Catherine Laws

Catherine Laws is a Professor of Music at the University of York, affiliated with the School of Arts and Creative Technologies. She holds a dual role as a musicologist and pianist specializing in contemporary music, with particular focus on interdisciplinary performance practices and the relationship between music and language. Her research explores collaboration, embodiment, and subjectivity in performance, alongside studies of Samuel Beckett’s musical intermediality. Laws maintains a Senior Artistic Research Fellowship at the Orpheus Institute in Ghent, leading the 'Performance, Subjectivity, and Experimentation' research cluster.

• Education: PhD in Music (University of York, 1996), MA and BA in Music (University of York)

Her research spans two core areas: 1) performance-based studies examining performer agency, embodiment, and interdisciplinary collaboration through works like the multimedia Player Piano; and 2) investigations into composers’ responses to literary texts, notably Beckett’s works. Key outputs include co-authored Voices, Bodies, Practices (2019) and edited Performance, Subjectivity, and Experimentation (2020). Her recent projects with filmmaker Minyung Im reimagine piano performances through film, blending sound, visual, and spatial elements.

Publications reflect her dual focus: experimental music performance, Beckett studies, and collaborative art practices. Her work often bridges theory and practice, integrating compositional, performative, and audiovisual mediums.