In her work, Molly Joyce explores how technical aids can not only compensate for limitations, but also open up new musical possibilities. In her solo performance “State Change,” she reflects on her own experience of disability and the way in which body, technology, and musical expression are interconnected. Joyce works with digital Kaiku music sensors, which enable physically impaired musicians to perform live, as well as with analog toy organs. These tools create a fragile soundscape of electronic textures and minimalist instrumental sounds. The sung lyrics are simultaneously displayed in a video projection, adding an additional layer of perception. Virtuosity here does not arise from technical superiority, but from the conscious connection between body, technology, and voice. Joyce thus joins a number of current artistic positions that expand musical practice through assistive technologies, body awareness, and new instrumentalities. Works by artists such as Pamela Z and Christine Sun Kim have shown in recent years how musical expression can be reimagined through different physical and technical conditions.

Molly Joyce, born in Pittsburgh, works as a composer and performer in the field between experimental music, minimal music, and electronic sound art. After injuring her left hand as a child, she developed her own playing techniques and instrumental setups tailored to her physical abilities. She studied at the Juilliard School and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, among others, and now teaches at Berklee College of Music.