Tuning Bach
is the first of several planned case studies looking at musical applications of rational intonation. It includes my first public doctoral presentation, which took the form of a lecture-performance. Violinists Sara Cubarsi and Xenia Gogu joined me on 19. October 2024 in Organo, Musikkitalo, at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. You can view the presentation on youtube, read the scores, and look at the slides as a pdf document. My lecture notes are embedded as pop-up annotations in the top left corner of each page. If you have a little more time and would like to help with my study, please fill out this webropol survey.
A studio recording of this project has been released as “Bach Tunings” on the experimental music label another timbre and you can hear some examples on their bandcamp page.
The Tree
is a composition project I am currently working on. It is an ongoing cycle of pieces for open instrumentation inspired by and investigating a concept I developed during my research: harmonic radius. This tool can compare the relative harmonicity of chords sounding in rational or just intonation (JI). If you would like to read in depth about harmonic radius and how I am working with it, have a look at my articles.
The Tree was premiered in Finland as part of my second public doctoral presentation, a lecture-performance on 10. April 2026 in Black Box, Musikkitalo, in Helsinki. The concert, titled “NYKY Ensemble: Exploring microchromatic harmonies and just intonation”, was the culmination of a month of intensive coaching and experimentation with the young musicians. You can view the presentation on youtube, or read the score and listen to a version performed by Ensemble Proton in Bern in December 2025.
The project continues in 2027 with Ensemble MusikFabrik, featuring violinist Sara Cubarsi as soloist in an ensemble bringing Lumatone together with acoustic instruments by Just Intonation pioneer Harry Partch.