Abstract
The Process, itself a work-in-process, includes the first explicit development of the murmuration technique from the choral domain into opera and music theatre for the first time, investigating how emergent musical textures can serve dramatic narrative. The libretto, developed in collaboration with Adrian Self, draws on Kafka’s The Trial, the physics of starling murmurations, and the dynamics of social media – creating a three-layered dramaturgy where musical process mirrors thematic content. The work generates new knowledge about the application of algorithmic/emergent compositional processes within theatrical forms, and explores the intersection of acoustic vocal writing with multimedia staging, and improvisatory crowd performance.