CEMI director Panayiotis Kokoras (b. Greece, 1974) studied composition with I.Ioannidi, K. Varotsi, A. Kergomard and classical guitar with E. Asimakopoulo in Athens, Greece. In 1999 he moved to England, for postgraduate studies where he completed his MA and PhD in composition with T. Myatt at the University of York with funds from Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) and Aleksandra Trianti Music Scholarships (Society Friends of Music) among others. His works have been commissioned by institutes and festivals such as FROMM (Harvard University) IRCAM (France), MATA (New York), Spring Festival (The University of York), Gaudeamus (Netherlands), ZKM (Germany), IMEB (France), and regularly performed in over 400 concerts in 70 cities around the world. His compositions have received 40 distinctions and prizes in international competitions among others Prix Ars Electronica 2011 (Austria), Métamorphoses 2010 & 2000 (Belgium), Giga-Hertz Music Award 2009 (Germany), ECPNM 2009 (Sweden), Bourges 2009, 2008 and 2004 (France), Gianni Bergamo 2007 (Switzerland), Pierre Schaeffer 2005 (Italy), Musica Viva 2005 and 2002 (Portugal), Look and Listen Prize 2004 (New York), Gaudeamus 2004 and 2003 (Holland), Jurgenson Competition 2003 (Russia), Seoul international competition 2003 (Korea), Takemitsu Composition Award 2002 (Japan), Noroit Prize 2002 (France), CIMESP 2002 (Brazil). Moreover, they have been selected by juries at more than 100 international call for score opportunities.
Willyn Whiting (b.1993) is a Canadian Composer of concert music, currently pursuing a doctorate of music in the United States. His works, over the years, have been performed/read by professional, student, and ad-hoc ensembles including the Bozzini Quartet, Vaso String Quartet, NOVA Ensemble, and Ensemble Atlantica. His music has been presented at SEAMUS , ICA Clarinetfest and Groundswell Linked, among other festivals/workshops.
Willyn’s acoustic works since 2017 have explored spectral techniques and simple algorithmic designs. His electroacoustic pieces have explored improvisation, generative scoring, audiovisual design, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Pak Hei (Alvin) Leung’s compositions have been played in the U.S., Italy, Taiwan and Hong Kong by music groups including Transient Canvas, the Rhythm Method String Quartet, Duo Zonda, Trio Mythos, Resonance, Stellar Trio, Music-Joint Association, Hong Kong Wind Kamerata, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Contrast Trio, Hong Kong Saxophone Ensemble and Romer String Quartet. His works are featured in ICMC 2021, SCI National Conference 2021, NSEME 2021, Longy’s Divergent Studio 2021, Hong Kong Contemporary Music Festival 2021&2020, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Net Festival, SCI Summer 2020 Student Mixtape, AL&N Creative Music Online 2020, Charlotte New Music Festival 2020, AL&N Letters for Others, Earth Day Art Model 2020, highSCORE Festival 2018, as well as New Generation 2014, 2016 & 2018.
Alvin is currently a PhD Music Composition student at the University of North Texas. He graduated with a Master of Music degree at Bowling Green State University and received the Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). His principal teachers include Panayiotis Kokoras, Marilyn Shrude, Christopher Dietz, Mikel Kuehn, Victor Chan Wai-kwong, Wendy Lee Wan-ki, Lo Hau-man and Ricky Tse Kin-chuen.
Composition has always an integral part of my musical experience. My music is heavily informed by my experience as a pianist and trumpet player. I am heavily involved in electro-acoustic music, and I believe that the expanding horizons in this area of music hold immense promise. Beyond composition, I am also active as a conductor. I am currently working towards a related field in conducting, and had the fortune to conduct the Harding University Wind Symphony as their student conductor for two seasons. I feel that composition is necessary to any well-rounded musical education—not only for those wishing to pursue composition as a career—and integrates well with the core subjects of theory and history. As a composer, a central focus of my work is collaboration—not only with performers, but also other composers. I have been privileged to be able to work with players of an exceptionally high caliber who have helped me immensely and inspired me more than I can thank them for. I am always open to new collaborations and encourage any performers or composers to reach out to me with project ideas
Christopher Poovey (b. 1993) is a composer and creative coder based in Dallas Texas who creates music and software which produce rich and colorful sound and encourages interactive structures. Christopher’s music has been played by members of Ensemble Mise-en, the University of North Texas Nova Ensemble, Indiana University's New Music Ensemble, and Indiana University Brass Choir. Christopher’s pieces have been presented at conferences such as the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, the International Computer Music Association, the New York City Electronic Music Festival, the Soul International Computer Music Festival, Inner SoundScapes, and the National Student Electronic Music Event. In addition to his reconditions, Christopher has taken courses at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique, at Princeton University in the Só Percussion Summer Institute, and has attended a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Christopher currently holds a master’s degree in music composition from University of North Texas has a bachelor of music in composition at Indiana University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in music composition from University of North Texas with a focus in computer music.
Patrick Reed is a native of Dallas Texas, as a composer and educator he hopes to foster and teach an interested and love for contemporary music to people of all ages. His music style ranges from solo to large ensemble compositions, to works written for beginners and young band ensembles. His work has recently been performed at ICMC in Daegu South Korea, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, SEAMUS, NSEME national conferences and at SCI region six conference. Reed earned his Master in Music in composition at Bowling Green State University, where he has studied with Elainie Lillios Christopher Dietz and Mikel Kuehn. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Music Education from Texas Tech University, where he studied composition with Peter Fischer and Mei-Fang Lin.
Kory Reeder’s music investigates meditative, atmospheric qualities, ideas of objectivity, place, immediacy, and stasis while maintaining activity and constant development of material. Kory has frequently collaborated with theater, dance, and opera programs, has been performed across North America, Australia, and Europe, and was awarded by The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. He has been an ASCAP Morton Gould Award finalist, and artist-in-residence at Arts Letter and Numbers, and the Kimmel, Harding, Nelson Center for the Arts. Kory is currently pursuing a PhD. in music composition at the University of North Texas.
J. Andrew Smith is a composer, teacher, and electronic musician from the Atlanta, GA area. His works, both acoustic and electronic, embrace the intersections between poetry, acousmatic sound, improvisation, and the idea of personal connection between composer, performer, and listener. These works include A Poem is Not a Memoir for performers Lisa Kaplan and Matthew Duvall, In the Midst of Night for cellist Stephen Marotto, and a darkness carried, for saxophonist Drew Whiting. Andrew’s works have been performed at SEAMUS conferences, the SPLICE Institute and Festival, Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival, the Toledo Symphony’s Student Orchestra reading program, New Music on the Point, and the Southeastern Composers' Symposium. Currently a PhD student studying at the University of North Texas, Andrew studied with teachers such as Elainie Lillios, Mikel Kuehn, and Christopher Dietz at Bowling Green State University.
Okan Yaşarlar is a composer from Istanbul. He has an equal passion for acoustic and electroacoustic instruments, solo instruments and chamber ensembles. He likes to combine multiple digital media (video, live signal processing, patching and coding) in his works as much as writing acoustic pieces, which have been performed by Ensemble Plug of the InterContemporain and often by the versatile international Hezarfen Ensemble. His works have premiered in various places throughout Europe and Turkey. Okan fell into music through science rather than a conservatoire and is interested in researching VR and AR in music composition. He received his music BA and MA from Istanbul Bilgi University, Universität Hildesheim (Germany) and Istanbul Technical University, where he founded the university’s first laptop orchestra. He was a member of the Galata Electroacoustic Orchestra (GOA), with whom he performed in Genoa (Italy) in 2013 at an extensive workshop aimed at fusing the traditional music of Istanbul, Genoa and Barcelona with contemporary electronic music. Okan also performed with GOA at the Venice Biennale in 2014. In 2015 he was one of the resident composers at the 7th International Chamber Music Festival in Cappadocia. He has had the privilege of working with Reuben de Lautour, Anil Camci, Jeremy Woodruff, Tolga Zafer Ozdemir, Thomas Simaku and Tolga Yayalar. Past artistic projects include writing a play performed in Istanbul in 2013 and writing a children’s musical for the Adana arts council. He has frequently composed music for film and theatre which has been performed in Istanbul. He enjoys playing the guitar and drums. When he is not in a studio, he likes trekking, sailing and drawing cartoons.
Joseph Klein holds degrees in composition from Indiana University (DM, 1991), University of California, San Diego (MA, 1986), and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (BA, 1984). His composition teachers have included Harvey Sollberger, Claude Baker, Robert Erickson, and Roger Reynolds. He is currently Distinguished Professor at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he has served as Chair of Composition Studies since 1999. Klein’s compositions for various media have been performed and broadcast internationally, and he has been a featured guest composer at academic institutions, performance venues, conferences, and music festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His recorded works are available on the Innova, Centaur, Crystal, and Mark labels.
Stephen Lucas is a composer, video artist, and technical developer and functions as the Lead Creative Programmer for the iARTA research network and College of Music. He is best known for his strikingly abstract computer audio/video works; he also writes many works involving live performers. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States but he strives to embrace online audiences. His other interests include electronics, cybernetics, and metaphysics.
Flutist Elizabeth McNutt is a leading interpreter of contemporary repertoire, and electroacoustic music in particular. She has premiered over 150 new works and performed widely in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Her solo CD pipe wrench, on the Electronic Music Foundation Media label, has been described as "astounding" (Flute Talk), "high-octane" (Musicworks), and "a delightful listen" (SEAMUS Newsletter). Her other recordings are on the CRI and SEAMUS labels. Her writing has been published in Organized Sound, Music Theory Online, and Flutist Quarterly. McNutt holds a DMA in contemporary music performance from the UC San Diego.McNutt is on the faculty of the University of North Texas, where she teaches flute and directs the new music ensemble Nova.
Marco Buongiorno Nardelli is University Distinguished Research Professor at the University of North Texas in the Departments of Physics and Chemistry. Composer, flutist and computational materials physicist, he is a member of iARTA, the Initiative for Advanced Research in Technology and the Arts and of CEMI, the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Institute of Physics, and a Parma Recordings artist. His scientific research is at the forefront of computational materials and high-performance simulations, with particular emphasis on theoretical developments of ab initio methods for electronic structure of solid state systems, high-throughput computational techniques and computational materials design with a strong vision for sustainable development of scientific software. His Art-Science practice orbits around the duality of data sonification: translation of complex events in sonic material, and object for musical poiesis. Data are raw elements for a compositional process that transcends the materiality of the original information in a post-sonification praxis: the data stream is open for elaboration as principal element of a data-driven compositional environment. He uses these data as a sculptor would use clay (the raw data) to mold any object or create any design (the music).
Jon Christopher Nelson (b. 1960) is currently a Professor at the University of North Texas where he serves as an associate of CEMI (Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia) and also the Associate Dean of Operations. Nelson’s electroacoustic music compositions have been performed widely throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. He has been honored with numerous awards including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Fulbright Commission. He is the recipient of Luigi Russolo and Bourges Prizes and was recently awarded the Bourges Euphonies d'Or prize. In addition to his electro-acoustic works, Nelson has composed a variety of acoustic compositions that have been performed by ensembles such as the New World Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, ALEA III, and others. He has composed in residence at Sweden's national Electronic Music Studios and at IMEB in Bourges, France. His works can be heard on the Bourges, Russolo Pratella, Innova, CDCM, NEUMA, ICMC, and SEAMUS labels.
David Stout is a performance director, installation artist and live cinema performer exploring the capabilities of new media to forge collaborative communities, synthesize evolving ecological systems and compose dramatic interactive visual-music works on a symphonic scale. He is a professor in the iARTA research network, where he works with students and faculty from across the arts, sciences and engineering.
Ruth West is an artist-scientist – a creative catalyst. She envisions a future in which art + science integration opens new portals of imagination, invention, knowledge, and communication across cultures to create breakthrough solutions for our most pressing global problems. Ruth directs the xREZ Art + Science Lab and is an associate professor at the University of North Texas cross-appointed in the College of Visual Art and Design (New Media Art & Design), College of Information (Information Sciences), College of Engineering (Computer Science) and College of Arts and Sciences (Biological Sciences). Utilizing emerging technologies her work builds resonant connections between the arts and sciences to create new ways of seeing and knowing. Bridging high-dimensional data and metadata, information visualization and sonificaiton, virtual reality, augmented and/or mixed reality, 3D fabrication, and social and mobile participatory media with domains such as urban ecology, neuroscience, genomics, astronomy, fiber arts and digital remix culture, Ruth explores avenues for achieving works with multiple entry points that can exist concurrently as aesthetic experiences, artistic practice or cultural interventions and serve as the basis for artistically-impelled scientific inquiry and tools. This work results in new knowledge and insight, technology R&D, novel artworks, large-scale public engagement and entertainment experiences, cross-disciplinary educational and research opportunities and industry-academic-community partnerships. She has authored over 70+ peer-reviewed exhibitions, publications, conference presentations and public talks, and has received several million dollars in grants and corporate sponsorship. Her work has been presented in venues including: Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, FILE 09 Sao Paulo, SIGGRAPH, WIRED Magazine’s NextFest, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, IEEE Visualization, SPIE/IS&T ERVR, Leonardo and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music (ICEM) founded in 1981 in Bourges, France. The Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI) joined the confederation and became an Organization/ Institution Member since 2006. In 2014, CEMI hosted the CIME/ICEM Annual Conference and Festival. The objectives of the Confederation is to promote at an international level the various aspects of electroacoustic music : - by providing opportunities for the creation of new works - by encouraging: production, creation and research, distribution of compositions, pedagogy, meetings of its professionals (composers, researchers, performers, and teachers), dissemination and communication of knowledge and electroacoustic techniques. - by organizing collaborations with national bodies, international organizations and various professional areas concerning the above-mentioned objectives. ICEM became the 18th International Organization Member (I.O.M) of the International Music Council /IMC-Unesco in 1983. ICEM currently has 15 National Federations consisting of Argentina, Belgium, Chile, China, Cuba, Finland, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine. As well as, 10 Organization/ Institution Members from Colombia, France, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Spain. Switzerland, USA.
The Foundation Destellos is created in 2007 in Mar del Plata, Argentine, by initiative of Dr Elsa Justel. It is a private and independent organization with juridical status. Conducted by an Administration board and a relevant team of Argentine and foreign artists and searchers. After an intensive trajectory as composer and video artist, Dr Justel assumes the responsibility of this Foundation on behalf of the artistic creation, the sciences and technologies of art, in order to stimulate and sustain all those initiatives tending to the development of culture and human knowledge. The Foundation has as priority purpose to hold the new generations of artists, searchers and technicians whose objectives are oriented in this sense.
xREZ Art + Science Lab is a unique blending of creative studio and research lab. We forge productive paths that harness the unique creative forces found only at the intersection of the arts, sciences and humanities to open new portals of imagination, knowledge and communication. Our visionary team is composed of students, faculty and collaborators working in computer science, new media arts, anthropology, behavioral psychology, photography, music, journalism, art education, information science, hospitality management, urban ecology, geospatial analysis, art education, political science, history, and biomedicine. We create breakthrough solutions to problems that require collaboration across disciplines by developing emerging technologies, new knowledge, public engagement, and cross-sector partnerships.