MTI² on Czech Radio: Emmerson, Viel, Brunson & Holland

On Wednesday December 19th, rAdioCUSTICA, on Czech Radio, will present a full programme dedicated to MTI²:

https://www.rozhlas.cz/radiocustica/radioatelier/_zprava/banket-zvuku--1805573

Composers will include Simon Emmerson, Virginie Viel, Bill Brunson and Dave Holland.

Thursday Dec. 13th: Launch of IN SITU - European Sounds in Space!

Thursday December 13th will see the launch of IN SITU: European Sounds in Space - presenting 3 site-specific sound environments (commissions) that will take place at Leicester’s historic Magazine Gateway and at St. Nicholas Church (the oldest in Leicester) from the 13th to the 15th of December.

https://www.facebook.com/events/594039707695675/

Artists include liminal, composer & visual artist Kathy Hinde, and sound artist Joseph Young.

The event will open with artists' talks on on Thursday 13th December 2-3pm at De Montfort University's PACE building (Richmond Street), followed by a visit to the installations.

OPENING TIMES: 
Thursday 13 December: 3pm - 6pm
Friday 14 December: Noon - 6pm
Saturday 15 December: Noon - 5pm
LOCATIONS:
The Magazine, Vaughan Way, Leicester
St Nicholas Church, St Nicholas Walk, Leicester



ARTISTS:

Liminal is a partnership between architect Frances Crow and sound artist and composer David Prior. Their work focuses on exploring the relationship between sound, listening and the environment. For In Situ, liminal continues a longterm project in which they explore different aspects of bells and their relationship to culture. Here, they have worked with members of St Nicholas Church, Leicester, to explore the dual role bells have played in defining territory and interceding between humans and God.

Composer and visual artist Kathy Hinde has prepared a multi-channel piece using the Buddhist bell that hangs on the first floor of the Magazine.

Sound artist Joseph Young has been recording in the Battle of Bosworth field and is building an immersive sound journey from field recordings, spoken word and music, to be presented on the top floor of The Magazine.

BACKGROUND:

The activity is organised in the framework of the Interfaces Network, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.


'IN SITU' is a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)-led collaboration with IRCAM (Pompidou Centre, Paris), involving the creation of site-specific artistic environments celebrating special historic architecture, providing unique sonic experiences at historical locations.

The project aims to create an intrinsic relation between a physical place, building or location and a musical work for electronics or electronics and instruments.This project offers composers venues outside the traditional concert hall and the possibility of getting in touch with listeners outside the sphere of the traditional philharmonic milieu.

Some of the important issues for this project are: How does the music inhabit an architectural design? How do the sonic qualities of the work reveal the characteristics of a newly created or existing space? How does the social characterisation of space inform listening?

More than mere acoustics, architectural venues incorporate a wide range of historical, cultural, and even political messages. In an ideal pairing, the venue complements the performance and enhances the event for the benefit of the audience; likewise, an informed selection of repertoire can draw attention to the setting in which it is performed.

Within the whole duration of the Interfaces Network project, 6 historic and interesting architectural sites will resonate with contemporary music across Europe.

John Young's 'Magnetic Resonance' wins 1st prize at Musica Nova 2018

MTI's Professor of Composition, John Young, has won first prize at Musica Nova 2018, in the instrumental category, for his work 'Magnetic Resonance':

https://www.musica.cz/cz/news/show/44

'Magnetic Resonance' (2017) was created for pianist Xenia Pestova and the magnetic resonator piano developed by Andrew McPherson at the Queen Mary University of London. The magnetic resonator mechanism is a non-invasive extension of the instrument that can be applied to any grand piano. It allows for infinite resonance of piano tones beyond the normal attack-decay model of the instrument, but also permits conventional performance at any time. This work exploits this 'hybrid' nature of the instrument as well as its capacity to produce tones without the attack-based morphology produced by the hammers. The work's harmonic structure is enhanced with the integration of 8 channels of electroacoustic sound. These convey further expanded energy profiles and spectral constructs and project the piano-centric sonority into an immersive sound field. They are triggered by the pianist in real-time using the MIDI output of the instrument's Moog Piano Bar.

Musica Nova is a competition for composers of electroacoustic music, held in Prague. The competition was first held in 1969 and now features two categories of entry, one for tape music and another for music including vocals and instrumentals.

MTI's Prof. Leigh Landy in Ireland

MTI Prof. & Head of Research Leigh Landy has been in Ireland, where he was Invited Composer at this year's International Festival and Conference on Sound in the Arts, Science & Technology, in Derry/Londonderry, with his work 'On the Éire' - the latest in Landy's 'Radio Series' - closed the conference/festival:

ISSTA 2018 Programme

In addition, 'On the Éire' was also performed at Queen's University, Belfast:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Discover/events/EventsArchive/OntheEire-ProfessorLeighLandy.html

Bret Battey's 'Estuaries 3' at Ecos Urbanos Festival, Mexico

This week, 'Estuaries 3', by MTI's Professor of Audio-visual Composition Bret Battey, will be presented in Mexico as part of the 'Ecos Urbanos' festival:

https://festivalecosurbano.wixsite.com/ecosurbanos2018/

John Young concert at Sound Junction, Sheffield, Saturday November 3rd 2018

MTI's Professor of Composition, John Young, will be giving a concert at the University of Sheffield as part of the Sound Junction concert series, this coming Saturday November 3rd at 7pm:

https://concerts.sheffield.ac.uk/whats-on/sound-junction-i
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/usss/soundjunction/sj2018november
https://www.facebook.com/events/906179682914894

The programme will include:

Tongue (2001), 13:47, stereo
An Angel at Mons (2014), 11:56, 15.1 channel
Sweet Anticipation (2018), 12:00, 16 channel
Three Spaces in Mid-Air (2017), 10:57, stereo

Other Sound Junction highlights this weekend include a concert dedicated to the works of composer Andrew Lewis on Friday Nov. 2nd at 7pm, and the launch of a new cd by Adam Stanovic on the empreintes DIGITALes label at 5pm.

Sound Junction is the University of Sheffield Sound Studios’ concert series promoting the very best acousmatic music including music made by staff and students at The University of Sheffield. If you would like to know more about our courses, concerts and music, please email Adrian Moore (a.j.moore@shef.ac.uk).

MTI's Leigh Landy this week in the Czech Republic

This week MTI's Prof. Leigh Landy is Visiting Professor at the Janáček Academy of Music (JAMU, Brno, CZ) where he is giving talks on his compositions and analytical work, a masterclass and a concert with six of his works.

He will also be visiting the Faculty of Fine Arts (FaVU) of the Brno University of Technology, where he shall give a talk regarding collaborative work with dance, theatre and video; the Musicology Department of Masaryk University (Brno) where he shall give a talk on sampling culture; and HAMU (the Music Academy of Prague) & Charles University, where he shall hold a 1½ day workshop on sound-based sampling.


Leigh Landy at UNTREF, Buenos Aires, Argentina


MTI's Leigh Landy gave the keynote at the ‘Mundos Sonoros: Simposio International de Arte Sonoro’ at the Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero in Buenos Aires on 13 Sept. 2018:

https://artesonoro.untref.edu.ar/programa

Prior to this he gave a lecture to new media staff at UNTREF and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNTREF’s Vice Chancellor regarding research, cultural and student exchange including the potential for dual degrees.

http://untref.edu.ar/mundountref/convenio-untref-montfort-university

Simon Emmerson profile concert at University of Greenwich

Last week MTI's Prof. Simon Emmerson gave a profile concert at the University of Greenwich, as part of @soundgreenwich's Loudspeaker Orchestra concert series - the first of the series to take place in the beautiful church of St Alfege, resting place of Thomas Tallis:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1144344502398534/

"Simon Emmerson presents a concert of contemporary works meditating on contemporary music practice and the malleability of memory and recorded sound.

Emmerson's forty years of work reflect the changing technology of music; commissions include works for the Smith Quartet, Philip Sheppard (electric cello), Philip Mead (piano) with the Royal Northern College of Music Brass Quintet, Darragh Morgan (violin) and Keynote+ (Jane Chapman and Kate Ryder - harpsichord and piano) and Sond’Ar-te Ensemble (Lisbon). He has also completed purely electroacoustic commissions from the IMEB (Bourges), the GRM (Paris) and the Inventionen Festival (Berlin).

CDs of his works have been issued by Continuum (1993) and Sargasso (2007 and 2008). He contributed to and edited The Language of Electroacoustic Music in 1986 (Macmillan, still in print) and Music, Electronic Media and Culture (Ashgate (now Routledge), 2000).

He was founder Secretary of EMAS (The Electroacoustic Music Association of Great Britain) in 1979, and served on the Board of Sonic Arts Network from its inception until 2004. He was a Trustee of its successor organisation ‘Sound and Music’ 2008-2013. In 2009-2010 he was DAAD Edgar Varese Visiting Professor at the TU, Berlin. He was visiting Professor and Composer at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Perth) in November 2016. He gave the keynote addresses at the Australasian Computer Music Conference 2011 (Auckland) and the International Computer Music Conference 2011 (Huddersfield), Music Science Technology 2012 (São Paulo), WOCMAT 2012 (Taiwan), Audiomostly 2014 (Aalborg), AHEM 2016 (London), BEAST Feast 2017 (Birmingham)."

Bret Battey's 'Estuaries 3' screenings by the Center for Visual Music


'Estuaries 3', by MTI Professor of Audio-visual Composition Bret Battey, will be part of screenings this week by the Center for Visual Music, at the Sonoma Film Institute in California:

https://www.facebook.com/events/436417623531948/

'Music for the Eyes: Visual Music Films' -  Historic & new visual music
Sonoma Film Institute, Rohnert Park CA, Oct 5 & 7 2018

'Bringing New Music to New Audiences' Conference

The 'Bringing New Music to New Audiences' conference - hosted by MTI, part of the 'Interfaces' project, funded by Creative Europe - has come to a close.

It was a great success, and started a number of conversations, with lots of potential for exciting outcomes!

Take a look at our conference photo gallery:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2073383179639273&type=1&l=c3edb2d9f1

More on the conference and the project:

http://interfaces.dmu.ac.uk/conference/

www.interfacesnetwork.eu

www.interfaces.dmu.ac.uk/hub

MTI hosting 'Bringing New Music to New Audiences' conference, Sept. 21-23 2018

MTI will be hosting the 'Bringing New Music to New Audiences' conference, Friday September 21st to Sunday September 23rd 2018. Featuring talks, installations, a concert, and a line-up of terrific speakers and guests:

http://interfaces.dmu.ac.uk/conference/
https://www.facebook.com/events/548769545473950/

This conference forms part of the ‘Interfaces’ Creative European project (www.interfacesnetwork.eu).

Out now - Routledge Research Companion to Electronic Music: Reaching out with Technology

We are very pleased to announce that "The Routledge Research Companion to Electronic Music: Reaching out with Technology", edited by MTI's Prof. Simon Emmerson, has now been released:

https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Research-Companion-to-Electronic-Music-Reaching-out-with/Emmerson/p/book/9781472472915

The book includes a chapter by MTI's Head of Research, Prof. Leigh Landy, as well as work by Emmerson himself.

The theme of this Research Companion is 'connectivity and the global reach of electroacoustic music and sonic arts made with technology'. The possible scope of such a companion in the field of electronic music has changed radically over the last 30 years. The definitions of the field itself are now broader - there is no clear boundary between 'electronic music' and 'sound art'. Also, what was previously an apparently simple divide between 'art' and 'popular' practices is now not easy or helpful to make, and there is a rich cluster of streams of practice with many histories, including world music traditions. This leads in turn to a steady undermining of a primarily Euro-American enterprise in the second half of the twentieth century. Telecommunications technology, most importantly the development of the internet in the final years of the century, has made materials, practices and experiences ubiquitous and apparently universally available - though some contributions to this volume reassert the influence and importance of local cultural practice. Research in this field is now increasingly multi-disciplinary. Technological developments are embedded in practices which may be musical, social, individual and collective. The contributors to this companion embrace technological, scientific, aesthetic, historical and social approaches and a host of hybrids – but, most importantly, they try to show how these join up. Thus the intention has been to allow a wide variety of new practices to have voice – unified through ideas of 'reaching out' and 'connecting together' – and in effect showing that there is emerging a different kind of 'global music'.


MTI at EMS2018

The 2018 conference of the Electroacoustic Music Studies Network was held from June 20th to 23rd at Villa Finaly, in Florence, Italy. 

MTI was well represented, with talks by Professors Simon Emmerson & John Young, Senior Lecturer James Andean, and postgraduate student Marij van Gorkom. 
 
This year's theme was "Electroacoustic Music: Is it still a form of Experimental Music?", which MTI presenters engaged with through the following presentations:

Prof. Simon Emmerson: Electroacoustic Music before Language
Prof. John Young: Experiment/Expansion
James Andean: Question the 'Experimental' - Electroacoustic Improvisation as 'Experimental' case study
Marij van Gorkom: Crafting the patch: Composer-performer collaboration at the interface between experimentation and skill








"Expanding the Horizon of Electroacoustic Music Analysis" now in paperback


MTI Professors Leigh Landy's & Simon Emmerson's landmark book "Expanding the Horizon of Electroacoustic Music Analysis" is now available in paperback!

www.cambridge.org/9781107544055

Including contributions from John Young, Katharine Norman, Andrew Hugill, Manuella Blackburn, Gary Kendall, Pierre Couprie, Michael Young, Ambrose Seddon, Raúl Minsburg,  Michael Gatt, Panos Amelides, Ben Ramsay, Tae Hong Park, Sophy Smith, John Ferguson, & Kersten Glandien.


MTI & EUC: Workshops in Cyprus!

MTI's John Richards and MTI doctoral graduate Nasia Therapontos are giving workshops this week in Cyprus, as part of the Interfaces Network project:

http://www.interfacesnetwork.eu/post.php?pid=133-music-workshops-making-music-with-sounds-diy-electronics

Music workshops for high school and lyceum students:



23 April 2018 / 9:00-12:00
“Making Music with Sounds” with Dr Nasia Therapontos

This is a fascinating, playful workshop that broadens horizons and brings young audiences into contact with contemporary trends in the international music scene.

24 April 2018 / 09:00-12:00
“DIY Electronics” with John Richards

*in English with simultaneous interpretation

The workshop sets out to present a sequence of units examining improvised music and introducing students to ways of assembling, making and playing musical instruments. The workshop will close with a concert performed by the participants themselves.

The workshop is part of the Interfaces Network Activity: Urban Music Boxes and Troubadours.


MTI @ BEAST FEaST 2018

MTI will be represented at Birmingham's BEAST FEaST 2018, with John Young's 'Abwesenheit' on Saturday April 28th, and a brand new installation by Pete Batchelor, titled 'Cascade':

BEAST FEaST 2018: BEASTopia!
Thursday 26 – Saturday 28 April 2018
University of Birmingham, UK


Telematic Hacking - 2nd exposition: Photos

A few photos from the Leicester UK end of the 2nd 'Telematic Hacking' event, April 18th 2018:





Artists include: Network Ensemble, Tim Shaw, Aram Bartholl, Dirty Electronics, Tim Ward, Yiannis Kotsonis, Robert Chafer.

Video of the Livestream is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N871QqErpg

"A group of leading artists exploring the materiality of the Net meet in a telematic room. Over a series of meetings a new work emerges. Tools and hardware hacks to sound the network are investigated. The devising is ‘televised’ online and the telepresent audience is invited to make their own ‘instrument’ for performance. The telematic meetings coalesce in exposition events at a set time and physical location."

'Telematic Hacking' is part of the Interfaces Network project, in partnership with the Οnassis Cultural Centre Athens, and supported by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union. 

Wednesday April 18th: Telematic Hacking - 2nd Exposition

The Interfaces project - an international, interdisciplinary project focusing on bringing new music to an extensive range of new audiences, with MTI/DMU as one of the key partners - continues, with a live & live-streamed event, taking place simultaneously at DMU in Leicester, at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, and online:

TELEMATIC HACKING: EXPOSITION 2
Wednesday April 18th, 2018

UK:
PACE Building, Richmond Street, Leicester UK, LE2 7BQ
19:00 (GMT)
Free entry

Greece:
Onassis Cultural Centre – Upper Stage
21:00 (GMT +2) | Free entry

Artists include:
Network Ensemble, Tim Shaw, Aram Bartholl, Dirty Electronics, Tim Ward, Yiannis Kotsonis, Robert Chafer

Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz3v_NAf3eVqL_lpmaxGM1Q

The event will be streamed to the Interfaces YouTube channel and shown ‘live’ to an audience at the Upper Stage of the Onassis Cultural Centre.

http://www.interfacesnetwork.eu/post.php?pid=30-telematics-hacking
https://www.facebook.com/events/1721865131205742/

A group of leading artists exploring the materiality of the Net meet in a telematic room. Over a series of meetings a new work emerges. Tools and hardware hacks to sound the network will be investigated. The devising will be ‘televised’ online and the telepresent audience will be invited to make their own ‘instrument’ for performance. The telematic meetings will coalesce in exposition events at a set time and physical location.

Telematic hacking initiative is in partnership with Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre of De Montfort University and the Οnassis Cultural Centre Athens in the framework of the INTERFACES project supported by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union.


Network Ensemble
http://networkensemble.com/

Tim Shaw
https://tim-shaw.net/

Aram Bartholl
https://arambartholl.com/offline-art-new2-eng.html

Dirty Electronics
http://www.dirtyelectronics.org/

Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens
http://www.sgt.gr/eng/SPG1/

DMU will contribute to the telematics arts initiative focusing on hacking, as a particularly appropriate means of telematic performance. Many sounds from hacked instruments have unique characteristics and behaviours and do not operate in the same manner as traditional instruments. Such issues as latency in networked performance will not be seen as a detriment, but instead as part of the material nature of the Net that offers unique possibilities for making music together.

DMU will work with hackers, cyber security experts and artists facilitating international collaborative works and coordinate a number of telematics events and expositions which can be seen as a live stream or later on a YouTube channel. The basic concept here is to legally hack internet routers so that they are able to sonify the movement of data across the Internet. International partners in New Zealand, China and throughout Europe will work on this project alongside the other Interfaces partners such as OCC in Greece.

The impact of this initiative may not be primarily in the large number of users within a finite amount of time, but instead, enabling the creation of a new, technology-driven form of community-based music making crossing age groups, levels of ability and cultural background possible and most importantly bringing together people from all around Europe. The community of interest will grow well beyond the end of the project’s duration

What is Telematic Hacking?

A group of leading artists exploring the materiality of the Net meet in a telematic room. Over a series of meetings a new work emerges. Tools and hardware hacks to sound the network will be investigated. The devising will be ‘televised’ online and the telepresent audience will be invited to make their own ‘instrument’ for performance. The telematic meetings will coalesce in exposition events at a set time and physical location.

Network as instrument

Many sounds from hacked instruments have unique characteristics and behaviours and do not operate in the same manner as traditional instruments. If we consider the Internet router as a musical instrument this opens up the possibility of new repertoire and audiences.

Hacking the network

Hacking and subsequently performing with a networked device would suggest broader access issues relating to music making. In the case of a router, it could be looking at the manipulation of the way in which data packages are sent and received with an interest for the sonification of this data or router behaviour. Such issues as latency in networked performance are not to be seen as a detriment, but instead as part of the material nature of the Net that offers unique possibilities for making music together.

A new form of community music making

This initiative aims to create a new, technology-driven form of community-based music making crossing age groups, levels of ability and cultural background and most importantly bringing together people from all around Europe.

Since November 2017, OCC & DMU have been working with hackers, cyber security experts and artists facilitating international collaborative works and coordinate a number of telematics events and expositions. The 1st open event took place in November 2017 where the participating artists had the opportunity to present their ideas and a prototype-based telematic performance. The event was hosted by De Montfort University in Leicester and was also live streamed on the Interfaces YouTube channel.

Participating artists will discuss and workshop ideas for Telematic Hacking. Each artist is open to interpret the brief in their own way, develop ideas discussed in the meetings, or work collaboratively. The use of Periscope will allow for the public to drop in on the development of the project.

Dirty Electronics' Soho Radio broadcast on Mixcloud

Dirty Electronics broadcast of Music for DIY Electronics - hosted by MTI's John Richards & undergrad Harry Smith, from a week in residence at Soho Radio - is up on Mixcloud:

https://www.mixcloud.com/sohoradio/music-for-diy-electronics-23032018/

Featuring Max Wainwright, Ewa Justka, Tom Richards, Dushume, Subotnick, Tudor, Victor Mazon, Duncan Chapman, Mark Wastell, & more...

Second program dedicated to MTI on Amsterdam's 'Concertzender' radio's 'Electronic Frequencies'

The second episode of radio series 'Electronic Frequencies' on Amsterdam 'Concertzender' radio to be dedicated to MTI airs Wednesday March 28th at 23:00:

https://www.concertzender.nl/programma/electronic_frequencies_436550/

Works by Leigh Landy, Simon Emmerson, Pete Bachelor, Simon Atkinson, Steve Jones, Amit Patel/Dushume, & Dave Holland.



Concerzender - Electronic Frequencies 2018.03.28 23:00 C.E.T.: DMU II. The second of a series about sound art and music from the Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre of De Montfort University. Composers in this program are: Dave Holland, Leigh Landy, Simon Emmerson, Steve Jones, Amit Patel-Dushume, Pete Batchelor and Simon Atkison.

Today's music of the composers in order of appearance:

1/ Taligare, by Dave Holland
2/ To BBC or Not, by Leigh Landy: Good Morning
3/ Aeolian, by Simon Emmerson
4/ To BBC or Not, by Leigh Landy: The News
5/pasCher, by Steve Jones
6/ To BBC or Not, by Leigh Landy: A microphone each and no idea what they’re going to say
7/ Crapbox, by Amit Patel - Dushume
8/ To BBC or Not, by Leigh Landy: Musica Nova
9/ Fuse, by Pete Bachelor
10/ To BBC or Not, by Leigh Landy: Etc.
11/ Nocturne, by Simon Atkinson

This week: Dirty Electronics Soho Radio Residency

This week Dirty Electronics takes over Soho Radio for a full week residency celebrating Music for DIY Electronics.

19 – 23 March 2018. With special guests, workshops, micro forum & performances, broadcast, live printing press, and exhibition featuring artwork PCBs and graphic scores.

https://thesampler.org/event/dirty-electronics-soho-residency/

Featuring: Dirty Electronics; Max Wainwright; Ewa Justka; Adrain Shaughnessy; Natalie Kay-Thatcher; Victor Mazon; Isambard Khroustaliov; Tom Richards; SheIsRevolting; Laura Netz (Garcia); Duncan Chapman; James Joslin; Farmer Glitch; Dushume; Harry Smith; Poisk; Stenton.Press; and more.

MON, MARCH 19
Ewa Justka Sequencing Machine Workshop
Eventbrite Tickets
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/diy-sequencing-machine-workshop-with-ewa-justka-tickets-43324852801

TUES, MARCH 20
Graphics & Scores relating to Music for DIY Electronics 
11:00 – 17:00 (runs remainder of week 11:00 – 17:00)
Exhibition opening 17:00 FREE Event
In discussion 17:30 with Adrian Shaughnessy and Duncan Chapman

WEDS, MARCH 21
Dirty Electronics Violation workshop
Eventbrite Tickets
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dirty-electronics-violations-workshop-tickets-43208889953

19:30 FREE Event
Dirty Electronics micro performance + Poisk (Simon Langdon) and Harry Smith (all performances through a bespoke cardboard box loudspeaker system)

THURS, MARCH 22
Open Hack and Maker Day 13:00 –
FREE Event
Bring your own odds and sods, circuits and DIY synths. Collective making. All tools provided.

19:30 FREE Event
Music for DIY Electronics micro performance
Steph Horak (aka SheIsRevolting) Tom Richards (of the Mini Oramics) and Tom Richards vs. John Richards!

FRI, MARCH 23
57mm Wavetable Synth Workshop
Max Wainwright and John Richards
Eventbrite Tickets
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/57mm-wavetable-synth-workshop-tickets-43312776681

19:30 FREE Event
57mm In House Press – performance and live printing/publication



James Andean's 'Psygeío' @ Audior's 'Sonic Waves' Festival, Milan

On Saturday, March 17th 2018, Audior's 'Sonic Waves' festival of Acousmatic Music in Milan, Italy, will perform MTI's James Andean's acousmatic work 'Psygeío', in a concert programme with works by Denis Dufour, Marc Favre and Andreas Weixler:

http://www.festival5giornate.it/index.php/2018/02/26/anteprima-17-marzo-sonic-waves/

Bret Battey inaugural lecture, Wed. March 14th, 5:30pm HA 0.08

DMUtalks: Generative Audio-visual Composition: Dialoguing with Complex Systems -
An inaugural lecture by Professor Bret Battey

Wednesday March 14th 2018, 5:30pm, Hugh Aston Building 0.08

In this lecture Professor Battey will describe aspects of his multidisciplinary approach to creating audio-visual compositions. He applies algorithmic means to humanistic ends - seeking to create complex but coherent audio-visual flows, which he links to a Buddhist sense of impermanence. This involves a process of coding and dialoguing with unpredictable algorithms to discover and develop new artistic potentials.

The talk will include discussion of his new OptiNelder visual-effect system, which involves animating the processes of Nelder-Mead optimization (used by mathematicians to find solutions to complex, multi-variable problems that cannot be addressed by solving equations). He will also discuss his Nodewebba software, which networks iterative-function pattern generators to give rise to emergent musical or visual behaviours. The talk will also serve as a prelude to his 50th-birthday retrospective concert in PACE 1 on April 11.

The evening will begin with refreshments from 5.30pm, with the talk beginning at 6.00pm. A drinks reception and canapés will be available following the lecture.

For further information please contact the events office on (0116) 250 6066 or email eventsoffice@dmu.ac.uk

Hugh Aston Building 0.08
Start time 5:30pm
Free entry

Reminder: "Bringing New Music to New Audiences" Conference deadline 15th March

Reminder: "Bringing New Music to New Audiences" Conference deadline is on 15 March
- Note: this is also an "Organised Sound" call

‘Bringing New Music to New Audiences’ International Conference
Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre,
De Montfort University, Leicester UK
21-23 September 2018

‘Bringing New Music to New Audiences’ is a three-day international conference which is intended to bring together community artists and other musicians, educators, animateurs, specialists within music and other cultural organisations, government policy representatives and representatives from cross-cultural projects who are involved with initiatives related to the conference title. Of course, project participants, non-academics and others are most welcome.

By ‘new music’ what is meant is original innovative works of music, including the sonic arts, which largely reside outside of the commercial sector. The goal is to share and debate different forms of good practice relating to how new music can be used as the means of engaging with new communities and ways through which new music can reach underrepresented communities.

The conference will focus on a selection of community arts and pedagogical initiatives related to participation and community-action. It will offer diverse workshops and performances and introduce conference participants to a wide range of programmes within this area. Subjects will include, but not be limited to:
• Educational initiatives
• Working with community organisations
• The musical equivalent of public art
• Interculturalism
• Ways of effectively and robustly measuring/evaluating impact and research projects regarding the above.

The project website, under construction, can be found at http://www.interfaces.dmu.ac.uk. This conference forms part of the ‘Interfaces’ Creative European project (www.interfacesnetwork.eu<http://www.interfacesnetwork.eu>). It is related to the ‘Bringing New Music to New Audiences’ resource site www.interfaces.dmu.ac.uk/hub<http://www.interfaces.dmu.ac.uk/hub> – currently under construction and to be announced shortly – which is to offer information regarding good practice in outreach initiatives around the globe. All interested parties are welcome to send their work to that hub at any time once made available.

Invited speakers will include Susanna Eastburn, currently Chief Executive of Sound and Music (UK).

Selected papers will be published in a thematic issue focused on this conference in Organised Sound (Cambridge University Press).

Conference fees will be: £60 / £30 (students and those on a lower income) for all three days, £25 / £12.50 for one day.

The deadline for proposals (papers, workshops, demonstrations, sharings/performances) is 15 March 2018. Papers are to be of 20’ duration with 10’ for questions and discussion. Proposals for workshops, demonstrations and sharing of project work/performances will indicate how much time these would last and the technical infrastructure needed in terms of their presentation. Proposals should include a title and extended abstract of up to 1500 words as well as a CV/Bio (two pages maximum) including relevant publications, projects, works or equivalent.

Submissions and general queries should be sent to the conference coordinator, Leigh Landy: llandy@dmu.ac.uk<mailto:llandy@dmu.ac.uk>.


John Young's "Magnetic Resonance" in London

MTI Prof. John Young's latest, "Magnetic Resonance", for Magnetic Resonator Piano and electronics, is being performed on Monday March 5th in London, fresh off its spectacular premiere in Birmingham last week:

https://cafeoto.co.uk/events/magnetic-string-resonance-xenia-pestova/

'Electronic Frequencies' focus on MTI now online

'Electronic Frequencies', on Amsterdam radio Concertzender, recently dedicated a program to composers from MTI,  which is now online and available for listening:

https://www.concertzender.nl/programma/electronic_frequencies_432874/

Works by John Young, James Andean, Mike Blow, Robin Parmar, Virginie Viel, & Neal Spowage.

'Electronic Frequencies': Program dedicated to MTI on Amsterdam 'Concertzender' radio

This Wednesday, February 28th, Amsterdam's Concertzender radio will be presenting a one-hour program dedicated to works by the MTI:

https://www.concertzender.nl/programma/electronic_frequencies_432874/

Works by James Andean, Mike Blow, Robin Parmar, Virginie Viel, Neal Spowage, & John Young. Starts 23:00.

Simon Emmerson 'portrait concert', City University, Tues. Feb. 20th

On Tuesday February 20th, City University London is hosting a portrait concert of composer and electronic music pioneer, MTI Prof. Simon Emmerson!

https://www.city.ac.uk/events/2018/february/simon-emmerson

SIMON EMMERSON: MEMORY MACHINE
Simon Emmerson (electronics), with Carla Rees (flutes) and Philip Mead (piano)

7.00pm - 8.30pm Tuesday 20th February 2018
Performance Space, College Building, City University of London, St John Street, London

Programme:
Simon Emmerson: Spirit of ’76 (1976)
Simon Emmerson: Microvariations 2 (2015)
Simon Emmerson: Solo flute quartet (Premiere)
Simon Emmerson: Memory Machine (2010)

A portrait concert of composer and electronic music pioneer Simon Emmerson, who founded and directed City’s sound studios for thirty years. The concert will include the first performance of Solo Flute Quartet, a new work for Carla Rees, and Microvariations 2, written for and performed by Philip Mead. Spirit of ’76 for flute and electronics is a piece composed while a PhD student at City of which Carla recently gave a 40th birthday performance. This live electronic music is contrasted with a ‘concert installation’, Memory Machine, a studio work that plays on our memory of places, spaces and music heard as if through the opening and closing of doors in a ‘memory theatre’ (after Frances Yates).

Two premieres of new works by MTI Prof. John Young

John Young, Professor of Composition, will have two works premiered in the forthcoming week:

Magnetic Resonance (2017) on 20 February at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.  This work for magnetic resonator piano and 8 channel electroacoustic sounds is a collaboration with Xenia Pestova (University of Nottingham) and Andrew McPherson (Queen Mary University of London).

http://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/midday-music-20-2-18

Spirit (2018) for orchestra and electroacoustic sounds, on 24 February.  This commission from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (New Zealand) celebrates the orchestra’s 60th anniversary.

https://www.cso.co.nz/lamb-hayward-masterworks-eroica
https://www.cso.co.nz/news/1516591721-q-composer-john-young

MTI presents: Thomas Gorbach - Talk & Concert, Feb. 21st

On February 21st 2018, MTI is proud to be hosting a talk and concert by Thomas Gorbach, from the Vienna University of Technology:

TALK : THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EPHEMER DYNAMIC-MOTION SOUNDSCULPTURES TECHNIQUE WITH THE VIENNA ACOUSMONIUM
Wed. Feb. 21st 2018, 1pm, Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre
Clephan Building 0.19 De Montfort University Bonners Lane, Leicester

CONCERT: ACOUSMATIC MUSIC FROM VIENNA
in 32-channel immersive sound
Wed. Feb. 21st 2018, 7.30pm, PACE Building, Studio 1
De Montfort University Richmond Street, Leicester LE2 7LQ

https://www.facebook.com/events/177602859677723/

The Austrian Cultural Forum’s support for these events is gratefully acknowledged.

Premiere of Leigh Landy's 'On the Éire', IMBOLC International Music Festival, Derry

The premiere of MTI Prof. Leigh Landy's latest work, 'On the Éire', will take place on February 1st at the IMBOLC International Music Festival, Derry:

SKLONIŠTE / SPATIAL MUSIC COLLECTIVE
Date: 1st Feb 2018
Time: 12:30
Location: Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin

http://imbolcfestival.com/event/skloniste-spatial-music-collective

This concert will feature a range of works for a circular (surround sound) array of loudspeakers by the Spatial Music Collective, a group of like–minded composers based in Ireland, the UK and US who have been presenting concerts in this format since 2006. It will feature new electronic and sample–based music by various members of the collective, including a new and specially–commissioned work by composer Leigh Landy, On the Éire, who is Professor of Contemporary Music at De Montfort University.

World-renowned violinist Irvine Arditti visits MTI for Live Electronics workshop & concert

The De Montfort University MTI 2017-18 Events Series presents:

Philharmonia Orchestra with DMU: ‘Music of Today’
As part of DMU's ground-breaking partnership with the Philharmonia Orchestra, we will be hosting a unique workshop and concert as part of the Orchestra's contemporary 'Music of Today' series in collaboration with DMU's Music Technology and Innovation Department. The concert features pioneering violinist, Irvine Arditti and Philharmonia cellist, Karen Stephenson, performing works for solo instruments and live electronics by DMU MTI Professor Simon Emmerson and current PhD student, Susanne Grunewald. Rounding off the programme is Salvatore Sciarrino’s Sei Capricci, a modern counterpart to Paganini’s devilishly difficult études.

WORKSHOP – 15:00-17:00, Wednesday 24th January 2018, DMU PACE Building, Studio 1

Renowned violinist Irvine Arditti and Professor Simon Emmerson present a unique insight into electroacoustic music and particularly writing for orchestral instruments and live electronics. Beginning with an open rehearsal and presentation of Emmerson’s Stringscape (for solo violin and live electronics); Irvine Arditti will present a unique insight into violin techniques for new music that he has played throughout his revolutionary career, looking at the Sciarrino Sei Capricci he will be performing at the concert.

CONCERT – 1730-1830, Wednesday 7th February 2018, DMU Gallery

Simon Emmerson: Stringscape for solo violin and live electronics (2010)
Violin: Irvine Arditti - Live electronics: Simon Emmerson

Susanne Grunewald: Golden Turtle for solo cello, video projection and live electronics (2013)
Cello: Karen Stephenson - Live electronics: Susanne Grunewald

Sciarrino: Sei Capricci for solo violin (1976)
Violin: Irvine Arditti

Entry free (booking advisable).
To book tickets for the workshop and concert, please email music@dmu.ac.uk