Copyright

Lore Lixenberg

Published On

2024-01-30

Page Range

pp. 91–102

Language

  • English

Print Length

12 pages

5. The Voice Party

A New Opera for a New Political Era

  • Lore Lixenberg (author)
Chapter of: Classical Music Futures: Practices of Innovation(pp. 91–102)
In 2017 I launched a new political party, The Voice Party. This chapter, taking the structure of a polemical party political broadcast, explores the emergence of The Voice Party, as a political movement conceptualised as a participatory opera. Standing in the UK election of 2019, The Voice Party challenged conventional political structures by advocating for the central role of music in daily life and proposing the governance of society based on the laws of pure sound and music. By examining the activities and events surrounding The Voice Party's involvement in this particular UK general election, this chapter aims to provide an overview of The Voice Party manifesto points and their implications.

Drawing inspiration from the Deleuzian notion of 'Assemblage,' which emphasizes fluidity and connectivity, a future is envisioned, where musical performance intertwines with and shapes the fabric of society, rather than existing as a separate entity apart from it. It also investigates strategies for achieving this vision, considering how participatory musical principles can be integrated into political frameworks. This chapter aims to broaden the discourse on the intersection of arts and politics, prompting a reevaluation of traditional political engagement methods inviting readers to reimagine the potential outcomes that arise from placing music at the centre of political decision-making, utilising the transformative power of participatory opera in redefining political participation and fostering a re-evaluation of democratic systems.

Contributors

Lore Lixenberg

(author)
PhD Student at University of York
https://www.lorelixenberg.art

Lore Lixenberg is currently completing her PhD at the University of York. Alongside her interpretive and improvisational vocal practice, she has evolved a compositional practice focusing on the treatment of the voice, exploring extended vocal techniques in pieces such as ‘BIRD’ and ‘Berberiana’, also utilising socially engaged practices ( PRET A CHANTER, THE VOICE PARTY) and digital technologies and apps for their operatic dramatic potential regarding the language of code as libretto, (SINGLR and VOXXCOIN). In 2021 she was nominated for the Centre Pompidou Prix Heidsieck for ‘BIRD’ and won the Phonurgia Nova prize for sound-art with ’theVoicePartyOperaBotFarm[myMuseIsMyFury]. She is also active as a mezzo-soprano specialising in new music in opera houses and festivals worldwide.