UWS
1 June 2006
No. pages: 2
Dynamic Australian music duo to headline
international concert at Pompidou
Acclaimed contemporary musicians Professor Michael Atherton and Dr Garth Paine from the University of Western Sydney, have been selected as one of 20 acts to perform at an international conference to be held at the Pompidou Arts Centre, Paris from 4 to 6 June.
Professor Atherton and Dr Paine, who form the new ensemble ‘SynC’, were selected from a competitive pool of 200 performers to present their innovative work called ‘BowlChant’ which features Tibetan singing bowls, small bells, ancient gongs and real-time computer manipulations.
The performance will be witnessed by musicians and researchers from around the globe who will be gathering to share their knowledge and latest innovations in musical interface design and musical expression as part of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME 06).
Dr Paine has gained an international reputation as one of the major players changing the face of electronic music in the twentieth century. He is a leader in the area of interactive sound works and has been commissioned extensively in Australia the United Kingdom and Germany, producing original compositions and sound designs for over 30 film, theatre, and installation works in the last ten years.
As a performer, composer & musicologist, Professor Atherton has made a sustained contribution to Australian music over many years, unique in its breadth and originality. His creative output is not limited to a single genre or style and he is also an accomplished composer for screen, radio and theatre.
According to Dr Paine being given the opportunity to perform in front of ‘mould-breaking’ musicians and scientists from academic and industrial labs in the United States, Europe and Asia is a unique experience.
“It’s quite an honour to be asked to perform our composition in front of some of the world’s leading artists, scientists and technologists. It will certainly provide us with the chance to gain some serious international exposure for our work,� says Dr Paine.
“The conference represents a flourishing scene of interface and instrument makers, research labs, and computer music institutions and the fusion between the different perspectives provides a great chance to develop some new ideas.�
Dr Paine says interest in electronic musical instruments and new approaches to generating and processing sound has grown dramatically.
“The NIME conference began five years ago as a workshop for about 15 people and it has now grown into a full-blown international conference,� he says.
“Thanks to the developments in computing along with new technologies, musicians are able to explore and exhibit sound like never before.�
To listen to the track ‘BowlChant’ which will be performed at NIME06, Centre Pompidou, Paris go to: http://www.syncsonics.com/music/BowlChant.html
Contact:
Lynda McKewen
Senior Media Officer
Office of Media & Communication
University of Western Sydney
Ph: (02) 9678 7085
M: 0404 016 236
. The dynamic change of space made for some very special spatialisation effects as the instrumentalists slowly moved behind the walls from one end of the space to the other.