VOLUMETRIC MUSIC COMPOSITION - A NEW WAY FOR MUSIC AND WOMEN COMPOSERS’ EMANCIPATION
Music has been a fundamental force in artistic expression, shaping emotional depth and narrative progression. Throughout history, its objective has reshaped, serving different purposes. Opera, flourishing between the 16th and 19th centuries, epitomized this emotional-narrative dominance, where composers, mostly men, dictated dramatic arcs through intricate structures. With cinema’s rise in the 20th century, music became secondary, merely enhancing emotions rather than driving the story. Nonetheless, women composers have historically faced systemic barriers in the music industry, to explore and assert their artistic voices through interactive, multi-sensory mediums. Virtual Reality (VR) and volumetric music composition reclaim its agency as an immersive storytelling tool, while offers unprecedented opportunities for women composers. Free from rigid industry structures, this new immersive music genre reinvents the relationship between music and narrative, providing a means of emancipation.
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Case Studies: Women in Volumetric Music Composition
Several pioneering projects showcase how volumetric music composition is reshaping the artistic landscape while providing new avenues for women composers.
1. Omega – Non-Linear Interactive Music Experience
Omega is among the first publicly showcased volumetric music compositions, allowing users to explore a musical space in an immersive VR environment. Unlike traditional compositions, Omega is non-linear – users navigate sections of the piece through movement and interaction. The project received the VRJAM award in Toulouse and was featured at the Sœurs Jumelles music festival in 2023 and 2024. It has been highlighted in scientific publications in London and Boston.
2. Interlace – Interactive Audio Particles and Timbral Enrichment
Expanding on volumetric composition, Interlace integrates interactive audio particles that respond dynamically to user engagement. As users move, sonic elements shift in real time, dissolving boundaries between composition and spatial design. Interlace has been featured in scientific conferences in London and music festivals in France.
3. TA VR Player – A Collaborative Music Project for Women Composers
TA VR Player features compositions from Troisième Autrice (TA), a French organization promoting female composers in film and media. By integrating their music into an interactive VR environment, the project challenges women’s historical exclusion from mainstream composition. Showcased at the Sœurs Jumelles festival in 2024, TA VR Player exemplifies VR’s potential as an inclusive platform for women composers.
4. Galaxy of Suffering – AI-Driven Visual Narration on Women's Rights
Galaxy of Suffering explores themes of women's rights in wartime through AI-generated volumetric visuals using Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) and Gaussian Splatting techniques. Music and imagery interact both semantically and physically, responding dynamically to sound. The project highlights the destruction of cultural sites in Kyiv and the broader impact of war on women. Currently displayed at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in London, it exemplifies volumetric music composition’s role in social advocacy.
Democratizing Volumetric Music Composition for Women Composers
Volumetric music composition is more than a technological innovation—it is a cultural and artistic shift, repositioning music as a leading storytelling force. For women composers, it offers an alternative to historically male-dominated traditions, providing tools to experiment, create, and shape immersive experiences freely.
To fully harness volumetric music’s potential, accessible tools and platforms must be developed. Open-source software, educational initiatives, and community-driven projects are key to democratizing this technology, ensuring diverse artists can shape the future of music composition.
By integrating interactive AI-driven environments, volumetric music composition reclaims music’s narrative primacy while serving as a tool for cultural and social emancipation. As this field evolves, it will redefine artistic landscapes, offering women composers new avenues for creative and professional recognition – free from traditional industry hierarchies.
DR. Anna Shvets is a member of the 2024 Rising Talents Laureates cohort, a Women's Forum for the Economy & Society initiative. The program brings together over 270 talented women from around the world, including Nobel Prize Nominees, scientists and CEOs.