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Introduction to EMS08 decorative dots    France

“The EMS Network has been organised to fill an important gap in terms of electroacoustic music, namely focusing on the better understanding of the various manifestations of electroacoustic music. Areas related to the study of electroacoustic music range from the musicological to more interdisciplinary approaches, from studies concerning the impact of technology on musical creativity to the investigation of the ubiquitous nature of electroacoustic sounds today. The choice of the word, ‘network’ is of fundamental importance as one of our goals is to make relevant initiatives more widely available.” (www.ems-network.org)

EMS08 - Electroacoustic Music Studies - Conference Theme:
Musique concrète - 60 years later

Presenting EMS 08

When the first trains were “running out” off the loudspeakers during the concerts of Pierre Schaeffer’s Études, the audience must have been surprised and shocked with the notion that such mundane sounds could be used in music. Sixty years and thousands of musical works later, the shock factor is gone but our surprise remains in terms of the discovery of new musical trends on the unending road where technology is applied to music.

And yet, what do we know about electroacoustic music? It is vast domain with many actors, small and large; a domain that attracts composers from all around the world; a domain for any musician to explore. However it is a domain where few studies have been done in comparison to other domains; where methodologies and terminologies have yet to evolve that are capable of taking the complexity of electroacoustic music into account.

One of the main functions of the EMS Network is to promote and encourage the study of electroacoustic music, and to provide a regular framework for discussion and diffusion of the results. 2008 is a special year for this, a year for celebrating the past but also a year for new perspectives. Several trends will be explored during EMS08; before the meeting, there will be a special study session on the socio-political implications of electroacoustic music, Composing Today. This meeting and the EMS08 event will be hosted by the GRM (which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary) and the University of Paris Sorbonne. It will last three days and concerts will be performed during the event featuring the Asian Network (EMSAN) track; on the weekend immediately following EMS08 there will also be two concerts in the annual GRM series at the Salle Olivier Messiaen at the French Radio.

Conference Committee:
- Marc BATTIER (MINT-OMF, Université de Paris-Sorbonne, France)
- Bruno BOSSIS (MINT-OMF, Université de Paris-Sorbonne, France)
- Leigh LANDY (MTI, De Montfort University, UK)
- Daniel TERUGGI (INA/GRM, Paris, France)
- Christian ZANESI (INA/GRM, Paris, France)

3-7 June, 2008 (Paris) - INA-GRMand University Paris-Sorbonne (Maison de la Recherche)

The EMS conference is organised yearly through the initiative of the Electroacoustic Music Studies Network, an international team which aims to encourage reflection on the better understanding of electroacoustic music and its genesis, its appearance and its development over the span of a century. The organisers are all engaged in the key areas of debate and actively seeking the development of solutions.

Thanks to a collaboration with ISAST (International Society for the Arts, Sciences and technology) and OLATS (Observatoire Leonardo des Arts et Technosciences), a Leonardo-EMS prize will be given to a selected communication of a young researcher for publication of his/her paper in Leonardo (MIT Press).

The 5th Conference will start in the afternoon of Tuesday, June 3 with a panel discussion (Composing Today, in French), registration and a presentation by the keynote speaker and conclude with concerts organised by GRM on Saturday, June 7th and Sunday, June 8th. The EMSAN track session (Asia Network) will take place at Sorbonne on June 5th. A concert of Chinese and Taiwanese electroacoustic music will take place on Friday, June 6th. Additional events may be announced later.