Emerson Olson

Emerson Olson is a violinist with a background in classical, jazz, folk, and new music. Originally from Colorado, they have performed with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, the Pikes Peak Philharmonic, the Colorado College Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Youth Symphony, Youth on Record, TheatreWorks, Manual Cinema, and the UCCS Music, Theatre, Dance, and Film programs. Emerson has taught violin at Trala School of Music, The Rocky Mountain Academy of Music, and Colorado Springs Music School. They have released recordings with several groups including Sara Van Hecke, Baylee, and Dead Boyfriend. They received a B.A. in Violin Performance and Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and are currently pursuing their M.A. in Performance Studies at New York University.

Title of Project:

Assembled Reflections: Violin and Human Relationality

Project Description:

In The Origin of Musical Instruments, ethnomusicologist Andre Schaeffner says that “just as music of the human body became instrumental music, instrumental music has in some cases managed to become like song” (Schaeffner 265).Though Schaeffner’s focus is on the music of human versus instrument, how else might these two bodies become one another? In other words, how could a human become a musical instrument or an instrument become a human?

This line of questioning reflects on bodily assemblage and relationality. The relationship between players and their instruments can have a blurring effect in which the character or behavior of one form is reflected into the other. Thus, instruments may be referred to as encapsulating human identities or spirits, players may feel played by their instruments, and players may see their instruments as extensions of their physical selves. These possibilities blur the distinction of instrument and human, assembling reflections of one another’s figures.

By studying my own relationship with the violin, interviewing other violinists about their instrument-relationships, and researching the individual parts of the violin’s assemblage, I will explore the reflections between instrument and human. While part of my work will focus on the physical metaphors of the violin’s structure and individual components, other sections will recognize themes of relationality such as care, injury, kinship, hauntings, and identity held between violin and player. I will recognize each of these themes through interviews and auto-ethnographic work, interspersing them with moments that recognize the history and luthiership of the violin’s personified physicalities.

Areas of Academic Interest/Research:

musicians, musical instruments, sound, embodiment, affect