PROGRAM BOOKLET 2016
MUSIC & RESEARCH FESTIVAL 4-5 APRIL
School of Fine and Performing Arts
Zwijsenplein 1, 5038 TZ Tilburg, The Netherlands
CONTACT
FOREWORD
Welcome to the first edition of the Fontys Music & Research Festival! We are bringing inspiring musicians to our institute, musicians who connect their creative practice with innovation and research.
For more information about the festival and competition, please e-mail fhkmom@fontys.nl Visiting address Fontys University, School of Fine and Performing Arts - Master of Music Zwijsenplein 1 - 5038 TZ Tilburg The Netherlands Phone: + 31 (0) 885 077 744 E-mail: fhkmom@fontys.nl
There will be an international cast: percussionist Adilia Yip from Hong Kong, ensemble Quartas Paredes with video and live electronics from Portugal, Chilean composer Miguelangel Clerc, and many more guests. Fontys is also well-represented: professors Gert Keunen, Geert Callaert, and Raf Jansen will give presentations. Monday evening, ensemble FUSE, known from Podium Witteman and DWDD on Dutch national tv, will give a smashing evening concert. The concert and after-party are organized in close cooperation with student association CD-R. On Tuesday, you can listen to more exciting presentations and to our research competition, where the most promising artistic research projects on music will be awarded a prize. I wish you all a wonderful time at the festival! Sincerely,
Dr. Marlon Titre Head of Studies Master of Music Fontys University of Applied Sciences School of Fine and Performing Arts
4
APRIL
TIMETABLE MUZIEKZAAL OPEN 9:30 REFTER OPEN 11:30 KAREN NEERVOORT opening
10:15 - 10:30 muziekzaal
MICHIEL SCHUIJER the netherlands
10:30 - 11:00 muziekzaal
ADILIA YIP hong kong
11:00 - 11:45 muziekzaal
Q U A R TA S PA R E D E S portugal
11:45 - 12:30 muziekzaal
FA L K H Ăœ B N E R germany
11:45 - 12:30 refter
INTERMISSION untill 13:45 RAF JANSEN the netherlands
13:45 - 14:30 muziekzaal
TRIP TRIP TRIP TRIO colombia
14:30 - 15:15 muziekzaal
COFFEE BREAK untill 15:45 LIVING SCORES belgium
15:45 - 16:30 muziekzaal
MARINA LIONTOU-MOCHAMENT greece
16:30 - 17:15 muziekzaal
INTERMISSION untill 20:30 C O N C E R T: F U S E the netherlands
20:30 - 21:30 cenakel
A F T E R - PA R T Y with CD-R student assiociation
21:30 - 23:00 cenakel
TIMETABLE REFTER OPEN 10:00 B1.13 OPEN 14:00
COMPETITION
10:00 - 13:00 refter
INTERMISSION untill 14:00 GEERT CALLAERT belgium
14:00 - 14:45 refter
MIGUELANGEL CLERC chile
14:00 - 14:45 B1.13
GERT KEUNEN belgium
14:45 - 15:30 refter
L A U R A YO U N G canada
14:45 - 15:30 B1.13
AWA R D C E R E M O N Y
15:30 - 16:00 refter
CLOSING DRINKS
16:00 - 16:30 cenakel
5
APRIL
MONDAY 4 APRIL
ADILIA YIP
09:30
PERCUSSION
Registration muziekzaal
10:15 - 10:30
PhD candidate Assistant researcher at research group CORPoREAL Royal Conservatory Antwerp, Belgium Orpheus Institute, Gent, Belgium
The aim of this practice-based project is to svearch for new performance perspectives for the marimba (invented in 1910s) by inquiring into its African roots—the music tradition of the West African pentatonic balafon of the Bobo and Bamana tribe living in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Official opening by Karen Neervoort, Dean of Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts
10:30 - 11:00 muziekzaal
11:00 - 11:45 muziekzaal
MICHIEL SCHUIJER KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Head of Research & Study Leader of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory at the Amsterdam Conservatory The terms ‘practice’ and ‘theory’ are fuzzy qualifiers. They do not refer to something that is out there in the real world but are used to divide a range of human occupations. We conceive of them as the opposite sides of an axis about which to distribute the various relations that people can bear to a subject, a craft, a thing, or an event. But how do we know that we are on one side of the axis or the other when attending a class or performing a task? What are our criteria of distribution? The gist of my argument is that these criteria are not fixed and stable – nor are they necessarily coherent. I will show that they are subject to continuous negotiation. For we have not one perspective on the practice/theory axis, but many. And a change of perspective can move us about that axis, even while we continue with what we were doing.
Through a triangulation of research methodology—participant-observation (field studies and lessons with local musicians), literature (African ethnomusicology, philosophy, etc.) and artistic practice (analyses and experiments in music)—have produced important insights about the polyrhythmic balafon music in light of the embodiment of music. Some intermediate findings: firstly, largely due to oral tradition, the musical concepts like rhythm and melody are embodied in forms of bimanual (two-hand) coordination and spatial distance, rather than symbolic representation. Secondly, polyrhythm formulation has close connection to the body movement in daily activities. These qualitative results contribute to the production of new commissioned works for the marimba—the artistic outcomes of the project—to enrich the performing and compositional techniques of the marimba. Also, I investigate into the application of the balafon music practice in the Western contemporary music; for instance, an oral transmission approach is applied in the performance and rehearsal of a minimalism composition. In the history, composers and performers, e.g. Steve Reich and György Ligeti, have initiated music projects to adapt the African sonority to the Western contemporary music, but barely a work grows out of an inquiry into the embodied performance practice of the African genre. In this lecture-performance, I will perform two commissioned works (total 15 minutes): Sound Portrait V (2015) by Enric Riu and Prelude to the Universal History of the Voice Leading Practice-for 4 hands on marimba (2016) by Juan Marco Albarracín. Not only inspired by my balafon music experience, these new creations are results of the co-creation with the composers in various compositional discourses, like sensorial experience, graphical-movement score, history and interaction.
11:45 - 12:30 muziekzaal
Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo, Porto
QUARTAS PAREDES VOICE, VIDEO AND LIVE ELECTRONICS
Bruno Pereira: presence, voice Dimitris Andrikopoulos: music, live electronics Horácio Tomé-Marques: real-time image/video-manipulation Performance for presence, voice, music / live electronics and image manipulation Fourth Walls is a performative multidisciplinary art work that suggests an introspective and extrospective reflexion on the subject of anxiety, the linear and nonlinear perception of time and the perception of the physical space. Its conceptual approach is creating a two moments event, the performance event itself (real time performance) and, the installation (resonance of the performance) suggesting a synchronous and asynchronous experience of an art work . Fourth Walls is a collective creation by Bruno Pereira, Dimitris Andrikopoulos and Horácio Tomé-Marques.
WITH MUSIC THEATER PERFORMER MAARTEN ZAAGMAN
11:45 - 12:30 de refter
In this presentation Falk Hübner will provide an introduction to his doctoral research project, Shifting Identities, finished in 2013. The project is an artistic research investigating reductive approaches when working with musicians in the theatre. In most of the theatrical situations where musicians "perform", their profession is extended, which means that they not only sing or play their instruments, but also perform additional tasks such as walking on stage or reciting text. These diverse tasks, and the struggle and effort to perform them, result in the extension and transformation of the musician into a theatrical performer. As an alternative strategy to the use of new elements, reduction (or the reductive approach) introduces and focuses on an opposite approach: the subtracting of specific qualities or abilities of the musician's profession. The audience watches musicians not doing certain things they are used to, such as performing without instruments. Exactly through subtracting the instrument, but still using musical actions as performative material, it is possible to discover and develop new choreographic potentials within the musician's performance. The paper argues that through the reductive approach the visual and choreographic aspects of musical performance, or, more precise, of musical actions, may be enhanced. The concepts and ideas will be illustrated, enriched and made experienceable by live performing extracts of Falk Hübner's latest artistic work-in-progress, a solo for percussionist. The research is carried out by Hübner both as a researcher and as composer/director. This presentation will have the form of a lecture performance, in which the author as artist-researcher will collaborate with the performer of the piece, percussionist and music theater performer Maarten Zaagman.
keywords Performance, real-time / resonance, linear / non-linear, finite / non-finite, perception / cognition, emotions / vocal improvisation, free Improvisation
Head of Research Group Music and Performativity at RECEP Master of Music Research Supervisor at HKU University of the Arts
FALK HÜBNER MUSIC THEATER
13:45 - 14:30 muziekzaal Development never comes without struggle and therefore soon there were supporters and opponents when the introduction of the computer into the world of music production took place. For many, the computer was an outcome because of the relatively low cost compared to external sequencers / samplers / tape machines / mixers, but also the ease of use and rapid development of (new) software quickly led to many enthusiasts. Nevertheless, there were many who turned fiercely against the integration of the computer into the production process and often the failure in quality sound wise was a typical argument. The development of the computer has continued at a rapid pace and with a large group of people, the question now rises whether the drawbacks are still present today.
RAF JANSEN
GUITAR
14:30 - 15:15 muziekzaal
TRIP TRIP TRIP TRIO Camilo Giraldo César Quevedo Guillermo Bocanegra
MUSIC PRODUCTION Professor of Music Production, Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Rockacademie
Mixing is a very important part of music production and precisely at this point it turns out the opinions on the use of a computer are still the most divided. Working with an analog mixing desk, with many external hardware such as compressors and EQs, and even working without a computer and only use a tape recorder ("Out The Box") is still the best way to work for some. Nevertheless, lately you can see a shift: Where a number of highly respected producers / mixers clung to a so-called "Hybrid" situation (working with the computer mainly for "tracking" and "editing" and also using an analog mixing desk with the necessary external hardware) you now see more and more people switching to "In The Box" (complete work with a computer, without external equipment except for an AD / DA converter and speakers). Raf Jansen reflects on the research he did on this subject within the world of mixing. He talks about the pros and cons of the current commonly used methods: "In The Box", "Out The Box" and "Hybrid".
In 2008 Camilo, Guillermo and César met again and became trip trip trip trío. Their music is strongly influenced by the different approaches that each member has to music and guitar. They have released two different records: first one in 2012 (trip trip trip), and a second cd was released during 2014 (…que cosa tan seria). All works are either original compositions or arrangements by the trio. The third studio album will be finished this 2016 and will include most of the original trio works written during the last year. Trip trip trip have performed extensively during the last 6 years in Colombia. The trio’s name is inspired by a fantastic character in the novel called “Opio en las nubes” by colombian writer Rafael Chaparro Madiedo. http://www.triptriptriptrio.com The program is dedicated to colombian composers. All pieces were written after comissions, and other pieces were dedicated to the trio by the composer Camilo Giraldo. The sounds of Marimba de chonta (percussion instrument from colombian folk music by the pacific ocean area), minimalistic and rock/pop music by A. Zuluaga, and Giraldo’s compositions can be heard in the program.
LIVING SCORES CONTEMPORARY SCORING TOOLS
15:45 - 16:30 muziekzaal Tom de Cock, Vincent Caers LUCA-arts Lemmensinstituut KU Leuven Living Scores (LS) is an innovative approach to contemporary music. By detecting alternative strategies in both practice and performance, it aims at lowering the threshold for performers to tackle contemporary compositions and increasing the experience of this repertoire for both the on-stage musician as wel as for the audience The presentation at FHK Music & Research festival aims at exploring the LS Learn approach to the practice of contemporary music and how this approach naturally evolves into the next phase LS Live, which is part of the upcoming PhD Research. The conceptual framework is illustrated with practical examples of Loops II, a composition by Philippe Hurel. Learn The large diversity in compositional styles in contemporary music and its possibilities of applied technology, leads to very complex musical processes and ditto scores. This complexity and diversity requires a highly adapted and specialized approach in studying method, not only in its theoretical background, but especially in its practical application. LS Learn seeks to innovate the practice and performance of contemporary music by developing and improving the accessibility of tailor-made study trajectories in which LS Learn exploits technical possibilities. This is done through the development of specific tools which allow to integrate the results of analysis into the studying practice and by constructing a digital platform which presents the trajectories and accomplishes interaction between different performers. In this way LS Learn lowers the threshold to perform contemporary music for students and performers and leads to an innovative and interactive learning strategy for Schools of arts and Music Departments of Universities and a supporting platform for the current artistic practice. Living Scores Learn received support from the Flemish Government as an innovation project in the creative industries in 2014-15 and is currently part of the research environment at the Brussels Conservatory. Live LS Live assesses the on-stage performance of contemporary percussion music. This PhD-research, started in 2016 at LUCA-arts Lemmensinstituut and KU Leuven, investigates how repertoire-study might also generate the necessary knowledge to create an extended performance of the contemporary repertoire, and to which extent this can reinforce the concert-experience. Based on the theoretical and practical learning trajectory described in Learn in combination with current insights of cognition and perception theories, the research aims at detecting which elements of the artistic process in the composition are less perceptible in a pure auditive representation. These elements may be translated into non-auditive presentations (visual, spatial, sensitive, etc.) and added to the live performance, in such a way that the performer will direct these presentations similar to the way he is controlling the auditive presentation.
UD
MARINA LIONTOUMOCHAMENT
16:30 - 17:15 muziekzaal PhD Candidate, Orpheus Institute Ghent/Leiden University
This lecture-recital will present my work-in-progress on the subject of metric modal improvisation and modal composition. Considering improvisation and composition as two sides of the same coin, I am currently focusing on the creative influence of metric improvisation practice on compositional practice. Through researching, analyzing and decoding of improvisational practices in the field of modal improvisation in the wider area of the Mediterranean, I am configuring ways, tools and techniques that can provide material to ‘enhance inspiration’ in compositional practice. The proposed lecture – performance will demonstrate the above process. Starting with the performance of what now is one of my finished works. I will ‘de-compose it’, showing the step-by-step process and the influence of the improvisation practice that led me to the work, depicting through the medium of performance the symbiotic relationship and the iterative process that inextricably connect improvisation and composition practices. Finally, I aim this way to raise a fruitful discussion on the role and the influence of improvisation on composition practice in contemporary modal music.
“Enhancing inspiration: Metric modal improvisation as a tool for composition in contemporary modal music”
Contemporary modal music is also a newly introduced term by Ross Daly. As Ross Daly himself points out however, Contemporary Modal Music is not defined by specific ethnic or geographical characteristics, nor is it merely an updated variation of regional traditional music. It is a living contemporary art, relevant to musicians and audiences of any origin, which strives to bridge the timeless, archetypal, and sacred dimension of the world's modal musical traditions with the quest for meaningful musical experience of the contemporary listener (www.rossdaly.gr accessed 01/04/2015)
ENSEMBLE
20:30 - 21:30 cenakel
TUESDAY 5 APRIL 10:00 - 13:00 REFTER research competition
With their bold approach to string music and a matching stage presence, Fuse rapidly became a one-to-watch formation on the cutting edge of Dutch musical life. They performed over 120 shows in nearly two years, at a wide range of stages such as The Rijksmuseum, Vredenburg, Paradiso, at The Concertgebouw Tracks series, Classical:Next 2015, Buma Classical Convention and in clubs, churches, concert halls and living rooms all over the Netherlands. In 2015, Fuse is a regular guest on TV show ‘Podium Witteman’, they performed on popular daily talkshow ’De Wereld Draait Door’, featured on Radio 1, 2, 4 and 6, composed the leader-music for TV show ’Opium’ and recorded strings for DJ-superstar Oliver Heldens. Starting September 2015, Fuse will regularly appear on the second season of ’Podium Witteman’ and noteworthy performances include SAIL Amsterdam, Norton Wine concert series and the Canal Festival. The 6 young professional musicians with backgrounds equally in classical and jazz music, have shown outstanding instrumental and artistic talent combined with a modern, entrepreneurial attitude. Their diverse repertoire ranges from the rhythmic music of Bartók, Frank Zappa and Dave Brubeck to works by Coltrane, Nils Frahm and Claude Chalhoub. Fuse’ unusual line up, a string quartet with double bass and percussion, enables them to develop a unique melting pot of styles and genres. Their approach results in a qualitative and sincere crossover experience.
Daniel van Dalen percussion
Mascha van Nieuwkerk cello
Adriaan Breunis viola
Emma van der Schalie violin
Julia Philippens violin
Tobias Nijboer double bass
21:30 CENAKEL After-party with CD-R student association
RESEARCH COMPETITION The jury, consisting of guest speakers at the festival, will award two prizes: First Prize: € 1000,Second Prize: € 500,On the second day of the festival we organize a research competition, where selected students from inside and outside Fontys give a presentation of their research project. The two most promising projects receive a money prize. The research competition is open to students who are currently enrolled in a Master of Music program, either in the Netherlands or abroad. Students may submit a research project they are currently working on within the framework of their studies. Participants accepted to participate in the final round are asked to prepare a presentation of 15 minutes and to allow for 5-10 additional minutes for questions/discussions afterwards. The presentation may include the performance of musical examples or compositions. Each judge will evaluate proposals and presentations on a number of criteria, including: • Originality • Strength of integration of artistic practice and research • Relevance to the artistic profession • Strength of argumentation
14:00 - 14:45 refter
14:00 - 14:45 B1.13
MIGUELANGEL CLERC
COMPOSITION
PhD graduate, Leiden University/Orpheus Institute
Lemmens Institute The spectral piano The spectral piano discusses an important issue of spectral performance: the quest for a method how to organize any string playing inside the piano. After a short introduction into the history of spectral composition itself and an overview of the repertoire string related extended techniques are demonstrated and through introspection a general method for studying and performance is worked out.
GEERT CALLAERT PIANO
Looping: music composition as an analogy of artistic research The composer Horacio Vaggione describes the compositional process as a constant switching between composing and reflection-through-listening, therefore as an action/perception feedback loop. Departing from Vaggione’s argument I will discuss how this feedback loop mechanism resembles the relation between academic research and artistic practice. The musical works and the written outcomes within an artistic research project have a continuous and mutual-transformative relation. I will argue that this relation leads to an unending loop which generates new academic outcomes and compositions. To exemplify this I will describe the composition/research process of my piece A Bao A Qu (2012) for ensemble and demonstrate how this process led to the creation of a new composition and to a further development and branching out of the initial research subject. To close my presentation, I will present the resulting composition titled Isolation VI (2015) which is a musicalized animation of Francis Bacon’s painting Head VI (1949).
14:45 - 15:30 refter
GERT KEUNEN ALTERNATIVE MAINSTREAM Professor, Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Rockacademie Selection processes and the value of art case study: Alternative mainstream – Between aesthetics and big business In popular music a distinction is being made between pop and rock: the latter being the ‘serious’ kind of pop music where a certain folk sensibility should make the difference with the commercialism of pop. In a recent study I introduced the term ‘alternative mainstream’ to describe and actualize this. In popular music studies we often find the terms ‘mainstream’ and ‘underground’, but the exact meaning of those terms is unclear. In my opinion ‘mainstream’ is the music which is accessible to a large audience and all over the place (in the charts, on television, at railway stations, etc.), while ‘underground’ consists of separate scenes (like hip hop, techno, punk, metal, etc.), each with its own culture, values and infrastructure (venues, labels, magazines, etc.), and which are unknown to most people expect from those who take the effort to get to know them. The alternative mainstream is situated in between those two: it’s music which refers to the underground as being ‘authentic’ and ‘non-commercial’, while it’s a form of mainstream-culture anyway. Perception is crucial here: the alternative mainstream thinks of itself as alternative, wants to be ‘credible’. It’s the area of the ‘music lover’ (the one who reads the music press, goes to concerts and festivals, etc.), music that is selected by the most important national players/gatekeepers in the music circuit (NME and BBC in England for instance). This model is more than a theory; it is useful to describe musical careers. An artist can start in a specific underground scene and can be discovered by ‘opinion leaders’ on the Internet. Other players in the national media and industry can follow and push the artist in the alternative mainstream and sometimes even into the mainstream. But when the attention stops the artist can be forced to go underground again. Interesting to look at (and that’s the main focus in this study) is how selections in the alternative mainstream are being made. These are the result of – and a pragmatic interaction between – individual, organizational and positional logics, the result of artistic, economical and social choices. But these selections are always legitimized by referring to the music itself. The business-side of the music industry is always countered by the romanticism of the personal taste.
GUITAR
LAURA YOUNG
14:45 - 15:30 B1.13 Professor of Guitar, Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst “Mozarteum” Salzburg Max Reger's solo cello and violin suites, sonatas and his preludes and fugues for the classical guitar: transcribed, performed, published and recorded. I am investigating how bowed string technique on the violin and cello can be used to broaden the expressive possibilities in current performance practice on the classical guitar using selected works from Max Reger's vast solo string repertoire to demonstrate how and why. I will examine articulation and sound production on the guitar with an emphasis on musical elements such as vibrato, legato and sustain etc. The results would be demonstrated in a series of concert lectures, 1 CD and the publication of the transcribed scores. Because of their substantial depth, length and beauty, the 2 cello suites, sonata opus 42 for solo violin and the preludes and fugues for violin by Max Reger would be very welcome additions to the classical guitar repertoire.
15:30 Award ceremony refter
16:00 Closing drinks cenakel
NOTES
DESIGNED BY FLORE DE GUNST & HELEEN VAN GEELEN