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Major International Research Project Launches with Kick-Off Event

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The international research project REM@KE — which revives the sounds of historical keyboard instruments — launches with a kick-off meeting in Cremona and Pavia. The opening sessions will be accessible to the public via live stream.

REM@KE launches with international kick-off

A pioneering collaboration explores how musicians embody knowledge at the keyboard.

Pavia, November 2025 — The European Research Council (ERC) Synergy project REM@KE — Reconstructing Embodied Musical Knowledge at the Keyboard will be officially launched on November 20–21 with a two-day International Kick-Off Meeting hosted by the University of Pavia.

Led by Professor Massimiliano Guido (University of Pavia), in collaboration with Dr. Andrea Schiavio (University of York) and Dr. Joel Speerstra (University of Gothenburg), REM@KE brings together scholars, performers, and instrument makers to explore how musical knowledge is embodied, transmitted, and reconstructed through historical keyboard practice.

Day One: Musicology Meets Embodied Practice

The opening session, held on 20 November at the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage in Cremona, will center on a unique microecology—a research environment built around a meticulously crafted replica of a 1765 clavichord, designed through Speerstra’s historical investigations. A round table discussion on the REM@KE project’s interdisciplinary methodologies will follow, moderated by Professor Fulvia Caruso.

Day Two: Official Launch

On 21 November, the event moves to Pavia for the project’s formal presentation, introducing the Advisory Board and REM@KE’s international network of collaborators. The session will include remarks from the Rector of the University of Pavia, Professor Alessandro Reali, and will also mark the launch of CORDIMUS—the Interuniversity Center for the Study, Documentation, Conservation, Restoration, and Digitization of Musical Instruments.

The afternoon program will feature a reflection on microhistory as a research methodology for exploring complexity, including a talk by Professor Guido on the dynamic relationships between instruments, people, and spaces. Dr. Guðný Hallgrímsdóttir (Reykjavík Academy) will deliver the Keynote Lecture, focusing on the rediscovery of forgotten female figures through the lens of microhistory. The day concludes with a final round table led by Professor Cecilia Muratori, Principal Investigator of the ERC-Consolidator project NewWorld.

Hybrid Access and Live Stream

All sessions will be held in hybrid format and live-streamed on the project’s official YouTube channel.

Further details and the full program are available at homepage of the University of Pavia.

About REM@KE

REM@KE is a pioneering research project dedicated to reconstructing historical keyboard instruments too damaged to play. Through advanced reconstruction techniques, the initiative aims to restore their sound and playability, offering fresh insights into musical heritage. The project unites research teams from the Academy of Music and Drama, the University of Pavia, and the University of York, with funding from the European Research Council.

Read more about the project in the news article "Unlocking the Secrets of Historical Keyboards"