Whodentity
6.10.–9.10.22, Graz

“Whodentity” is a made-up word we are using at the musikprotokoll 2022 to shed light on pressing current questions of belonging. Who are “we”? Who ascribes what identity to whom in our society? And who is “one” in any particular context?

For the musikprotokoll 2022 and its concerts with the Ensemble Modern, the Cantando Admont vocal ensemble, and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra—now also headed by a female principal conductor—we wanted to turn things around completely in the most structurally conservative and still strongly male-dominated genre: after almost fifty-five years, we will present (Austrian) premiere performances of music exclusively by female composers.

However, interesting aspects can also be found beyond the female/male binary, in contradictory, subtle, colorful, and radical configurations. Not only is male supremacy up for discussion, but so too are markers of belonging in relation to “human beings” and “artificial intelligence.”

Alexander Schubert’s Unity Switch as well as his project with AI program Av3ry—a nonbinary entity—enhance the search for “whodentity.”

Direction: Elke Tschaikner

Curated by Rainer Elstner, Susanna Niedermayr, Christian Scheib, Elke Tschaikner, and Fränk Zimmer

Production: ORF Radio Österreich 1 and ORF Steiermark

Coproduced with steirischer herbst ʼ22

In cooperation with Akademie Graz, Association for Promotion and Dissemination of New Music (V:NM), ChampdAction, Doctoral School for Artistic Research at KUG, esc medien kunst labor, Fairytale Express Graz, Follow the Rabbit, Graz Museum, International Cities of Advanced Sound (ICAS), Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics (IEM), International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG), Orchestre de chambre de Paris, Ö1 Kunstradio, Österreichische Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik (ÖGZM), SHAPE+ Sound, Heterogeneous Art and Performance in Europe, Stockwerkjazz, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Verband Deutscher Tonmeister*innen (vdt), SKE Fonds

Supported by Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES), the EU’s Creative Europe program, Stadt Graz Kulturamt, Land Steiermark Abteilung 9, and Verwertungsgesellschaft Rundfunk (VGR)