One of the advantages of being in a university (really Hochschüle) that has tons of concerts and events going on, is there is always something new and interesting to do. This is especially true when the school has a leading institute for computer music/sound technology. A couple weeks ago I went and saw an evening of music put together by students and faculty in ZHdK’s Electroacoustic Masters program. The evening hosted a bunch of interesting works, and I got to hear some music by friends who I have met during my first five months here, in addition to students who I do not know.
The works ranged from fixed media pieces with some simple, live manipulation, to pieces that involved NIME’s (new interfaces for musical expression), to works that incorporated spatialization techniques to varying degrees. Toro-Perez’s work, shown above, integrated the variable height of the speakers and the movement of the saxophonist in relation to said speakers into the structure of the work. James Tenney’s Saxony was performed as well, but with an added twist thrown in by Eric Larrieux who applied live, first order ambisonics to the recorded loops.
Back in December I went to see another concert of electroacoustic music hosted in the Transdisciplinary Department’s Atelier (the department I am associated with) as part of ZHdK’s Lange Nacht der zeitgenössischen Musik. The offerings were similarly diverse, and a ton of fun to experience, along with mood lighting and cheap drinks!
