Flat Studio – coming soon to a faculty near you!
New computer music studio helps students explore the potential of modern composition
Morgan Modjeski, staff
The University of Manitoba will soon be one of the few institutes in Canada and the only institute in Manitoba to have a Flat Studio said, Orjan Sanred, associate professor in the faculty of music and computer-assisted composer.
The Flat Studio is a computer music studio (CMS); these studios help a composer create new and original music using contemporary composition methods and creative technology.
“Music and technology is not a new combination. If we talk about technology in general, music has depended on technology as long as we have built music instruments,” Sanred explained.
Sanred’s research, involving contemporary music and technology, was the sole reason for the Flat Studio being installed at the U of M.
According to the Flat Studio home page, “Production of new music is the most prominent activity at Studio FLAT. The most obvious collaboration is with performers from the Faculty of Music in the creation of compositions for instruments and loud speakers.”
Vanessa Unrau, vice-stick of the Faculty of Music Student Association, recently said, “Flat Studio will draw a lot of attention to the faculty of music from people outside of the U of M.” In addition, she said, “The new studio will also bring more funding for the faculty, maybe even lead to some new facilities.”
The Flat Studio is the first CMS in Manitoba and one of the few that are participating in research. “A few places in Canada have studios for computer music, but they are rarely involved in research. In Studio Flat, I want to combine production of contemporary music with research in methods for composing music,” said Sanred.
The Flat Studio will also be contributing to three music courses provided by the faculty of music that are centred on the study of music with the assistance of technology. The three classes are Electroacoustics, Interactive Computer Music, and Computer-Assisted Composition.
According to Sanred, the new developments with Studio Flat will take music to exciting new heights. “It will give students the opportunity to discover contemporary techniques in music. For the faculty, new projects involving music technology are possible. These types of advanced computer music projects have not been possible in Manitoba before.”
Sanred believes that in a world where music is constantly changing, computer technology is one of the only ways modern composers will be able to adapt suitably.
“The new initiative at the University of Manitoba will let us go deep into how computer technology can be used in contemporary music: for composers when they compose music, for performers when they perform contemporary pieces that include computer technology in the performance. Computer music is part of the program (especially for composers). The activities will also contribute to research and discovery of new ways of relating to music today.”
The contributors are the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund (MRIF). The budget is approximately C$220,000. The grants are research-related.
