2023
May 10 2023
Dispersionology and Other Tales
Time: 2-3:30pm EDT / 11am-12:30pm PDT / 8-9:30pm CEST
About:
In the world of physics, dispersion describes a phenomenon in which the rate of propagation of a wave in a medium, its phase velocity, is dependent on its frequency. This can be seen in light, sound, gravity waves, etc. Its a property of telecommunications signals, including the pulses of light in optical fibre cables, describing how the signal broadens and spreads out as it moves across the channel. Dispersion therefore is inherent in the medium that more-and-more binds us these days, in the movements of light pulses that transports our attention, and our listening, around the globe. A beautiful consequence of dispersion is a change in the angle of refraction of different frequencies, leading to a prismatic opening up of a full colour spectrum from incoming light. This ability to broaden out as signals propagate through the network reflects a much wider expansion of distributed listening and sounding that is made possible in the context of telematic musicking. It occurred to me recently that, as of early 2023 I’ve engaged this medium now for 20 years, with an ear towards exploring the myriad ways that the shared real/virtual and nowhere/everywhere site of performance can act as both a point of convergence towards a singular locus of performative attention — yet also a dispersive prism, reflecting individual voices and the preservation of creative agencies of every performer.
I call this current exploration of this phenomenom, at this current milestone moment, “Dispersionology”…. I’ve invited a wide array of past telematic collaborators (spanning this entire 20 years) to explore this and other related tales with me on May 10th. I hope you can join us!
-Doug Van Nort
In addition to this new piece, we’ll have a new compositional offering from UiO in Oslo that involves multiple sites, as well as an “Other Tales” comprovisation piece that plays with algorithmic-chance pairings across all sites, featuring dual conductors.
Donations Requests: EveryCat Health Foundation (Formerly Winn Feline Foundation) –>https://everycat.org/
In honor of our collaborator Casper, and in honor of Tora-San.
Program:
Other Tales: Algorithmic-chance-structured improvisation featuring double-conductors
Chance-Based Conducting Structure: Doug Van Nort
Performers: All Sites
Dispersionology
Composer: Doug Van Nort
Performers: All Sites
Opening
Composer: Co-Created by UiO Students
Performers: UiO site
Performers:
Dispersed/Various Locations:
Chris Anderson-Lundy, Saxophone, Toronto, ON
Tom Bickley, EWI + Max processing, Berkeley, CA
Anne Bourne, cello, Toronto, ON
Cássia Carrascoza Bomfim, flute, Brazil
Chris Chafe, celletto, CCRMA/Palo Alto, CA
Viv Corringham, voice, electronics, New York, NY
Bjorn Eriksson, analog electronics (feedback boxes), Solleftjea, Sweden
Colin James Gibson, guitar, Toronto, ON
Bill Gilliam, piano + electronics, Toronto, ON
Scot Gresham-Lancaster, electronics, Maine
Theodore Haber, violin, Montreal, QC
Glen Hall, Soprano saxophone, contrabass clarinet, Brampton, ON
Holland Hopson, banjo, Tuscaloosa, AL
Rory Hoy, bass + electronics, Brampton, ON
Kai Kubota-Enright, piano (+/- preparation), electronics, Montreal, QC
Al Margolis, violin/contact mic(s)/objects, Chester, NY
Scott L. Miller, Kyma, Minneapolis, MN
Emma Pope, piano, Montreal, QC
Ambrose Pottie, percussion and electronics, Castleton, ON
Dana Reason, piano/inside piano, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Omar Shabbar, guitar + electronics, Toronto, ON
Kathy Kennedy, voice + electronics, Montreal, QC
Doug Van Nort, soundpainting, greis/electronics, voice, Toronto, ON
Sarah Weaver, conducting, New York, NY
Zovi, Theremin, Albany, NY
Bogotá (Universidad de Los Andes):
Ricardo Arias, balloons
Leonel Vásquez
(featuring U de Los Andes students)
Chicago (School of the Art Institute of Chicago):
Eric Leonardson, springboard + electronics
Garrett Johnson, electronics
Gordon Fung, electronics
Oslo (Universitetet i Oslo):
Krisin Norderval, voice
Fabian Stordalen, Bass guitar, Guitar, No-input mixing
Kristian Eicke, Guitar (percussive) on lap
Nino Jakeli, Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
Aysima Baba, Accordion
Alexander Wastnidge, Guitars, Live Electronics
Emin Memis, Ney Flute, Drums
Streaming will be on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqycm1G2M5A
Also Broadcasting from Chicago on Free Radio SAIC
In-person audience at Universitetet i Oslo (IMV Salen)
April 2023
DisPerSion Lab Presents!: Online Electroacoustic Listening Session
The DisPerSion Lab cordially invites you to partake in an online electroacoustic listening session!
In this browser-based listening session, you will listen to 3 new musical compositions. In support of our ongoing research into listening and reception of electroacoustic music, we’d love to hear your feedback on the experience – and so you will be asked to fill out an online form that reflects on your experience of listening to the pieces.
Beyond the feedback, these are also new musical works by lab member and composer Xi Lu, and we are happy to share them with you!
The entire session, including the pieces and your typed feedback, will last for approximately 15-25 minutes.
No musical or compositional background is required or expected in order to provide valuable feedback to us. In order to take part, participants should be comfortable with a full dynamic range of volumes that would be typical in a concert setting, typing on a keyboard, and reading text on a computer.
You can find the online study at the following URL: https://ealistening.b4a.app/
We look forward to sharing this work with you and hearing your valuable listening insights!
March 2023
DisPerSion Lab Presents!: Electroacoustic Concert Listening Sessions
The DisPerSion Lab cordially invites you to join us for a series of electroacoustic concert listening sessions!
As part of the project Gesture, Intentionality and Temporality in Machine-Mediated Performance, we are currently exploring the diverse nature of audience listening practices.
In these sessions, we’ll listen to 3-4 new musical compositions. In support of our ongoing research into listening and reception of electroacoustic music, we’d love to hear your feedback on the experience – and so audience will be asked to fill out an online form that reflects on their experience of listening to the pieces.
Beyond the feedback, these are also new musical works by lab member and composer Xi Lu, and we are happy to share them with you!
The entire concert session, including the pieces and your typed feedback, will last for approximately 30 minutes. It will take place in the DisPerSion Lab, located in the Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts on York University’s campus.
No musical or compositional background is required or expected in order to provide valuable feedback to us. In order to take part, participants should be comfortable with a full dynamic range of volumes that would be typical in a concert setting, typing on a keyboard, and reading text on a computer.
If you are interested in taking part in the sessions, please fill out following form to select available times:
https://forms.gle/JdG5KmgqQod1mVNZ7
This is needed both to schedule a time that the most people can attend, and because space is limited for these concert sessions.
We look forward to sharing this work with you and hearing your valuable listening insights!
March 2023
DisPerSion Lab Presents!: Deeply Listening Machines Workshops
As part of the ongoing Deeply Listening Machines project, the DisPerSion Lab cordially invites you to join us for a series of online workshops that explore the intersection of Sonic Meditations and collaborative human/machine improvised play!
The group will engage in vocal listening/sounding within this shared virtual environment, and participants will be asked for their feedback and insights at the end of the session. These workshop sessions will last for roughly 1 hour.
We’ll run workshops on multiple dates – which we will fill on a “first come first served” basis over the next couple of weeks (due to virtual ‘space’ limitations). People are welcome to sign up for multiple sessions based on availability, and we will try our best to accommodate you.
No vocal or computational training is expected or required! Other Technical needs are fairly minimal – headphones, mic, and a stable (wired) internet connection. Experience with Jacktrip, the free program which we will use for connecting audio, is beneficial but not required. Some assistance with Jacktrip setup can be provided for those that would like it.
For those interested, please fill out your availability here
…and you’ll hear from us soon.
March 2023
As part of the ongoing post-digital-instruments project, the DisPerSion Lab cordially invites instrumental performers to take part in a series of experiments on Player-Instrument-System Interaction and Perception!
We are looking for a small number of participants to take part in a session of musical improvisation within a changing sonic environment. Players should have at least five years of professional experience in improvised performance, on an any acoustic instrument.
In addition to our delight in exploring this new creative context for performance with you all, we hope to assess performers’ experience during the session. Chosen participants will thus be asked to take part in one session of 45-60 minutes, that will include performance followed by a brief interview/questionnaire.
The study will be conducted in the DisPerSion Lab at York University, where participants will be asked to improvise while interacting with a sonic environment.
We are looking to conduct the study in the next 2-3 weeks.
If you are interested, please fill out the following google form to provide contact info and to indicate your availability. https://forms.gle/K3SCPtXw6KNLoom3A
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further details.
Looking forward to hearing you!