Abigail is co-founder CEO of the Symphonova™ and founder of the Intimate Engagements chamber-music concert series at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.

Symphonova leverages technology to renew the very concept of the orchestra. It’s co-founders Abigail Dolan and Shelley Katz are driven by the vision of creating a high quality, orchestral experience for everyone, anywhere. Towards that end, they have developed a collection of technologies including hardware for sound quality and software for creating musical expression. 

Symphonova latest development is the patented Espressivo software, which enables to capture the nuances of musical expression of recorded musicians and apply it to virtual instruments. The software has been used in a series of commercial recordings of orchestral scores for films and in backing tracks for songs. 

Symphonova Versatile Acoustic System (SVAS™) creates variable acoustics that optimises audiences’ immersive experience and provides artists with freedom to shape their performance in relation to the acoustics. The SVAS has been used in venues in the UK, Canada and the US. 

When combined, Symphonova technologies enable a small group of musicians led by a conductor to perform the largest scores in places that could never host a traditional symphony orchestra. Our pioneering Symphonova Orchestra, led by inventor and conductor Shelley Katz, has engaged in a series of successful performances and recording projects and collaborates with a growing number of composers who are excited by the myriad of opportunities presented by Symphonova’s unique capabilities.

Founded by Abigail Dolan in 2008, the Intimate Engagements chamber-music concert series at Clare Hall, Cambridge, provides a unique format in which prominent artists combine their performance with informally sharing their personal reflections on the musical themes. The series was inaugurated in 2008 by soprano Emma Kirkby, and since then featured distinguished artists, including pianist Ronan O’Hora, cellist Paul Watkins, violist Alina Ibragimova and the Ludwig String Trio, to name just a few.