Exchange Talk: Whose Music Is It Anyway? Composition as Collective Practice

What does the work of a composer look like? We may picture a solitary figure writing music in isolation, but the reality is often more social and collaborative. This talk asks three questions: Whose voices shape a piece of music? What does collaboration look like in practice? Can collaboration change the way music is written and heard? Drawing on Kenneth’s experience as a composer working with performers and intercultural traditions, he shares stories from his creative practice that explore how a score is transformed into sound.

Kenneth Tay is a composer, conductor, and choral practitioner completing a PhD in Music Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His research explores how Southeast Asian musical traditions and narratives can converse with Western sacred music, creating new possibilities for theological reflection and intercultural encounter. His works have been performed internationally by ensembles including The Marian Consort (2025), University of Delaware Chorale (2024), and Arcadian Singers (2023), and featured at the Singapore Choral Festival (2025), BBC Radio 3 (2024), and the World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul (2023).