Mia Heikkinen is an artistic researcher at the DocMus Doctoral School of the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, where her work explores the possibilities of improvisation within classical vocal music. Her research combines artistic practice, performance, and critical inquiry to examine how improvisation can enrich expression and performance traditions in classical singing. Heikkinen worked as a salaried doctoral researcher at the University of the Arts from autumn 2024 to spring 2025 and will continue in this position through 2026. The completion of her doctoral project will subsequently be supported by the Kone Foundation. Her artistic research includes four doctoral concerts as well as a written thesis, together forming a comprehensive investigation of the role and potential of improvisation in the field of classical vocal performance.