Daniel Blanco Albert

Music PhD

Daniel found his home at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire after deciding to move from Valencia to study his passion for music and performance. He has been connected to Birmingham City University throughout his Master’s degree and PhD for a decade now and loves to work collaboratively with other creatives in the city to form unique operatic performances.  

Thesis title: Composition strategies for the creation of science-based interdisciplinary and collaborative music-theatre  

“After three years of studying music in Valencia, I felt I needed a big change to develop artistically. I decided to apply for an Erasmus scholarship to study in the UK. Before making my decision, I visited various conservatoires in London and visited the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire which already had some links with Valencia. 

On my visit, I met lots of members of staff, and students, and attended concerts and lectures. It felt very genuine, honest, and friendly. I loved the composition department and the institution so much that Birmingham was the first choice in my application for Erasmus. Since then, I have been connected to BCU for a decade! 

After my MMus I took a year off to develop my professional project, Infinite Opera, as part of a joint artistic residency in Digbeth at Grand Union (a scheme in partnership with BCU). In that year I started collaborating with many cultural institutions in the city, but also with creative business. Those partnerships generated very interesting synergies resulting in innovative takes on the operatic genre, such as the very first opera about beer (created in collaboration with the local brewery Digbrew Co).  

The idea of exploring new ways to engage with different communities directly through interdisciplinary collaboration fuelled an interest in artistic research, which eventually led me to come back to BCU for a PhD.  

I wanted to explore new methods to create music theatre works by collaborating with practitioners across very different fields. The PhD provided a clear process and structure for this exploratory work, as well as access to experts from diverse disciplines and the resources to develop strong interdisciplinary collaborations. I found that I flourish when working with different people specialising across various creative backgrounds.  

I have always felt part of an active and interactive culturally engaged and supportive community at BCU. The research community is genuinely interested in the work of their peers, and it is great being able to talk and discuss different topics with other research colleagues, which are really inspiring and can have a great impact on your own research. 

BCU has provided me with fantastic mentorship from experienced academics and professionals, which makes the research process seem easy. We have access to top facilities, such as the Conservatoire or School of Art, making rehearsals, performances, and recordings possible. It is a joy to be part of one of the most active and innovative communities in artistic research.   

I love collaborating creatively with fellow artists and musicians at Birmingham City University to create new work. One of these works was shown in the Arts and Crafts Luleå Biennial in Sweden. I was able to casually pop into the Arctic Circle in cold November and talk about my artistic practice there, which was an incredible opportunity! 

As part of the research programme, I have been able to write a lot of music in response to many different topics collaborating with incredible people from a wide range of disciplines, creating an eclectic portfolio of works showcasing my research.  

I have had the privilege to engage closely with Birmingham School of Art, where I co-ran the Protest Choir for some years, in which we co-wrote songs with amazing artists about current local and global issues. I had the chance to mentor some Art and Design students and lead the performative aspect of one of their projects.  

Studying for a PhD is a great chance to develop specific aspects of your own artistic practice, but most importantly is a great opportunity to develop as a reflective and critical practitioner. It is also a fantastic time to engage actively with fellow artists and researchers, share ideas, collaborate, and gain skills and experience in different fields, adjacent to or even far from your own.   

In the future, I hope to keep expanding the company I co-founded, Infinite Opera, being able to perform in more places and keep collaborating with different practitioners, artists, and institutions.  

For me, ‘IAMBCU’ means moving forward, exploration, curiosity, and innovation through the collision of ideas from people from diverse backgrounds and with different stories and personal experiences.”