Photo by Kylie Supski and ReVerse Butcher.

Composer | Performer | Maker | Teacher | Researcher

 

Dr Sophie Rose is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser, extended vocal technique enthusiast, and multimedia artist. She specialises in gesturally mediated vocal composition and performance, using interactive technologies to explore the intersection of human expression and machine affordances. Her doctoral research at the University of Melbourne, titled Somatic Machinations and Fractured Echoes, developed a trauma-informed approach to composition by integrating therapeutic movement practices and wearable technologies. Rose’s work investigates phenomenology, feminism, embodiment, and the creative use of time and space through voice and gestural interfaces.

 

Sophie’s earlier research focused on the comparative influence of physical and virtual environments on extended vocal techniques, a theme that continues to inform her expansive multimedia performances. Her creative work spans various performance environments, blending technical proficiency with improvisational exploration, especially in collaboration with ensembles like the ASTRA choir and artists such as Brigid Burke. As a performer, Rose enjoys the liminal spaces where human potential and the affordances of technology coalesce, embracing the fluidity of sound and gesture.

 

In addition to her creative practice, Sophie is a dedicated educator. She teaches at the University of Melbourne and the Australian Institute of Music, designing and delivering courses in music technology, composition, performance, and postgraduate research. Her academic contributions include numerous publications and presentations at prominent conferences, including NIME, ICMC, and ACMC, on new musical interfaces, voice embodiment, and gender narratives in computer music. She continues to push the boundaries of music technology and creative expression through her commissioned works, publications, and live performances. She also works with Little Songs of the Mutilated and the Make It Up Club.