Dr Georgia Volioti
About
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer in Music and Media and the Programme Director for the Masters in Music (MMus). I hold degrees from Imperial College, London (First-class BSc Hons and Associate of the Royal College of Science) and Royal Holloway, University of London (Masters in Music with Distinction, specialism Advanced Performance Pathway, and PhD in Music fully funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council scholarship).
Research interests and activities
My research focuses on musical performance as a form of knowledge production, particularly on the relationships between expertise, cognition, and learning. My work examines how musical knowledge is developed, embodied, interpreted, communicated, and assessed through performance, asking how performers acquire expertise, make interpretive decisions, construct meaning, and transmit knowledge within educational, professional, and cultural contexts.
Working across performance studies, musicology, performance psychology, and music education, I employ qualitative, quantitative, empirical and mixed-methods approaches to investigate performance as both a cultural and cognitive practice. A distinctive feature of my research is its ability to bridge humanities and scientific traditions, enabling publication across both music-focused and science-oriented journals.
My research interests include:
- Musical expertise, interpretation, and learning
- Performance as knowledge production
- Performance psychology and cognition
- Performer self-regulated learning and self-efficacy
- Performance evaluation and assessment of expertise
- Listening practices and ecologies of listening
- Creative learning through mediated musical practices
- Music education and higher music education
- Music performance studies and performance historiography
- Nineteenth-century music and performance cultures
My research has been published in leading journals across musicology, performance studies, music education, and psychology, including The Musical Quarterly, Music and Letters, Journal of Musicological Research, Music Performance Research, Musicae Scientiae, Research Studies in Music Education and Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts.
I regularly review for journals spanning both humanities and scientific approaches to music research, including: Frontiers in Psychology (Performance Science section); Empirical Musicology Review; Journal of New Music Research; Music and Letters; Acta Musicologica; Research Studies in Music Education; Psychology of Music; Nineteenth-Century Music Review; and Musicae Scientiae (see also Research).
Research leadership and selected key publications
At the core of my research is the question: How is musical knowledge acquired, embodied, evaluated, transmitted, and transformed through performance? Working across music psychology, performance studies, and music education, I explore the development of expertise, interpretation, creativity, and learning in musical practice. A major strand of this research examines how recordings and processes of aural modelling function as cognitive, cultural, and pedagogical mechanisms through which performers engage with musical knowledge, negotiate tradition, and develop interpretive agency.
My major publications are united by this overarching research programme.
My lead-edited book, Recorded Music in Creative Practices: Mediation, Performance, Education (Routledge SEMPRE), examines how musicians learn, create, interpret, and develop knowledge through mediated musical practices.
My co-edited special issue of Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts 29(6) 'On Music', explores how musical performance generates, embodies, communicates, and transforms forms of knowing across artistic, technological, educational, and cultural contexts, advancing my interest in performance as knowledge production.
Current research projects further extend this programme through studies of musical expertise, learning, and knowledge development within contemporary higher education and twenty-first-century performance ecologies.
Research funding and competitive awards
My research has been supported through a sustained portfolio of competitive and invited awards spanning research development, pedagogical innovation, and international research leadership, including a Vice Chancellor’s Career Investment and Inclusion Award (University of Surrey), multiple Music & Letters Trust Awards, a Royal Musical Association Conference Organisation Award, a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Academic Disruption Fund, alongside external matched funding from the Royal College of Music. Earlier support has included a FASS Teaching Innovation Award.
Collectively, these awards reflect sustained institutional and external recognition of a longitudinal research programme on musical performance as knowledge production, with a particular focus on expertise, listening, and cognitive–pedagogical processes in musical learning and performance.
Public engagement and knowledge exchange
My public engagement and knowledge exchange activities communicate research on musical performance as a form of knowledge production, with a particular focus on expertise, cognition, and learning in and through performance. I work with audiences across the music industry, creative practice, policy, and higher education to translate research on musical performance, interpretation, creativity, and learning into public-facing contexts.
My activities include public pre-performance talks for Glyndebourne, co-curation of a public exhibition at the Guildford International Music Festival, keynote presentations (including at the London International Piano Symposium at the Royal Academy of Music), writing for The Conversation, and delivering public research seminars. I also contribute to regional music education and cultural engagement through my role on the Steering Board of external partners for the Surrey Music Hub. (For a list of all public engagement activities, see under Publications).
Leadership and academic management roles:
Current:
- MMus Programme Director (2024 - ongoing)
Previous:
- Open Research Champion for Music and Media
- Director of Music Careers & Employability
- BMus Programme Director
Areas of specialism
Affiliations and memberships
Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (accreditation reference: PR057289).
Performance Studies Network (PSN) - registered member.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies (EDIMS) - registered member.
Healthy Conservatoires network - registered member.
Music Mark - representative for UoS Music and Media and registered member.
Royal Musical Association - registered member.
News
In the media
Grieg in Performance: International Research Seminar
(The Edvard Grieg Research Centre, University of Bergen, Norway)
In Conversation with Artist in Residence Anna Scott - Performing Recordings, Recording Performances
(Institute of Advanced Study, University of Surrey)
ResearchResearch interests
My research investigates musical performance as a form of knowledge production, focusing on the relationships between expertise, cognition, and learning. Working across performance studies, musicology, performance psychology, and music education, I examine how musical knowledge is developed, embodied, interpreted, communicated, and assessed through performance.
A distinctive feature of my work is its integration of humanities and scientific approaches to the study of musical performance. I employ qualitative, quantitative, empirical and mixed-methods approaches to investigate performance as both a cultural and cognitive practice.
Research themes
Performance, Expertise, and Learning
- musical expertise and its development
- performance as knowledge production
- interpretation and performer decision-making
- self-regulated learning and self-efficacy
- performance evaluation and assessment
- musical creativities, originality, and value
- transitions and learning in higher music education
Performance Psychology and Cognition
- embodied and expressive dimensions of performance
- listening practices and ecologies of listening
- cognition and expertise in musical performance
- performer behaviours and experiences
- self-regulation in performance and recording contexts
Performance Studies, Musicology, and Cultural Contexts
- musicology of performance and applied musicology
- performance practices and performance historiography
- nineteenth-century music and performance cultures
- cultural memory and identity in performance
- recording technologies, mediation, and musical culture
- historical recordings and recording practices
- landscape, visual culture, and music
- the music of Edvard Grieg
Music Education and Professional Practice
- listening and recording studio pedagogies
- technology, inclusion, and equity in music education
- health and wellbeing in musical learning environments
- careers, employability, and professional development
- decolonial perspectives on music education
Research methods
My research draws on a broad methodological repertoire, including:
- qualitative and interview-based research
- quantitative methods and research design
- empirical and mixed-methods approaches
- educational research
- discourse and cultural analysis
- historical and archival research
- computational analysis of performance data
- statistical modelling and SPSS data analysis
Professional & research affiliations:
- Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) - registered member.
- Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (accreditation reference: PR057289).
- Performance Studies Network (PSN) - registered member.
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies (EDIMS) - registered member.
- Healthy Conservatoires Network - registered member.
- Music Mark - representative for UoS Music and Media and registered member.
- Royal Musical Association - registered member.
Peer-review and research service:
Academic journals & research grant reviewer:
I have acted as reviewer for the journals:
- Frontiers in Psychology - Performance Science section (Open Access Journal, ISSN: 1664-1078) - open peer review
- Empirical Musicology Review (Ohio State University, ISSN: 1559-5749) - open peer review
- Journal of New Music Research (Taylor & Francis Journals) - registered on Web of Science
- Research Studies in Music Education (SAGE/SEMPRE Journals) - registered on Web of Science
- Music and Letters (Oxford University Press)
- Acta Musicologica (Journal of the International Musicological Society, e-ISSN: 2296-4339)
I have reviewed academic books and classical music CDs (and published peer-reviewed review articles) in the journals:
- Psychology of Music (SAGE/SEMRE Journals)
- Musicae Scientiae (ESCOM/SAGE Journals)
- Music and Letters (Oxford University Press)
- Nineteenth-Century Music Review (Cambridge University Press)
I have acted as research grant reviewer for The Swiss National Science Foundation.
International conference committees and reviewing panels:
- Co-chair, member of conference review committee and lead organiser of Broadening Music Performance: New Approaches and Possibilities for Higher Music Education (26-27 June 2025, University of Surrey).
- Member of conference committee and co-organiser (one of three) for the Performance Studies Network 2022 International Conference (30 June - 3 July 2022, University of Surrey).
- Member of Steering Committee of AHRC-funded Research Network Redefining Early Recordings as Sources of Performance Practice and History (effective from March 2021 to March 2023).
- Lead organiser and committee member for Performance Studies Network Research Forum - New Takes on Recorded Music: Performance, Creativity, Technology, University of Surrey, 5-6 September 2019.
- Member of scientific committee and reviewing panel for Third Conference of the London International Piano Symposium, Royal Academy of Music, 28-30 October 2018.
- Member of conference committee and reviewing panel for the Tenth Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900 and Surrey Music Analysis Conference (ICMSN/SurreyMAC), University of Surrey, 11-14 September 2017.
Research interests
My research investigates musical performance as a form of knowledge production, focusing on the relationships between expertise, cognition, and learning. Working across performance studies, musicology, performance psychology, and music education, I examine how musical knowledge is developed, embodied, interpreted, communicated, and assessed through performance.
A distinctive feature of my work is its integration of humanities and scientific approaches to the study of musical performance. I employ qualitative, quantitative, empirical and mixed-methods approaches to investigate performance as both a cultural and cognitive practice.
Research themes
Performance, Expertise, and Learning
- musical expertise and its development
- performance as knowledge production
- interpretation and performer decision-making
- self-regulated learning and self-efficacy
- performance evaluation and assessment
- musical creativities, originality, and value
- transitions and learning in higher music education
Performance Psychology and Cognition
- embodied and expressive dimensions of performance
- listening practices and ecologies of listening
- cognition and expertise in musical performance
- performer behaviours and experiences
- self-regulation in performance and recording contexts
Performance Studies, Musicology, and Cultural Contexts
- musicology of performance and applied musicology
- performance practices and performance historiography
- nineteenth-century music and performance cultures
- cultural memory and identity in performance
- recording technologies, mediation, and musical culture
- historical recordings and recording practices
- landscape, visual culture, and music
- the music of Edvard Grieg
Music Education and Professional Practice
- listening and recording studio pedagogies
- technology, inclusion, and equity in music education
- health and wellbeing in musical learning environments
- careers, employability, and professional development
- decolonial perspectives on music education
Research methods
My research draws on a broad methodological repertoire, including:
- qualitative and interview-based research
- quantitative methods and research design
- empirical and mixed-methods approaches
- educational research
- discourse and cultural analysis
- historical and archival research
- computational analysis of performance data
- statistical modelling and SPSS data analysis
Professional & research affiliations:
- Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) - registered member.
- Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (accreditation reference: PR057289).
- Performance Studies Network (PSN) - registered member.
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies (EDIMS) - registered member.
- Healthy Conservatoires Network - registered member.
- Music Mark - representative for UoS Music and Media and registered member.
- Royal Musical Association - registered member.
Peer-review and research service:
Academic journals & research grant reviewer:
I have acted as reviewer for the journals:
- Frontiers in Psychology - Performance Science section (Open Access Journal, ISSN: 1664-1078) - open peer review
- Empirical Musicology Review (Ohio State University, ISSN: 1559-5749) - open peer review
- Journal of New Music Research (Taylor & Francis Journals) - registered on Web of Science
- Research Studies in Music Education (SAGE/SEMPRE Journals) - registered on Web of Science
- Music and Letters (Oxford University Press)
- Acta Musicologica (Journal of the International Musicological Society, e-ISSN: 2296-4339)
I have reviewed academic books and classical music CDs (and published peer-reviewed review articles) in the journals:
- Psychology of Music (SAGE/SEMRE Journals)
- Musicae Scientiae (ESCOM/SAGE Journals)
- Music and Letters (Oxford University Press)
- Nineteenth-Century Music Review (Cambridge University Press)
I have acted as research grant reviewer for The Swiss National Science Foundation.
International conference committees and reviewing panels:
- Co-chair, member of conference review committee and lead organiser of Broadening Music Performance: New Approaches and Possibilities for Higher Music Education (26-27 June 2025, University of Surrey).
- Member of conference committee and co-organiser (one of three) for the Performance Studies Network 2022 International Conference (30 June - 3 July 2022, University of Surrey).
- Member of Steering Committee of AHRC-funded Research Network Redefining Early Recordings as Sources of Performance Practice and History (effective from March 2021 to March 2023).
- Lead organiser and committee member for Performance Studies Network Research Forum - New Takes on Recorded Music: Performance, Creativity, Technology, University of Surrey, 5-6 September 2019.
- Member of scientific committee and reviewing panel for Third Conference of the London International Piano Symposium, Royal Academy of Music, 28-30 October 2018.
- Member of conference committee and reviewing panel for the Tenth Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900 and Surrey Music Analysis Conference (ICMSN/SurreyMAC), University of Surrey, 11-14 September 2017.
Supervision
Postgraduate research supervision
I am interested in supervising doctoral projects that investigate musical performance as a form of knowledge production, with particular emphasis on how expertise, cognition, interpretation, and learning are developed, embodied, and transmitted through performance.
I welcome PhD enquiries from suitably qualified candidates interested in empirical, qualitative, mixed-methods, and cognitive approaches to musical performance, particularly where research engages with performance studies, performance psychology, and music education. Co-supervision with colleagues in related disciplines (e.g. psychology, education, health sciences) is possible.
My supervision expertise is particularly suited to projects exploring:
- musical expertise and interpretive decision-making in performance
- performance cognition and embodied musical knowledge
- learning, pedagogy, and assessment in musical performance contexts
- performance psychology and performer development
- empirical and mixed-methods studies of musical performance
For information on applying and funded doctoral opportunities, see Music PhD and Doctoral College | University of Surrey.
Completed PhD theses:
Arkle, Genevieve. (2021). Investigating the Turn Figure as Allusion and Topic in Wagner’s Parsifal and Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. University of Surrey, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Completed: 30/07/2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15126/thesis.900085 [Supervisors: Professor Jeremy Barham; Dr Georgia Volioti].
Singleton, Philip. (2016). Spectralism today: A survey of the consequences for contemporary composition of the French Spectral School of the 1970s and 1980s. University of Surrey, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Completed: 01/08/2016. ID: 99514547202346 [Supervisors: Professor Alan Moore; Dr Tom Armstrong; Dr Georgia Volioti].
Teaching
In my teaching, I draw on principles from Positive Psychology and Self-Determination Theory, recognising that meaningful learning occurs when students experience autonomy, competence and a sense of belonging. I aim to create learning environments that empower students to become independent thinkers, intellectually curious, reflective and confident contributors to the wider musical and cultural landscape.
Postgraduate teaching (Music MMus):
I convene and lead MMus Research Training (MUSM078), focusing on research methods and critical approaches to musical performance as a site of knowledge production, with particular attention to expertise, interpretation, technological mediation and learning in cross-discipinary contexts.
Undergraduate teaching (Music BMus):
My undergraduate teaching is centred on musical performance as a form of knowledge and practice, integrating perspectives from performance studies, musicology, sociology and performance psychology.
- Studying Music as Performance / Performance Studies (MUS2062, MUS3082, MUSM073)
Convener and main lecturer.
A distinct interdisciplinary module exploring performance as a site of musical knowledge, interpretation, expertise and embodied cognition, drawing on musicology, sociology, and psychology. - Encountering Music History (MUS1031)
Convener and main lecturer.
A module that rethinks critically 'what' music histories are through performance, listening, cultural interpretation, embodied cognition and human interaction. - Nineteenth-Century Music (MUS2057)
Convener and main lecturer.
Focus on performance cultures and interpretive practices in nineteenth-century repertoire, including Lied, piano genres, and Italian opera. - Opera Studies (Topic Study 2B/3B/B; MUS2062, MUS3082, MUSM073)
Convener and main lecturer.
A performance-centred exploration of opera as a historically and culturally situated practice of interpretation, embodiment, and meaning-making. Music Project Modules (1B, 2B, 3B, B)
Convener and main lecturer.
Student-led projects focused on musical performance, interpretation, and creative engagement with repertoire and practice.
Past modules taught:
UG/BMus
- Individual Project (MUS3078) - convener/supervisor.
- Arts Policy & Practice (MUS2033) - convener/supervisor.
- Professional Investigation (MUS3068) - convener/supervisor.
- Historical Performance Practice (MUS3072) - convener & main lecturer.
- Opera Studies (MUS3064) - convener & main lecturer.
- Understanding Music B (MUS1027) - main lecturer.
- Musicology A (MUS2046) - main lecturer.
- Musicology B (MUS2047) - convener/supervisor.
- Dissertation A, B & C (MUS3055, 3056 & 3057) - convener/supervisor.
PG/MMus
- Research Training for Practitioners (MUSM048) - contributor.
- Performance A (MUSM039) - contributor.
- Performance B (MUSM040) - contributor.
- Readings in Musicology A (MUSM056) - contributor.
- Readings in Musicology B - main lecturer.
- Research Training in Musicology A & B (MUSM054, MUSM055) - contributor.
Publications
My publications form part of an overarching research programme exploring cultural, cognitive, and pedagogical processes through which musical knowledge and expertise are acquired, embodied, evaluated, transmitted, and creatively transformed through performance.
(2026). Volioti, G. Review of 'Sounds as They Are: The Unwritten Music in Classical Recordings' by Richard Beaudoin. (Oxford University Press, New York, 2024. ISBN 9-780- 1976-5928. Music and Letters (published online, 5 March 2026). https://doi.org/10.1093/ml/gcag008
(2025). Volioti, G. 'A Lament for the Earth: Performing Loneliness and Liminality with Annie Lennox's "Dido"', in T. Armstrong, G. Volioti and C. Wiley (eds.), 'On Music', Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 29/6, 82-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2024.2537589
(2025). Armstrong, T., Volioti, G. and Wiley, C. 'On Music'. Edited Issue of Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 29/6, 1-162. Taylor & Francis Online. ISSN: 1352-8165. Available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rprs20/29/6?nav=tocList
(2025). Armstrong, T., Volioti, G. and Wiley, C. 'On Music: Editorial: Pirouetting on the Twists and Turns of Music Performance Studies', in T. Armstrong, G. Volioti and C. Wiley (eds.), Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 29/6, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2024.2556624
(2024). Volioti, G. and Barolsky, D. Recorded Music in Creative Practices: Mediation, Performance, Education. London & New York: Routledge. SEMPRE Studies in the Psychology of Music. ISBN 9781032040608 DOI: 10.4324/9781003190004
(2024). Volioti, G. 'Introduction: New Approaches to Integrating the Study and Practice of Recording in Higher Music Education', in Volioti, G. and Barolsky, D. (eds.), Recorded Music in Creative Practices: Mediation, Performance, Education. London & New York Routledge. SEMPRE Studies in the Psychology of Music. DOI: 10.4324/9781003190004-1
(2024). Volioti, G. and Williamon, A. 'Nurturing the Musical Imagination: Listening to Recordings for Self-regulated and Creative Learning', in Volioti, G. and Barolsky, D. (eds.), Recorded Music in Creative Practices: Mediation, Performance, Education. London & New York: Routledge. SEMPRE Studies in the Psychology of Music. DOI: 10.4324/9781003190004-13
(2024). Volioti, G. 'Does UK Opera have a Future to Sing About?' The Conversation, Arts and Culture, published online 10 July 2024. https://theconversation.com/does-uk-opera-have-a-future-to-sing-about-231205
(2024). Volioti, G., Waddell, G. and Williamon, A. 'Expert Listeners' Evaluation of Originality and Quality of Commercial Classical Piano Recordings'. In Kempf, A., Parncutt, R., Martínez, I. C., Pérez, J. B., Glasser, S., Osborne, M., Daffern, H., Waddington-Jones, C., O’Neill, K. and Schiavio, A. (eds.), GAPS2 - Global Arts and Psychology Seminar "Creativity in music and the arts": Book of Abstracts (pp. 124-126). University of Graz, 2024. http://dx.doi.org/10.25364/554.2024.1.
(2023). Volioti, G. Liner Notes. Grieg: Lyric Pieces. Daniel Gortler (piano). Prospero Classical (1 CD: 64.20 minutes), pp. 7-12. Martin Korn Music Production.
(2023). Volioti, G. 'The Written and the Sung: Grieg's Piano Ballade and the Performativity of Genre', in E. Moreda-Rodriguez and I. Stanovic (eds.), Early Sound Recordings: Academic Research and Practice (pp. 202-224). Routledge. eBook: ISBN 9781003194521 DOI:10.4324/9781003194521-14
(2021). Volioti, G. and Williamon, A. 'Performers' Discourses on Listening to Recordings'. Research Studies in Music Education, 43/3, 481-497. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X19899168
(2021). Volioti, G. Book review of 'Musicians in the Making: Pathways to Creative Performance', J. Rink, H. Gaunt and A. Williamon (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2017. Psychology of Music, 49/4, 1058-1065. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735619889009
(2020). Volioti, G. 'Rethinking Classical Sound Recordings: Creativities Beyond the Score', in A. Aguilar, R. Cole, M. Pritchard & E. Clarke (eds.), Remixing Music Studies: Essays in Honour of Nicholas Cook (pp. 61-75). New York: Routledge. eBook: ISBN 9780429433405 https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429433405
(2019). Volioti, G. 'Expressive Gesture in Grieg's Recordings of Two Op. 43 Lyric Pieces: An Exploratory Principal Components Analysis'. Music Performance Research, vol. 9, 1-30 (ISSN 7155-9219).
(2018). Volioti, G. Book review of 'Staging History: 1780-1840', M. Burden, W. Heller, J. Hicks and E. Lockhart (eds.), Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2016. Nineteenth-Century Music Review, published online 2 April 2018. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1479409817000908
(2017). Volioti, G. 'Landscaping the Gaze in Norwegian Visual Art and Grieg's Op. 66 Folksong Piano Arrangements'. Music & Letters, 98/4, 573-600. https://doi.org/10.1093/ml/gcx114
(2017). Volioti, G. & Williamon, A. 'Recordings as Learning and Practising Resources for Performance: Exploring Attitudes and Behaviours of Music Students and Professionals'. Musicae Scientiae, 21/4, 499-523. doi:10.1177/1029864916674048
(2017). Volioti, G. 'Musing on The Past: Historical Recordings as Creative Resources of Piano Performance', in Cristine MacKie (ed.), New Thoughts on Piano Performance: Research at the Interface Between Science and the Art of Piano Performance (pp. 65-86). A London International Piano Symposium Publication, 2017. ISBN: 978-164007055-4
(2017). Volioti, G. 'Re-imagining Operatic Objects: Commentary on "Phenomena, Poiesis, and Performance Profiling: Temporal-Textual Emphasis and Creative Process Analysis in Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera"'. Empirical Musicology Review, 12/3-4, 272-276. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18061/emr.v12i3-4.5957
(2017). Volioti, G. Recording review of 'Edvard Grieg, Lyric Pieces, Stephen Hough pf Hyperion 68070, 2015 (1 CD: 73 minutes)', Nineteenth-Century Music Review, 14/2, 275-277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1479409816000422
(2016). Volioti, G. Book review of 'Expressiveness in Music Performance: Empirical Approaches across Styles and Cultures', D. Fabian, R. Timmers and E. Schubert (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2014. Nineteenth-Century Music Review, 13/2, 335-340. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1479409816000173
(2015). Volioti, G. 'Reminiscing Grieg: A Study of Technostalgia and Modulating Identities'. The Musical Quarterly, 98/3, 179-211. doi: 10.1093/musqtl/gdv005
(2014). Volioti, G. ‘Performing National-Cultural Identity: Rhythmic Gesture as the Phenomenology of the Folk’, in Nikos Maliaras (ed.), Proceedings of the International Musicological Conference the National Element in Music, 18-20 January 2013 (pp. 91-111). Faculty of Music Studies, University of Athens. ISBN: 978-960-93-5959-7
(2012). Volioti, G. ‘Re-inventing Grieg’s Folk Modernism: An Empirical Investigation of the Performance of the Slåtter op.72, no. 2’. The Journal of Musicological Research, 31/4, 262-296. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01411896.2013.720914
(2010). Volioti, G. ‘Playing with Tradition: Weighing up Similarity and the Buoyancy of the Game’. Musicae Scientiae, 14/2, 85-114. doi:10.1177/102986491001400204
(2007). Volioti, G. Book review of Adam Ockelford, ‘Repetition in Music: Theoretical and Meta-theoretical Perspectives’, Ashgate (RMA Monographs), 2005. Musicae Scientiae, 11/2, 325-330. doi:10.1177/102986490701100208
(2007). Volioti, G. Review of 4th International CHARM Symposium, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK (12-14 April 2007), 'Methods for Analysing Recordings'. CHARM Newsletter, Issue 3 (2007), 5-8.
Peer-reviewed conference research papers (and invited contributions):
(2025). Volioti, G. 'Evaluating Originality in Classical Performance: An Exploratory Investigation with Implications for Performers' Training'. (Abstract) Royal Holloway, University of London, Music Department Research Seminar Series, 25 March 2025. [invited research seminar]
(2023). Volioti, G., Waddell, G. and Williamon, A. 'Exploring Expert Listeners' Evaluation of Originality and Quality of Commercial Classical Piano Recordings'. GAPS2 - Global Arts and Psychology Seminar "Creativity in Music and the Arts", York, Graz, La Plata and Melbourne, 14-16 September 2023. [conference research paper]
(2023). Volioti, G., Waddell, G. and Williamon, A. 'Exploring Expert Listeners' Evaluation of Originality and Quality of Commercial Classical Piano Recordings'. International Symposium on Performance Science (ISPS 2023), Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, 17-20 August 2023. [conference research paper]
(2023). Volioti, G. 'In Conversation with Artist in Residence Dr Anna Scott on Performing Recordings: Recording Performances', Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Surrey, 3 March 2023 (YouTube video, conversation starts @ 1:08:46) [public live-streamed seminar].
(2022). Volioti, G. 'On and Off the Record: Reimagining Grieg's Ballade from Historical Recordings'. Grieg in Performance International Research Seminar 2022, University of Bergen, 2-3 September 2022. [conference research paper, by invitation]
(2022). Volioti, G., McGuinness, S., Neumann, J. and Behan, A. 'Post-pandemic Performance: A Retrospective Prospective Round-table Discussion'. Sixth International Performance Studies Network Conference, University of Surrey, 30 June - 3 July 2022. [conference panel speaker]
(2022). Volioti, G. 'Taking the Leap: Music Students’ Transitions into Professional Placement as a Route to Career Building'. Surrey ExciTes Conference, University of Surrey, 25 April 2022. [conference research paper]
(2022). Volioti, G. 'Roundtable: Early Recordings Research and Future directions'. Interpreting Early Recordings: Critical and Contextual Perspectives. University of Glasgow, 6 January 2022. [invited panel speaker]
(2021). Volioti, G. 'Roundtable'. Early Recordings: Impacts of a Transformative Technology, hosted online by Cardiff University and Bern University of the Arts, 21 July 2021. [invited panel chair and speaker]
(2020). Volioti, G. 'Learning with Recordings as Cultural Capability: Towards Developing Listening Pedagogies'. Bootleg Opera and Pirate Queens, Bern University of the Arts, 2-4 September 2020. [conference research paper]
(2019). Volioti, G. Early Recordings: Past Performing Practices in Contemporary Research, Pushkin House, London, 22 June 2019. [invited panel chair]
(2018). Volioti, G. 'Reflections on Classical Sound Recordings: Prospects and Challenges for Performance Studies'. The London International Piano Symposium. Royal Academy of Music, 27-29 October 2018. [keynote speaker]
(2018). Volioti, G. Performance Studies Network Fifth International Conference. Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, 5-8 July 2018. [conference research paper]
(2018). Volioti, G. Seeing and Hearing the Beyond: Art, Music, and Mysticism in the Long Nineteenth Century. Annual Conference of the Association of Art History. London, 5-7 April 2018. [conference research paper]
(2018). Volioti, G. and Williamon, A. 'Unlocking the Anxiety of Influence: What Performers' Discourses Reveal about Listening to Recordings'. The Listening Experience Database Project: Methodologies, Identities, Histories. The Open University, Milton Keynes, 6-7 March 2018. [conference research paper]
(2017). Volioti, G. ‘Narrativity in Grieg’s Ballade Revisited: The Nineteenth-Century Pianist as Orator’, Department of Music and Media, Music Research Seminar Series, University of Surrey, 11 October 2017. [research seminar]
(2017). Tenth Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900 and Surrey Music Analysis Conference (ICMSN/SurreyMAC), University of Surrey, Guildford, 11-14 September 2017. [Member of conference committee and panel chair for sessions on 'Film & Music' (12 Sept. 2017), and 'Music & France' (14 Sept. 2017)]
(2015). Volioti, G. and Williamon, A. 'Listening to Recordings: Perspectives on Practitioners' Habits'. The Listening Experience Database Project, Listening to Music: People, Practices and Experiences, Royal College of Music, London, 24-25 October 2015. [conference research paper]
(2015). Volioti, G. 'Three Levels of Vocality in Grieg's Piano Recordings'. PERFORMA'15, International Conference on Musical Performance, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 11-13 June 2015. [conference research paper]
(2015). Volioti, G. 'Working with Piano Rolls: A Musicologist's Perspective', presented as part of my collaborative research seminar 'Rollin' On: Pianola Grooves Uncovered', Music Research Seminar Series, School of Arts, PATS Studio 1, University of Surrey, 25 February 2015. [Research presentation and public exhibition, 'The Player-Piano and Pianola', part of The Guildford International Music Festival 2015]
(2014). Volioti, G. 'Who Cares What You Listen: Musical Recordings as Cultural Products of Creativity', invited by Prof. Paul Sowden (Department of Psychology) and presented at the ILLUME Research Seminar Series, Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, University of Surrey, 17 July 2014. [invited research presentation]
(2014). Volioti, G. Eighteenth Biennial Conference on Nineteenth-Century Music, University of Toronto, Canada, 18-20 June 2014. [conference research paper]
(2014). Volioti, G. 'Performing Memory and Nostalgia with Grieg's Historical Piano Recordings', Music Research Seminar Series, School of Arts, University of Surrey, 22 January 2014. [research seminar]
(2013). Volioti, G. ‘Historical Recordings and Piano Performance’. The London International Piano Symposium, Royal College of Music, London, 8-10 February 2013 (Recipient of Music & Letters Trust Award). [conference research paper]
(2013). Volioti, G. 'Performing Norwegian National-Cultural Identity: Rhythmic Gesture as the Phenomenology of the Folk'. International Musicological Conference, The National Element in Music, University of Athens, Greece, 18-20 January 2013. [conference research paper]
(2011). Volioti, G. 'Between Tradition and Innovation - Whose Style Is It Anyway? An Empirical Investigation of the Performance Practice of Grieg's Slatter'. International Performance Studies Conference, PERFORMA'11, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 19-21 May 2011. [conference research paper]
Public engagement and knowledge exchange
My public engagement and knowledge exchange activities translate research on musical performance as knowledge production, with a focus on expertise, interpretation, and performance practices, into academic, professional, and public contexts.
Research leadership: Conferences and symposia
(2025). Co-chair and lead organiser of the international conference Broadening Music Performance: New Approaches and Possibilities for Higher Music Education, University of Surrey (26–27 June 2025).
(2022). Co-organiser (one of three) and review committee member of the Sixth International Performance Studies Network Conference, University of Surrey (30 June–3 July 2022).
(2019). Lead organiser and committee member of New Takes on Recorded Music: Performance, Creativity, Technology, University of Surrey (5–6 September 2019), supported by The Music & Letters Trust, Performance Studies Network, and the Department of Music and Media.
Knowledge dissemination: Public scholarship and invited keynote work
(2025). 'Evaluating Originality in Classical Performance: An Exploratory Investigation with Implications for Music Education'. Royal Holloway, University of London, Music Department Research Seminar Series, 25 March 2025 (invited research seminar, Abstract).
(2023). Public research seminar, 'In Conversation with Artist in Residence Dr Anna Scott on Performing Recordings: Recording Performances'. Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Surrey, 3 March 2023 (public live-streamed seminar, YouTube video conversation starts @ 1:08:46).
(2018). Keynote address: Reflections on Classical Sound Recordings: Prospects and Challenges for Performance Studies, London International Piano Symposium, Royal Academy of Music (27–29 October 2018).
(2015). Public research seminar Rollin’ On: Piano(la) Groves Uncovered. Guildford International Music Festival (25 February 2015).
Cultural engagement: Exhibitions and practice-based work
(2015). Co-curator of The Player-Piano and Pianola, Guildford International Music Festival, Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey (9–18 March 2015). The exhibition presented early recording technologies and material artefacts, exploring how reproducing piano systems illuminate questions of performance practice, musical interpretation and embodied knowledge.
Public-facing performance communication and outreach
(2018). Public pre-performance talk for Glyndebourne Company on Tour. New Victoria Theatre, Woking (20 November 2018).
(2014). Public pre-performance talk on Verdi’s La Traviata. Invited by Glyndebourne dramaturg Cori Ellison. Glyndebourne Company on Tour, New Victoria Theatre, Woking (29 October 2014).
Music education, policy and regional engagement
(2023–present). Steering Board Member (External Partners), Surrey Music Hub. Contributing to regional strategy and partnership development as part of applied research impact, supporting initiatives that enhance musical learning, participation, progression, and access for young people across Surrey.