Sibelius Academy is an asset. Sibelius Academy is quite unique in that sense. And it’s a cool place to be!
Can you share how you first got into improvisation and what intrigues you in it especially?
I’ve been improvising since the beginning of my musical journey. When I was 15, I was studying composition in Milan, but I left the conservatory to study jazz and was a jazz musician for several years before eventually going back to composition. I’ve always been interested in both composition and real-time organization of sounds and musical concepts. However, I also love playing the piano and any keyboard-based instrument; that’s where my heart truly lies. Above all, making music with others is vital to me – the excitement of creating something in real-time and seeing what unfolds. Being in the moment and reacting to what others are doing brings me joy. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the unexpected.
Finland has a very rich improvisation scene, both inside and outside academia. There are indeed prominent figures in the Finnish improvisation scene who have a classical background, and some of them divide their career between improvisation and composition and/or classical music performance. However, I feel in many cases their improvisatory work remains somewhat underground and less known to the general public. Maybe this has had an impact in promoting the idea that improvisation might not become a possible career and the main focus of a student’s artistic practice. Personally, I would wish there was in Finland a higher consideration, if not popularity, for experimental, risky, unpredictable, maybe uncontrollable, art practices.
You’ve had the opportunity to live and work in Finland for a considerable time. Can you share your perspective on how Finland has changed and how it compares to other countries you’re familiar with?
Finland has changed significantly in the 20 years I’ve been here. The world has become more international, and Finland has followed suit. The country has become more similar to others in the international context, and that’s a natural progression, although at times I miss some details of the Finland I met 20 years ago (but it might be my youth bias!). Where has Tiimari gone? (smiles). It’s happening in many European countries and it is indeed a delicate moment, with a transformation of national identities that causes both support and friction. But I wouldn’t be worried: I studied in Italy and Finland, roughly for the same amount of time, and I’m now an Italian and a Finn, both legally and, more importantly, culturally. I hope Finland can benefit from my presence as much as I benefited from being here. We live in such an interconnected world, and we can’t stop that.