Announcements

International Computer Music day through Saturday; a keynote ad- Conference, 5–9 September dress on Tuesday afternoon; and the 2005, Barcelona International Computer Music Asso- ciation banquet on Thursday. The deadline for discounted “early The annual International Computer bird” registration is 21 June 2005; Music Conference (ICMC) is the pre- later registration is available at the eminent scholarly gathering of com- normal fee. Additionally, 21 June is puter music practitioners from also the deadline for camera-ready around the world. Its interleaving of sis and analysis, music analysis, mu- papers. Further information and professional paper presentations and sic information retrieval, representa- program updates can be found at concerts of new computer music tion and models for computer music, www.icmc2005.org/. compositions creates a vital synthe- artificial and music, lan- sis of science, technology, and art. guages for computer music, printing This year it will be held in Barcelona, and optical recognition of music, Spain, 5–9 September 2005, under the mathematical music theory, psychoa- ISMIR 2005, 11–15 September auspices of l’Institut Universitari de coustics, music and cogni- 2005, London l’Audiovisual (IUA) of Universitat tion, acoustics of music, aesthetics, Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Phonos Founda- philosophy and criticism of music, The Sixth International Conference tion, and l’Escola Superior de Música history of electroacoustic music, on Music Information Retrieval will de Catalunya (ESMUC). The General computer systems in music educa- be held at Queen Mary, University of Chair is Andrés Lewin-Richter of tion, composition systems and tech- London, from Sunday 11 September Phonos, and the Program Chair is niques, interactive performance to Thursday 15 September 2005. This Xavier Serra of the Music Technology systems, software and hardware sys- annual conference (abbreviated ISMIR, Group, IUA/UPF. Conference venues tems, general and miscellaneous is- after its original name as a sympo- will include ESMUC, L’Auditori, sues in computer music, and studio sium) is the established international Metrònom, Jaume I, and the França reports. An exhibition space will be forum for those working on accessing building. available for research organizations digital musical materials. It reflects The conference organizers have and companies to demonstrate their the tremendous recent growth of chosen the theme “Free Sound.” By projects. music-related data available and the this theme, they write, “we aim to In addition to the usual calls for consequent need to search within it emphasise the idea of freeing sound papers, posters, and compositions, in order to retrieve and use music and from its current aesthetic, techni- the conference organizers have issued musical information efficiently and cal, and legal confines. We wish to a “call for inspirational ideas.” The effectively. These concerns are of in- promote an open discussion on the concept is to provide a venue where terest to education, academia, enter- extent to which sound is considered researchers or composers can offer a tainment, and industry. ISMIR a community asset—an asset that preliminary, original idea on any as- therefore aims to provide a place for belongs to society and cannot be pect related to computer music, and the exchange of news, issues, and privatized.” other people can react to it and give results, by bringing together re- As usual for this conference, there suggestions. The ideas can be musi- searchers and developers, educators will be daily concerts of electroacous- cal, technical, scientific, theoretical, and librarians, and students and pro- tic music, video, and sound installa- or practical; no proofs, results, or de- fessional users, working in fields that tions. A variety of instrumental veloped systems are required. contribute to this multidisciplinary ensembles will perform. On the tech- The conference will start on Sun- domain, to present original theoreti- nical front, there will be papers and day 5 September with workshops and cal or practical work. It also serves as posters examining aesthetic, compo- an opening concert. In addition to a discussion forum, provides intro- sitional, educational, musicological, daily paper, poster, demonstration, ductory and in-depth information in scientific, and technological aspects and panel sessions, there will be mid- specific domains, and showcases cur- of computer music and digital audio. day and evening concerts each day; rent products. Paper topics will include digital au- “Off-ICMC” events at nightclubs, ISMIR 2005 topics include, but are dio signal processing, sound synthe- galleries, etc., each night from Mon- not limited to: music libraries,

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/0148926054094422 by guest on 01 October 2021 archives, and digital collections; in- The Master’s program is a two-year (CR+D) of the Daniel Langlois Foun- tellectual property rights and busi- curriculum consisting of courses in dation in Montréal, where all these ness issues; Western and nonwestern informatics and music, along with recordings are going to be preserved, musicology and analysis; composi- courses selected from offerings in together with related graphic and au- tion, forms and structures, and nota- computer science, , diovisual material. The archive in- tion; knowledge representation; and education. The coursework is de- cludes the all-digital music files and music perception, cognition, affect, signed to develop the technological information about the works and and emotion; human–computer in- sophistication and musical breadth their composers (titles, year of com- teraction and interfaces; databases, necessary for participation in this position, instrumentation, version, languages, and protocols; systems, In- emerging interdisciplinary area. In program notes, studio of production, ternet software, and mobile devices; addition to the broad expertise composer’s name, date and place of metadata, classification, recognition, within the School of Informatics, stu- birth, bigraphy, etc.). and modeling; and social and ethical dents in the program will draw on the Part of this information is already issues. resources of the world-renowned available for study through the Inter- The deadline for exhibitors to book School of Music and the William and net and more will be added as time space is 18 August 2005. (The dead- Gayle Cook Music Library, with its goes on, with the publication of the line for paper submission has passed.) state-of-the-art Variations2 Digital second stage of this research. Some of ISMIR 2005 is a joint venture be- Music Library. the texts included in the database tween the Centre for Digital Music, Students admitted to the program came originally from an extensive re- Queen Mary, University of London, will have a strong background in both port, “Historical Aspects of Electro- and the Centre for Cognition, Com- computer science or informatics and acoustic Music in Latin America: putation and Culture, Goldsmiths’ music, including experience in music From the Pioneering to the Present College, University of London. Please theory, performance, or composition. Days” (2003), written by archive or- see the ISMIR 2005 Web site for more Additional relevant areas such as ganizer Ricardo Dal Farra and com- information: ismir2005.ismir.net/. mathematics, cognitive science, and missioned by UNESCO for its educational technologies will be Digi-Arts knowledge portal. helpful. The archive can be found at Further information is available at www.fondation-langlois.org. Ricardo Music Informatics Program at www.informatics.indiana.edu/ Dal Farra can be contacted at Indiana University, Bloomington academics/mi.asp. [email protected].

Indiana University, Bloomington, an- nounces the creation of a Music In- NWEAMO 2005 Festival— formatics program within its new Latin American Electroacoustic School of Informatics. The program Music Archive Portland, Oregon, and San will initially offer a Master’s degree, Diego, California and it is anticipated that a PhD de- The Latin American Electroacoustic gree will be offered within a year. Music Archive is now available at The New West Electro-Acoustic Mu- The program serves students inter- The Foundation Daniel Langlois for sic Organization (NWEAMO) will ested in the confluence of scientific, Art, Science, and Technology in host its annual festival in two cities: technological, and musical ideas that Montréal, Canada. The first stage of 30 September–1 October 2005 in drives music informatics. Examples the archive includes around 2,000 Portland, Oregon, and 7–8 October of the growing list of research possi- digital audio files (more than 1,600 2005 in San Diego, California. bilities include audio and optical compositions). Most of those works NWEAMO is dedicated to the pro- music data recognition, algorithmic are not available in commercial edi- motion of music that involves the musical analysis, interactive per- tions and many of them were not creative use of computers and elec- formance systems, music audio heard again after they were pre- tronics, and to putting electroacous- processing, analysis of musical inter- miered, in some cases during the tic composers and musicians in the pretation, music educational tech- 1960s or 1970s. All pieces are avail- Pacific Northwest in contact with nologies, and music information able for listening at the Centre for the international electronic music retrieval. Research and Documentation community. It embraces all styles of

Announcements 5

Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/0148926054094422 by guest on 01 October 2021 electronic music, including those positions involving live performance music and the DJs, MCs, guitar-gods, utilizing composition and synthesis or a compelling visual element; this troubadours, and gourmets of experi- programs such as Max/MSP, Super- encompasses works for acoustic in- mental popular music. When there is Collider, and Csound; rock and pop strument and electronics, live elec- no connection, both suffer: When music; musique concrète and sound tronic performance, and loudspeaker classical music does not connect collage; performance art and multi- orchestra. Electroacoustic works fea- with popular culture, it becomes a media events; ambient music and turing video, performance art, or in- music of experts, unable to reflect sound installations; and improvised stallation art are frequently included. and contribute meaningfully in the and process music. This year’s theme is “Ancient broad marketplace of developing According to NWEAMO, its festi- Knowledge and The Future: Neo- ideas and cultural experimentation. vals are the only ones on the Ameri- lithic Roots in the 21st Century.” When popular music has no connec- can West Coast that distinctly seek The goal is to present electroacoustic tion and with the to establish and showcase the similar music that explores ancient tradi- classical, it becomes naive and super- modern-day evolutions of “art” and tions, rituals, instruments, belief ficial, untethered to its historical “popular” music, and that do so by systems, musical styles, and philoso- roots and broad cultural underpin- consistently calling for technology- phies. NWEAMO states its general nings. A healthy cultural milieu cele- based music. NWEAMO’s festivals mission thus: “To forge connections brates both.” The organization’s Web feature two different nightly concerts between the composers, performers, site is www.nweamo.org. in each city of electroacoustic com- and lovers of avant-garde classical

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/0148926054094422 by guest on 01 October 2021