New Directions in Musical Collaborative Creativity: the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and the Theater of Home

The COVID pandemic brought numerous challenges for people working in creative contexts. One such example was the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (a critically acclaimed and prolific international ensemble), which began twice weekly online workshops at the start of the UK lockdown in March 2020. The group quickly grew, collecting over 100 musicians from around the world who were interested in maintaining contact via improvising on a virtual platform, Zoom. This book explores the nature of the online sessions, investigating psychological and social benefits and the creative breakthroughs achieved during these sessions. With a particular focus on technology and identities, the book sheds new light on the nature of creative activities and their pivotal role in sustaining and enhancing communities in musical and other contexts. Ten chapters explore topics that include an overview of digital music approaches, an investigation of how improvisations begin and end, the unique context of the online sessions, the integration of audio and visual stimuli to produce audiovisual compositions, and new types of creative activities. The book discusses ways in which improvisation (and in particular, online improvising) can be used to foster a new sense of community while offering new possibilities for experimentation, communication, community engagement, education, new virtuosities, health, and well-being. The book also investigates implications for education and health, emphasizing the importance of new technologies and their potential to produce significant creative breakthroughs. It points to a way forward for new types of technologically mediated community creative engagement.