Recorder Player, Improviser, Researcher
The star of this recording is recorder player, Vicente Parrilla, who has so consumed the model books that he can now speak their musical language with confidence and freedom and create truly modern performances. Parrilla should be considered among the most expressive and technically proficient modern recorder players.
— American Record Guide,
On The Blog
On 11 September 2026, I defended my doctoral dissertation, Renaissance Improvised Counterpoint: Rethinking Concept, Cognition, and Aural Foundations, at STUK in Leuven. The defence marked the conclusion of my Doctorate in the Arts at KU Leuven / LUCA School of Arts, within the docARTES programme of the Orpheus Institute.
The public presentation included live musical demonstrations with voice, organ, and recorder, reflecting one of the project’s central concerns: how Renaissance improvised counterpoint can be understood not only through historical sources and analysis, but also through listening, memory, and embodied musical practice.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who took part in the event and helped make it possible, including the examination committee, my fellow musicians in the presentation, and, most especially, María and my parents and siblings.
The photographs below offer a glimpse of the presentation, the exchange with the examination committee, the proclamation, and the reception that followed.
Doctoral defence: 11 September 2026
Venue: STUK, Leuven
Dissertation: Renaissance Improvised Counterpoint: Rethinking Concept, Cognition, and Aural Foundations (FWO project 11A9922N)
Institution: KU Leuven / LUCA School of Arts, Doctorate in the Arts, docARTES programme, Orpheus Institute
Public defence: 14:00–16:25
Proclamation: 16:45–17:00
Reception: 17:00, STUK Café
Photographs by Marc Rattat.
Prof. dr. Katrien Foubert, chair
Prof. dr. David J. Burn, corresponding supervisor
Prof. dr. Philippe Canguilhem, co-supervisor
Prof. dr. em. Carl Van Eyndhoven, supervisor
Prof. dr. Antonio Chemotti
Prof. dr. Tom Beghin
Prof. em. Markus Jans
Prof. Catherine Motuz
The dissertation defended at this event is publicly available through KU Leuven’s LIRIAS repository.
A Short Bio
Hi there. I’m Vicente Parrilla, a recorder player, improviser, educator, and researcher. It’s nice to meet you. I’m one of a small group of early music performers who focus entirely on improvisation, which is why—I guess—I’ve been called a rara avis in the field. “Mr. Parrilla and company go all out.” —The New York Times. @vicenteparrilla
