A PhD candidate at the Australian National University, Sarah explores the effect of the operatic timbre on listeners. Latest research indicates we're specially wired to perceive vocal affect bursts (nonverbal communicative phonation). Our brains perceive these whoops and hollers quickly and preferentially.
The incidence of vocal affect bursts in operatic pedagogy and performance practice might shed light on the mystery of opera and the "uncanny" effect it has on us.
Sarah has presented at national and international conferences demonstrating the effect of operatic singing technique on listeners, as found in her psychometric and physiological studies.
Research Profile
2020-current - PhD Candidate, ANU School of Music and John Curtin School of Medical Research
'Unveiling the Soprano' explores the effect of Western operatic singing technique on listeners, defining, isolating, and testing its key features in both in live operatic performances and neuroscientific experiments.
2000-2003 – PhD Candidate, ANU School of Music
'Legato in Bel Canto: tradition, convention, or necessity?’ focused on singers’ use of legato – smooth connection between notes – in contemporary operatic performance practice in Australia. Data was collected via interviews with key industry personel - conductors Richard Gill, Andrew Greene, coaches Simon Kenway, John Dingle and Sharon Kimmorley, and director Stuart Maunder. Creative outputs included performance of roles informed by the data: Susannah in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Despina in Cosi fan Tutte (Mozart) and Anna Galvari in The Merry Widow (Lehár).
Research Outputs
Mann, S. M. (2023). Unveiling the Soprano: an exploration of operatic singing perception. ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research: The Eccles Institute of Neuroscience Seminar Series
Mann, S. M. (2023). Unveiling the Soprano: exploring operatic singing perception. ANU School of Music: PhD Lecture Recital
Mann, S. M. (2023). Aaaagh! Perception of vocal affective bursts in operatic singing. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus International Conference of Voice Studies.
Mann, S.M., Luhtasaari, E. (2023). Voice Unwrapped: vocal affective bursts in arias. ANU School of Music: PhD Recital
Mann, S. M. (2023). Features of Singing Technique and their detectability. Kioloa, ANU. Australasian Neuroscience Society HDR Retreat.
Mann, S.M., Luhtasaari, E. (2022) Primavera! Vocal affective bursts in art song. PhD Recital. Canberra: Art Song Canberra 2022 Season of Song.
Mann, S. M. (2022). Aaaagh! Vocal Affective Bursts in Western Operatic Singing. Adelaide: Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing conference.
Mann, S.M. (2022). AAAAAAGH! How are vocal affective bursts represented in perception of operatic singing?” ANU JCSMR HDR Conference
Mann, S. M. (2022). How do we process operatic singing? ANU JCSMR Brainteaser public event.
Mann, S.M. (2021). Why does opera singing give us the chills? ANU JCSMR Brainteaser public event. Poster presentation.
Mann, S.M. (2020). Opera Shots. ANU: Operatic performance, recruitment event and audience survey.