For as long as I can remember, music has never existed for me as sound alone.

Every key has its own colour. Harmonies have texture. Melodies carry flavours and scents. Some pieces feel like silk, others like polished wood or crumpled foil. A single modulation can change the entire landscape from deep indigo to brilliant gold.

For many years I assumed everyone experienced music this way. Only later did I discover that this extraordinary blending of the senses has a name: synesthesia.

Synesthesia Studio is my invitation into that world.

This concert is a shared exploration of perception, imagination and the many different ways we can experience the same environment.

What happens during a performance?

Each programme combines live performance a capella with storytelling.

Between the pieces I invite the audience inside my creative process, describing the colours, textures and emotions that accompany each work as I perform it.

The aim is not to teach audiences how I hear music, but to encourage them to become curious about how they experience it.

Many people leave the performance listening more attentively than ever before, discovering new emotional layers in music they thought they already knew.

Every performance is unique

Synesthesia Studio is not a fixed programme - it is a creative platform that can be adapted to different themes, venues and audiences.

One performance may explore great operatic repertoire. Another may travel to the Moon or sail around the world. The concept remains the same while every performance becomes its own unique experience.

Musical Snowflakes

One of the most exciting parts of Synesthesia Studio happens at the very end.

Audience members are invited to imagine impossible pieces of music.

“Can we hear something yellow with a little green that tastes salty?”

“What about something that smells of pine forests after rain?”

Using these ideas as inspiration, I create an entirely new vocal improvisation on the spot: not rehearsed, not written down, never performed again. Like a snowflake, it exists only once.

Beyond listening

Some versions of Synesthesia Studio invite audiences to get involved creatively themselves.

Participants may draw, paint or write while listening, creating their own visual or emotional interpretations of the music.

In these performances the audience becomes part of the artistic process, transforming the concert into a conversation rather than a presentation.

Audience responses

“A warm, intimate musical experience that expands your horizons”

“Learning about Maria’s synesthesia changed the way I listened to the music. I found myself listening more thoughtfully”

“Maria approached music from an unexpected perspective. It was fascinating to discover that music can contain colour and flavour, reminding us that every person experiences the same event differently.”

“Beautiful music sung with great panache accompanied by genuinely novel and interesting narrative”

Let’s create together!

Synesthesia Studio can be presented in many different settings, including but not limited to:

Concert halls

Festivals

Museums and galleries

Conservatoire and universities

Schools and educational programmes

Science and arts fairs

Community events

Corporate and private events

Each performance is tailored to the venue and audience. If you would like to present Synesthesia Studio or develop a new version for your venue, I would be delighted to hear from you.