Announcements

NIME 2017

The 17th international conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) will take place 15–19 May 2017, in Copenhagen, Denmark, organized by the Sound and Music Computing Group at Aalborg University, Copenhagen. The conference will feature paper presentations, posters, musical performances, sound installations, demonstrations of original instruments and technologies, a number of specialist workshops, and “unconference” workshops targeted at general audiences. Papers and posters presented at NIME 2017 will cover original research on new interfaces for musical expression. A best paper award will be given by the paper committee for the top-rated paper appearing in the conference proceedings; the award includes publication in expanded form in a future issue of the Computer Music Journal. Demonstrations will show original instruments and technologies designed for use as new interfaces for musical expression, and will be considered for a best demonstration award.

NIME 2017 will also feature a range of concert performances and sound installations showcasing NIME ideas and technologies, including works based on research from paper and poster submissions. Some performances will feature resident musicians Figura (a Copenhagen-based new music ensemble), the Electronic Music Machines Musical Instruments ensemble, and flautist Margaret Lancaster. Concerts and sound installations will be presented at the Aalborg University campus and around Copenhagen. NIME workshops, spanning either a half day or full day, will target experienced practitioners, whereas “unconference” workshops lasting 1–3 hours are aimed at novices, individuals from other fields, and the general community.

The organizers have encouraged participants to extend, stretch, or challenge the NIME topics and themes, such as novel controllers, interfaces, or instruments for musical expression; novel technologies for collaborative performance; theoretical or philosophical discussions about performing with new interfaces; sensors, actuators, and haptic devices; explorations of the relationship between motion, gesture, and music; interfaces for musical expression for people with special needs; musical applications of robotics; new performance paradigms for mobile music technologies; embedded musical instruments and sound art installations; interface protocols and data formats; machine learning in musical performance; artistic, cultural, and social impact of NIME technology; and user studies and evaluations of new interfaces for musical expression.

Web: nime2017.wordpress.com

SMC 2017

The 2017 Sound and Music Computing (SMC) conference will be held 5–8 July 2017 at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, organized by the audio and acoustics researchers of Aalto University. The SMC Summer School will precede the conference from 1–4 July 2017. The conference will comprise a number of oral and poster presentations of research papers, concerts, and sonic artworks. The theme of the conference and Summer School is “Wave in Time and Space.” Scientific and artistic contributions to the conference will explore this theme through a variety of topics, such as analysis, synthesis, and modification of sound; automatic composition, accompaniment, and improvisation; computational musicology and mathematical music theory; computer music languages and software; interactive performance systems and new interfaces; music information retrieval; music games and educational tools; perception and cognition of sound and music; robotics and music; room acoustics modeling and auralization; social interaction in sound and music computing; soundscapes and environmental arts; and virtual reality applications and technologies for sound and music.

The conference organizers have called for live performances to respond creatively to the specific capabilities of new interfaces for music. This includes explorations of idiomatic writing for new musical instruments that engages the unique affordances of the instrument and its sonic, social, and spatial interactions. This call also extends to performances that go beyond simply demonstrating a new interface or instrument and that investigate the specific musical and expressive possibilities provided by sound and music computing technologies.

The SMC Summer School will focus on concert hall acoustics, geometric room acoustic modeling and artificial reverberation, parametric spatial audio processing, and alias-free virtual analog signal processing. Instruction in the Summer School will be provided by Tapio Lokki, Ville Pulkki, Jukka Pätynen, Lauri Savioja, and Vesa Välimäki, all of Aalto University.

Web: smc2017.aalto.fi