Electronic Music Midwest | |
---|---|
Genre | electroacoustic music |
Location(s) | Kansas |
Years active | 2000-present |
Founders | Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), Lewis University, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, Paul Rudy |
Website | Official website |
Electronic Music Midwest (EMM) is a festival of new electroacoustic music.
EMM is the result of a consortium formed between Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC), Lewis University, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City. [1] This festival was founded by Mike McFerron, [2] [3] Connie Mayfield, [4] and Paul Rudy in 2000 when it was presented at KCKCC under the name "Kansas City Electronic Music Festival." In 2001, the festival continued at Lewis University under the title, "Electronic Music at Lewis - 2001." Electronic Music Midwest became the official name at the 2002 festival held at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
In celebration of EMM's 10th anniversary, Lewis University hosted the first EMM mini-Invitational festival on March 11, 2010. 15 composers were invited to present up to 15 minutes of music during this one-day, three concert festival. Among other compositions, highlights from this festival included Three Improvisatory Groovescapes (performed by the composer) by EMM technical director, Ian Corbett, Tranquility by Kyong Mee Choi, [5] Bapu (performed by Lisa Bost-Sandberg [6] ) by Asha Srinivasan, [7] and Texturologie 6: Emerald Emergent by James Caldwell.
Electronic Music Midwest (EMM) alternates each year between Kansas City, Kansas and the suburbs of Chicago in Romeoville, Illinois. Besides the main festival which is usually takes place over three days. The festival also presents "mini" festivals which are one day events presented as outreach to other cities. Composer's Voice Concert Series hosted an EMM mini-Invitational festival In New York City on June 24, 2012. [8] Western Michigan University as part of is New Sounds Festival hosted EMM mini-Invitational festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan. [9]
EMM has always featured an 8-speaker surround diffusion system under the guidance of Ian Corbett. The core of the system are eight Mackie 1521 bi-amped speakers, an EAW/QSC subwoofer system, and a Soundcraft MH3, 32+4 Channel mixer.
Since its beginning, EMM has programmed over 500 new electroacoustic compositions. Composers have traveled from around the world to graciously share their music with audiences in the Midwest. EMM strives to create an environment conducive to building community interaction. "Electronic Music Midwest has been dedicated to program a variety of electro-acoustic music, and to provide the highest quality of e-media presentations." [10]
Most concerts are approximately one hour long, and composers have plenty of time to "talk shop" with each other as well as interact socially with students and audience members.
Electroacoustic music is a genre of popular and Western art music in which composers use technology to manipulate the timbres of acoustic sounds, sometimes by using audio signal processing, such as reverb or harmonizing, on acoustical instruments. It originated around the middle of the 20th century, following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition to fixed media during the 20th century are associated with the activities of the Groupe de recherches musicales at the ORTF in Paris, the home of musique concrète, the Studio for Electronic Music in Cologne, where the focus was on the composition of elektronische Musik, and the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City, where tape music, electronic music, and computer music were all explored. Practical electronic music instruments began to appear in the early 20th century.
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Mike McFerron is an American composer.
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David Morneau is an American composer. He is most noted for his work with the 60x365 project. in which Morneau blogged a 60-second composition once a day for an entire year. The 365 miniature compositions include ambient tracks, found sound, instrumental performances, and loops and sample-based pieces. One of the inspirations of 60x365 was Boris Willis's Dance-A-Day project where Willis podcast a single dance every day for a year. Another inspiration is 60x60, another miniature project in which Morneau's work was also part of several 60x60 mixes including the Crimson Mix, Order of Magnitude Mix, 2009 International Mix, 2008 International Mix, Evolution Mix 2007 International Mix, 2007 Midwest Mix, and 2006 Midwest Mix.
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