Rodrigo Constanzo - Royal Northern College of Music

About Rodrigo

Deliver undergraduate and postgraduate teaching across musicianship, composition, improvisation, production, and performance
Integrate research and industry practice, including music technology, creative coding, and digital performance
Lead modules and programmes, including Musicianship and MMus Popular Music, ensuring standards and progression
Design and oversee assessment, including formative and summative methods, and chair panels
Contribute to curriculum design, validation, and development, with a focus on interdisciplinary and technology-led practices
Mentor students, support creative work, and supervise postgraduate research
Provide line management, mentoring, and professional development for staff
Contribute to governance, committees, and external examining at national and international level

Dr Rodrigo Constanzo is a graduate of University of Huddersfield, where he gained a PhD in Music Composition.

With over 20 years experience as a music educator Rodrigo is also an active performer, composer, and improviser, having performed at various national and international gigs, venues, and festivals.

Rodrigo also co-runs The Noise Upstairs, an improvisation-based organisation that seeks to provide a platform for musicians interested in improvisation by promoting monthly events for over 10 years in Manchester. In this capacity he has run and hosted a number of workshops, and works as engineer and graphic designer for a small artist-centric label.

Research

Current and Future Research

Dr Rodrigo Constanzo’s current research centres on the development of Data Knot, a suite of real-time machine learning tools designed for low-latency, performance-critical musical environments. This work integrates digital signal processing, creative coding, and embodied performance to enable responsive human–machine interaction in live electronic and improvisatory contexts. The project advances new models of musical interaction through gesture-responsive systems and adaptive audio analysis, and has already demonstrated significant reach through widespread adoption in artistic and research settings, alongside substantial online engagement.

Rodrigo’s broader research practice operates at the intersection of composition, improvisation, and music technology, underpinned by an internationally recognised performance and dissemination profile. His work is characterised by the integration of professional practice and research, with outputs presented at leading conferences and festivals, including NIME and PdMaxCon. He maintains active collaborations with institutions such as the Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London and the University of the West of England, supporting an outward-facing and impact-driven research agenda.

Looking ahead, Rodrigo’s research will extend the capabilities of Data Knot, focusing on more sophisticated machine learning models, expanded applications in multimedia and interdisciplinary performance, and deeper exploration of improvisation with intelligent systems. He also plans to further develop frameworks for accessible, practice-based research dissemination, building on his earlier work in digital thesis design. Through these activities, his research will continue to contribute to emerging paradigms in music technology and creative practice, reinforcing his position within an international and increasingly world-leading research landscape.

Research Areas

Open and improvised music
Computer assisted improvsation/performance
DIY instruments and hardware
Electronic extensions of the acoustic drumset

Funded Research Projects

DK: Data Knot

Constanzo, R. (PI)

Internal Research Fund (RNCM)

8/06/22 — …

Fluid Corpus Manipulation

Constanzo, R. (PI)

1/09/17 — 28/02/23

Teaching

Undergraduate Teaching

Production
Composition & Songwriting
Musicianship
Improvisation

Postgraduate Teaching

Contemporary Songwriting
Small Ensemble Performance

Research Supervision

Current supervision of PhDs:

Nicholas Waldock
Hans-Martin Buff
Cassie Layton

Research Outputs

Written Outputs

Designing Percussive Timbre Remappings: Negotiating Audio Representations and Evolving Parameter Spaces

Shier, J., Constanzo, R., Saitis, C., Robertson, A. & McPherson, A., Jun 2025, In: Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. p. 452-461 10 p., 66.

Drum Modal Feedback: Concept Design of an Augmented Percussion Instrument

Wolstanholme, L., Shier, J., Constanzo, R. & McPherson, A., Jun 2025, In: Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. p. 108-115 8 p., 15.

nlm: Real-Time Non-linear Modal Synthesis in Max

Diaz, R. & Constanzo, R., 5 Sept 2025, In: PdMaxCon25~. p. 133-136 4 p.

Just Making Things Up

Constanzo, R., 1 Feb 2016, In: Blatt 3000. 5, p. 10-15 5 p., 3.

Towards the Beat of a Different Drummer: A Journey into the Loss of Fidelity in Drums and Electronics

Constanzo, R., 2011, In: International Computer Music Conference, ICMC Proceedings. 2011, 2011, p. 532–535