Newsletter / Bulletin #29
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Publication: Zachary Wallmark's Video for "What is timbre ?"
Do you know what timbre is? Click the link or watch the video down below to hear Zachary Wallmark, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Oregon, "break down the layers of timbre and what draws listeners to a particular sound.” Let us know what you think in the comments!
My Journey Into Timbre Space
Click the link below to read more about Stephen McAdams’ journey into timbre space and the subsequent creation of the ACTOR project!
https://www.actorproject.org/timbre-and-orchestration-blog/timbre-stories/2022/2/2/my-journey-into-timbre-space
Timbre and Orchestration Writings: Seven Beginnings
Revisiting Jason Noble’s article about his composition, Seven Beginnings, commemorating through music the birth of Noble’s daughter. While examining the intricacies of the piece, it is also “far from being a technical étude, it is a very personal piece with a very specific motivation behind its materials and methods.” Follow the link in our story or down below to learn more!
Newsletter / Bulletin #25
Stephen - Royal Society
Congratulations to ACTOR director Stephen McAdams who has been elected Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada! This is an outstanding accomplishment and is the highest recognition granted to the individual in the arts & social sciences by the RSC.
Lovin’ You — by Minnie Riperton
Learn more from Michelle Sulaiman about Minnie Riperton's unique, incredible whistle tone and technical style in Lovin' You.
Unveiling the Mystery of Timbre
As part of ACTOR’s series of Timbre Stories, “Unveiling the Mystery of Timbre”, explores what makes timbre so complex, yet fascinating. Click the link below or in our bio to read more from this anonymous author on his journey to understanding timbre!
ACTOR Speaker Series
SAVE THE DATE! The Sub-Saharan African and Afro-Diasporic subgroup of the Diversity working group are pleased to formally announce the Speaker Series: Afrological Perspectives on Timbre and Orchestration. The series, spearheaded by Jason Winikoff, Joshua Rosner, and Jay Marchand Knight, will take place over the 2022-23 academic year and will launch with a talk by Dr. Bibian Kalinde entitled, “Unraveling timbre in the music of the marriage ceremony of the Chewa and Bemba in Zambia.” Other invited guests include Kevin Holt, Andile Khumalo, Joel Larue Smith, Marvin McNeill, and Stephanie Shonekan. Bibian Kalinde’s talk will take place on Friday 30 September 2022 from 12:00pm-1:15pm Eastern (6:00pm-7:15pm in Zambia) and will be given over Zoom. Information about links to attend the event will be sent out closer to the date of the event.
Musical collaborations, timbre, and recorded sound
Calling all pianists and orchestra lovers! Click the link below or in our bio to read more from Viktor Lazarov’s interview with the esteemed Professor Martha de Francisco. Together they explore recording processes, unique sounds, timbral differences, and so much more! Lazarov notes, “Martha relates specific experiences, notably, recording and discussing timbre with Alfred Brendel, the great Austrian pianist.”
Pour l’image- Philippe Hurel
Learn more about Philippe Hurel’s Pour l’image! In this piece, Linglan Zhu explores the musical transitions in the opening of Pour l’image. Zhu notes, “Two large-scale transitions happen consecutively within the first 60 measures of this piece, each of which showcases a set of different orchestration techniques that effectively modulate listeners’ perception.”
The many facets of musical listening
Explore Lena Heng and Mengqi Wang’s work under the ACTOR Collaborative Student Project Grant. Through analyzing two musical pieces, they find that “successful orchestration is built upon the fact that regardless of the instruments used or the musical or cultural connotations of the music, they adhere to universal mechanisms of auditory perception and cognition.”
Y4 Reminder/Countdown
The countdown is on! ACTOR’S Y4 Workshop is only five days away. We can’t wait to see everyone, whether online or in-person at the School of Creative and Performing Arts, University of Calgary. Click the link below for more information about the Y4 Workshop. See you all on July 9th!
ACTOR Y4 Workshop first overview
ATTENTION ACTOR COMMUNITY! ACTOR’S Y4 workshop is just around the corner. The workshop is being hosted by the School of Creative Performing Arts of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Don’t worry if you can’t make it in person, a HYBRID FORMAT is being offered this year (online/in person). Click the link below or in our bio to learn more about the Y4 Workshop! Follow us for more updates on ACTOR and our Y4 Workshop!
ACTOR Symposium Montreal #2, on orchestration and musical analysis, with Fabien Lévy
Composer and musicologist Fabien Lévy will join McGill researchers in music theory, composition, and music perception in a symposium co-sponsored by ACTOR (Analysis, Creation, and Teaching of Orchestration) and CIRMMT Research Axes 3 and 4
CogMIR
Stephen McAdams gave a keynote speech…
Stephen McAdams, directeur d’ACTOR, a donné une conférence-invité…