About

The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt/M., Germany, is one of the more than 80 independent institutes for basic research under the umbrella of Germany’s Max Planck Society. Its structure consists of permanent departments (led by a director) and time-limited research groups (led by senior postdocs). The MPIEA is devoted to interdisciplinary research on music and the performing arts, combining in a unique way approaches from the humanities and the social sciences, as well as from psychology and neuroscience. On top of that, it regularly welcomes artists who work at the Institute for a shorter or longer period either pursuing an own, research-inspired artistic project or collaborating in research projects. Thematically, the focus of the Institute’s research lies on the perception, experience and appreciation of music and the performing arts, one important sub-topic being live performances of music such as in concerts.