Anna Vilenska is a musicologist, lecturer, and researcher of contemporary music. She has reinvented the traditional format of music lectures, making them visual, accessible, emotional, and useful for the audience. In October, Vilenska will give a series of lectures in major European cities. The program spans classical music and jazz, avant-garde and background music, the role of women in music history, and new horizons opened by artificial intelligence.

The lectures will take place in the following cities: Vienna, Zurich, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam.

Vienna — “How Music Became Classical”

A lecture on why “classical” became high culture. How the term “classical music” emerged, why dedicated concert halls were built, and where the reverent attitude toward Beethoven and other composers came from. A discussion on whether we should overcome the “glass partition” between the listener and culture.

Zurich — “AI and Music: Evolution from 2014 to 2025”

From the first generative models to today’s algorithmic composers. How AI learned to write music, what mistakes it made, and why different models “think” differently. Final experiment — guessing who authored a fragment: a human or AI.

Berlin — “Jazz: Chords, Rhythms, Form — Recipe and History”

Jazz as music of the body and improvisation. What happens on stage, how styles differ, and why jazz is closer than it seems. A detailed breakdown of the chords, rhythms, and forms that make up this “mysterious” music.

Munich — “Background Music”

The history of background music — from Brian Eno’s ambient and melodies for aerophobic passengers to elevator compositions and on-hold tones. How the brain perceives such music and why it carries the imprint of an entire era.

Düsseldorf — “Avant-garde: What Was That?”

The rise and decline of the 20th-century musical avant-garde. Why composers turned to radical experiments and why many later abandoned these practices. A look at key figures, movements, and the relevance of the avant-garde today.

Amsterdam — “Women in Music: from Hildegard to Taylor Swift”

The history of women composers from Hildegard of Bingen to Taylor Swift. What it meant to be a woman in the musical world of different eras, how their work differed from men’s, and whether it can be called equal. A search for common threads in the biographies and destinies of women composers across centuries.