“Improvisation is life, and life is improvisation.” (Raymond MacDonald & Graeme Wilson)
The ninth edition of key_concepts takes its title from The Art of Becoming. How Group Improvisation Works, a compelling book by Scottish saxophonist, composer, and music psychologist Raymond MacDonald, co-authored with Graeme Wilson. The book explores improvisation not just as a musical technique, but as a way of engaging with the world – a dynamic, evolving process that is social, creative, and deeply human.
Improvisation, as framed in their work, is an art of becoming: a mode of interaction that resists fixed outcomes and instead embraces emergence, openness, and the possibility of transformation and development. In his foreword to the book, George Lewis calls it an “achievement without attainment” – referring to improvisation as a form of flourishing grounded in uncertainty, attentiveness, and shared creation.
Raymond MacDonald is Professor of Music Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and an internationally recognized researcher in the field of improvisation studies. Drawing on his dual expertise as an academic and an active improvising musician, his work bridges theory and practice and focuses on topics such as musical communication, group interaction, creativity, identity, education, and wellbeing. He is a founding member of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and has collaborated with numerous renowned artists including Marilyn Crispell, Evan Parker, Günter ‘Baby’ Sommer, David Byrne, and Jim O’Rourke. He has released over 60 albums and performed across the globe.
In conversation with Denkraum host Mathias Maschat, key questions at the heart of MacDonald’s research are being explored: What can improvisation teach us about collaboration and trust? How does group improvisation work across cultural, social, and musical contexts? In what ways can improvisation support mental health and wellbeing? How are musical identities shaped – or reshaped – through improvisation? And what does it mean to improvise ethically, responsively, and inclusively?
On May, 1st, 20.00, Raymond MacDonald is performing at exploratorium with the Berlin Improvisers Orchestra.
He will also be giving a public workshop at the exploratorium on Sunday, May 4th, 15:00–18:00, entitled Exploring Musical Identities in Improvisation.
