Redefining classical music and opera across borders

The ABC centre serves as an interdisciplinary hub that reimagines the role of aesthetics in business research, education and practice. Its scope spans diverse artistic domains, from music and literature to theatre and craft.  A key focus in this collaboration is to understand how new value propositions and entrepreneurial opportunities emerge in the musical & performing arts, but also how collective creativity is organized and led. Dr Sara Wilén, artistic researcher and senior lecturer in artistic research and improvisation at Malmö Academy of Music and an affiliate of the ABC Centre, highlights the potential of integrating opera’s improvisational techniques into organizational studies to inspire innovative approaches in business contexts. Improvisation speaks to agility and flexibility in organization - and management studies, but there has been little ‘conversation’ between them thus far. This collaboration provides remedy to this lack.

The OPERACTIVE project

This collaboration is further strengthened by the OPERACTIVE project, initiated by ABC postdoctoral fellow Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina. This practice-led research addresses critical challenges in audience participation and inclusive engagement within classical music and opera. It confronts the elitist roots and connotations of these art forms while tackling their competition with popular entertainment such as football and TV series in today’s mass culture. OPERACTIVE seeks to transition heritage art forms like opera into the digital era by designing gamified, interactive experiences that engage diverse audiences, diversify revenue streams, prototype innovative virtual concert venues, and secure the cultural sustainability of classical arts.

Research synergies

Leveraging their combined artistic and academic expertise, researchers at ABC and Malmö Academy of Music – including Professor Hjorth, Dr Wilén and Dr Huang-Kokina – aim to explore how the integration of organization- and entrepreneurship studies, opera improvisation, digital humanities, and humanistic AI studies can enhance accessibility and expand the audience base for opera and classical music. Building on the LUDICH innovation project, which harnesses the potential of digital streaming services, OPERACTIVE seeks to enhance audience immersion and interactivity beyond traditional in-situ performances, while alleviating the economic pressures on these art forms. Furthermore, this research will inform educational initiatives and curriculum development by exploring the potentials of incorporating entrepreneurial thinking and AI & digital skills into higher music education, as well as embedding improvisational and collective creativity and aesthetics into business education. This dual approach will equip students with new skillsets needed to navigate the complex challenges of future societies.

LUDICH innovation project – arts.lu.se

OPERACTIVE demonstrates strong synergies with other initiatives and centres at Lund University, including the Inter Arts Centre (IAC) offers an additional platform for the project, providing access to technical equipment, support, training facilities and connections within the artistic research community in Malmö. Internationally, the project builds on Dr Huang-Kokina’s ongoing work at the University of Edinburgh, facilitating new collaborations with the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s new research cluster “Creativity, AI, and the Human”, led by Dr Caterina Moruzzi:

I am very excited about the start of this collaboration, which exemplifies the transformative potential of interdisciplinary synergies, and I am happy for the research cluster at EFI to be part of it. It is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how research at the intersection of creativity and technology can not only expand the horizons of creativity and cultural accessibility but also rethink how entrepreneurial and organizational studies engage with the arts.

A standout feature of the project is the collaborative development of Yūrei (Ghost) of the AI Empire, an immersive chamber opera that fuses Japanese folklore and Kabuki theatre with European operatic traditions. With a story and libretti by Dr Huang-Kokina, music composed by BAFTA-winning composer Atzi Muramatsu, and artistic guidance from Dr Sara Wilén, this semi-improvised, AI-driven production weaves a compelling tale of love, betrayal, and digital immortality. The opera will debut with a pilot performance in Edinburgh in spring 2025, followed by a series of global performances featuring an international cast and crew from Scotland and Scandinavia. The project’s dissemination will also engage experienced performers and researchers from the Sibelius Academy of Music, facilitating transdisciplinary, intercultural and cross-institutional exchanges. 

Yūrei (Ghost) of the AI Empire – alexandrahuangkokina.com

Transformative fusion of artistic creativity and business innovation

This groundbreaking collaboration between ABC/LUSEM, MAM, IAC and the EFI research cluster, anchored by the pivotal OPERACTIVE project, paves the way for a transformative fusion of artistic creativity and business innovation. By fostering dynamic “in-betweens”—dialogical interfaces where curious and critical “conversations” between these fields intersect—it cultivates novel “artopreneurial” processes, redefining the boundaries of creativity and enterprise. By fostering inclusive audience engagement, it aims to redefine the cultural and economic landscape of classical music and opera. Stay tuned for updates on the latest research, educational initiatives, and creative projects emerging from this collaboration, and their transformative impact on art, education, entrepreneurship and society.

• Malmö Academy of Music – mhm.lu.se
• Inter Arts Centre – iac.lu.se
• “Creativity, AI, and the Human” at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI), University of Edinburgh – efi.ed.ac.uk