Friends, Romans, Country(wo)men – take a look here – http://sparkfestival.org – and you will find the Spark festival submission system is live. The festival will take place this fall, September 28th through October 3rd, 2010.

Spark invites submissions of art, dance, theater, and music works incorporating new media, including electroacoustic concert music, experimental electronica, theatrical and dance works, installations, kinetic sculpture, artbots, video, and other non-traditional genres.

Submissions are accepted in the following categories:
Installation+Visual Art
Composer+Performer
Night Life
Improvisation
Noise+Industrial
Theater+Dance
Works for Outdoor Public Spaces

While the festival provides technical support for the accepted works, we do not provide musicians. Submissions are therefore limited to works that are performed by the composer or by musicians/performers congregated by the composer.

Spark receives submissions strictly through the online system. We encourage submitters to provide a URL to supporting audio/video media in the highest quality possible. In cases where high quality audio is not available online, file uploads are accepted (.wav or .aif, less than 128 MB in size). Video file uploads are not accepted.

All submissions must be received by May 1, 2010 at 11:59PM Minneapolis Time (CST).

Feel free to forward this call.

-Mike
________________
Michael Duffy
Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Arts
Assistant Director and Co-curator
http://sparkfestival.org

ARP 2010 Call For Papers
 
The Sixth Annual Art of Record Production Conference
 
will be hosted by Bob Davis and Justin Morey at
 
Leeds Metropolitan University
 
on December 3rd – 5th 2010
 
 
 
Change and Continuity: transformations, innovations and tensions in the art of record production
 
The theme of the conference is centred around the idea of change and continuity – the idea that music and music production can look backwards or it can look forwards. The way our ‘art’ changes through technology and the use of technology is an example of where people make choices between, for instance, old technology and new technology – between old sounds and new sounds, while continually exploring the space in between these two theoretical poles. In addition, we see innovation all around us but we might also reflect on what is new. There are also tensions in our field between technology, artistry, craftsmanship, aesthetics, and commerce. We hope that the strands will allow the conference to consider change and continuity in the art of record production.
We invite submissions for papers on the following themes and any other related topics:
 
1. Alternative realities: (re)presenting sound
 
The recorded performance is often not the performance heard in the studio, which brings into question aspects of reality and the construction of what might be conceptualised as alternative realities. The creation of virtual spaces, the use of virtual instruments and the construction of virtual performances raise a number of issues for those concerned with the study of recordings and the production process. This stream welcomes papers that explore the relationship between the actual and the virtual, which may include theoretical issues such as authenticity, agency and creativity, transparency and realism but may also involve practical concerns such as loudness, technical ‘perfection’ and the homogenising effect of ubiquitous software platforms and plug-ins.
 
2. Song writing and the studio: crafting an art
 
Song writing has a long tradition, and the advent of recording technology began a process which brings not only the song but the sound of the artist within reach of international audiences. However, song writing is an umbrella term encompassing a wide range of technological practices ranging from singer songwriters recording at home to large scale commercial productions involving a team of experienced professionals. This stream welcomes papers on all aspects of the relationship between song writing and production including demo production, writing in the studio, the influence of software design, song writing and performance, self production, deals and splits.
 
3. Music production and education – a site of resistance?
 
Music Technology has now become firmly embedded in educational institutions both in the UK and abroad. With many institutions having over 20 years experience in developing courses in music technology it may be time to reflect on our achievements and our challenges. For many, the initial introduction of courses in record production and music technology was met with resistance in institutions with many courses springing not from music departments but from schools of technology. From a different perspective, traditional genres of engagement with music technology such as rock and dance have an ideological perspective characterised by resistance to authority, and the embodiment of the ‘underground’. Papers in this stream may also consider issues such as the way that creating a curriculum contributes to creating a canon, ethnicity, sexuality and gender in music technology programmes, learning strategies and methodologies and the various tensions and relationships that exist between education, academic research and industry.
 
4. Electronic technology and the production of music
 
Alongside the history of research and development in electronic technology for audio production runs a parallel history of subversion and ‘creative abuse’. Many of the techniques used in commercial and popular music production started life in university departments or in the world of art music. And there is also the history of DJ technology in the studio. This stream welcomes papers that explore the range of creative methods used in electronic and electroacoustic music. This may also include the use of older technology, internet performance, virtual scenes, democratisation and audio fidelity, the inside / outside the box debate, the commodification of production technology and the modular DIY construction of DSP and plug-ins.
 
Workshops, Presentations and Performances
 
The conference panel would like to invite delegates to submit ideas for presentations exploring aspects of music production, performances and practical demonstrations on any topic relating to the Art of Record Production.
 
We welcome work from any relevant academic perspective, including but not limited to popular music studies, ethnomusicology, the study of performance practice, communication studies, historical musicology, the history of technology, ergonomics, acoustics and psychoacoustics, music theory, music cognition, music and music technology education, and the philosophies of music, mediation and technology. Please include a note on methodology where appropriate, and an indication of the theme your work is intending to address.
 
Papers or demonstrations that require recording / studio / 5.1 playback facilities are also encouraged but selection will be subject to a feasibility study by the conference panel at Leeds Metropolitan University.
 
Proposals for individual papers and poster presentations should not exceed 500 words and should be in Word Document, Rich Text File or Text file formats (doc, docx, rtf or txt files). Submissions by email to simonzt@artofrecordproduction.com
 
The deadline for proposals is Friday 14th May 2010.
 
Simon Zagorski-Thomas
simonzt@artofrecordproduction.com
 
Chairman of the Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production Director of the Art of Record Production Conference

##########################  XVIII CIM –  "Near distances"  ########################## 
Torino-Cuneo October 5/8 2010

AIMI, the Italian Association for Musical Informatics, organizes the XVIII CIM (Colloquium for Musical Informatics), its biennial meeting, in Torino and Cuneo,  October 5/8 2010.

The main topic, "near distances", refers to the increasing diffusion of connectivity in musical production and consumption.

The meeting itself is co-organized by institutions of two different cities, even if of the same region: the University of Turin and the Conservatory of Cuneo.

As usual, the programme will include scientific communications, workshops and artistic events.

Site: http://www.aimi-musica.org/node/1174

With respect to scientific communication, please note that communications written/presented in English are welcome.

IT: http://www.aimi-musica.org/node/1175

Two workshops will be held:

– A SuperCollider 1-day intensive workshop, with special focus on live electronics, will be given  by Joshua Parmenter. Josh will also cure live electronics for the Fiarì Ensemble concert (see later)

– Mark Trayle will lead a 6-day workshop on networked musical systems, culminating in a performance of the work "Phantom rooms", between Torino and Cuneo

IT: http://www.aimi-musica.org/node/1177

Calls for works include:

– trombone and electronics, with Michele Lomuto performing the selected works (Lomuto was a Berio’s favorite for playing his Sequenza)

– ensemble and electronics, with Fiarì Ensenble

– multimedia (audio-video) works to be written for the Virtual  1958 Philips Pavilion, where Varèse’s Poème électronique and Xenakis’ Concret PH were performed,  and rendered over screen projection and 8 channel audio system (http://edu.vrmmp.it/vep/)

IT: http://www.aimi-musica.org/node/1178

Concerts:

Apart from the three events related to calls for works and Phantom rooms performance, concerts will include also Michele Marelli playing works for clarined and electronics by KH Stockhausen. Jam sessions for electroacoustic improvisers  are going to be organized at the University of Torino.

IT: http://www.aimi-musica.org/node/1179

Important dates:

Call for papers
Submission: 30/06/2010
Notification: 30/07/2010
Camera-ready: 01/09/2010

Call for scores
Submission: 01/07/2010
Notification: 30/07/2010
Delivery of required materials: 01/09/2010

XVIII CIM – Colloquio di Informatica Musicale: 05-08/10/2010

Info/Contact:

xviiicim@aimi-musica.org

AIMI – Associazione di Informatica Musicale Italiana

CIRMA – Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca su Multimedia e Audiovisivo
Università degli Studi di Torino
http://www.cirma.unito.it/

Dipartimento Nuove Tecnologie e Linguaggi Musicali
Conservatorio di Musica “Giorgio Federico Ghedini” di Cuneo
http://www.conservatoriocuneo.it/scuole/elettronica/
In collaboration with:

Fiarì Ensemble
Unione Musicale Laboratorio Multimediale "G. Quazza"

DAMS – Università di Torino
Stockhausen Stiftung – Kürten

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