Research

Stuart's research explores the creative, technical and human processes that shape contemporary music-making. Beginning with his doctoral research, Making Music in the Real World, his work investigates how composition, performance, production, technology and collaboration interact in the creation of new music, offering insights into the realities of artistic practice in the twenty-first century.

More recently, his research has focused on the artistic possibilities of immersive audio and spatial listening. Through projects including Rain Is Coming, Live at New Century, and A Quiet Gathering, he has explored how sound movement, spatialisation and listening environments can transform the relationship between music, performer and audience. These projects examine how immersive technologies can move beyond technical novelty to become meaningful creative tools, shaping emotional experience, attention and connection.

Combining artistic practice, reflective enquiry and technological experimentation, Stuart's research seeks to understand not only how music is made, but how it is experienced. Across composition, performance, production and immersive audio, a central concern remains the same: creating deeper, more engaging connections between sound, space and listener.

PhD Thesis - making music in the real world

A Quiet Gathering - research notes

Live at New Century – research notes

Rain Is Coming – research notes