Deadline 22 Oct 2026

Early music was once a subcultural movement – irreverent and experimental. Over time, much of that energy has been absorbed and smoothed over by the mainstream. Artistic Heterodoxies: An Early Music Laboratory seeks to rekindle the flame. 

Organised by Orpheus Instituut and the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in association with Klarafestival, this four-session laboratory brings together artists, researchers and culture workers active within the broad early music community. With early music conceived as an inclusive field encompassing diverse identities and attitudes toward archived musical knowledge, this laboratory aims to open critical spaces for alternative – heterodox – practices. Over four three-day sessions, participants will interrogate received orthodoxies, dig into underexplored archives (including the Ton Koopman collection at Orpheus Instituut), and think freely and experimentally from a present-day vantage point.

Session 1: Questioning inherited practices (11-13 January 2027)

A collective autopsy of convention – examining the orthodoxies and received models that shape early music-making, and opening critical space for alternatives. Includes hands-on exploration of the Ton Koopman collection at Orpheus Instituut.
 

Session 2: Speculative inquiry (15-17 March 2027)

With certainties loosened by archival depth, participants turn to the horizon – exploring the nature and future of early music through speculative thinking rooted in present-day perspectives.

This session is curated by AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp in collaboration with Klarafestival and and will take place in Brussels.

Sessions 3 and 4: Empowering artistry (19-21 April and 28-30 June 2027)

Participants develop and refine their own work in lively critical exchange with peers and invited provocateurs, building toward presentable artistic output.

The laboratory is open to junior researchers and independent artists with a critical attitude toward the current music landscape. Even if the seminar focuses on performance, applications from composers, musicologists, artists and scholars from other disciplines are encouraged, in order to foster a fruitful interdisciplinary environment. Commitment to the entire series is not compulsory but is highly recommended. The tuition fee for the entire series is €160, including refreshments, social dinners and sessions. Accommodation and travel costs are not included, but the Orpheus Instituut can arrange discounted accommodation. 

Apply now: https://orpheusinstituut.be/en/news/artistic-heterodoxies