For 2012, please see HERE;

For 2011, please see HERE;

For 2010, please see HERE;

For 2009, please see HERE; site construction began June 2, 2009.

From "News"; archived 22-12-2013

SEMINAR: December 19, 2013 3:15-5 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense       Human Interaction with Wavelengths in Sound and Light: A Look at the Culture of the Sufi Tradition   Mary L. Tuck, currently in the MA Ethnomusicology program at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. (Via Skype)   Abstract: Music making is a decidedly human practice, and in comparing musical traditions, researchers find correlations with our psychological and biological responses to physical events in our environment. What happens when humans produce and experience wavelengths in a cultural event, specifically those in sound and light?   In a multidisciplinary exploration, my ethnomusicological analysis will consider potential human universals that come together in various traditions. The shared experience of what a culture holds as sacred can be revealing to what makes us human, and why we do what we do. Music is an evolving partner in the growth of this knowledge. Today, we will look at the science behind our biology and psychology of perception and consider the altered consciousness states of Sufi whirling practice. In this unique combination of movement and music we can learn something about how wavelengths created by sound and light can correlate in our bodies and minds.   Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skype is also welcome.     Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound   FALL 2013   Seminar Series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound.   The seminar series takes place this fall on Thursday afternoons from 3:15 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. local Danish time in U73 at The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) at Odense, and participation via Skype is always welcome.   Lunchtime Concert Series: Lunchtime Concerts are scheduled for the following Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at various venues on the SDU campus in Odense: September 12, October 10, November 7, November 21 and December 12.     For information about summer 2013 activities that were associated with The Aesthetics of Music and Sound - www.soundmusicresearch.org - Cross-Disciplinary Interplay between the Humanities, Technology and Musical Practice, please see our associated site for NNIMIPA: Nordic Network for the Integration of Music Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics at www.nnimipa.org.     Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

From "News"; archived 16-12-2013

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound     LUNCHTIME CONCERT AND SEMINAR December 12, 2013 - University of Southern Denmark-Odense     LUNCHTIME CONCERT: December 12, 2013 12 noon - 1:00 p.m. in The Winter Garden NU ER DET JUL (CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE)     Program available HERE. Poster available HERE.     SEMINAR: December 12, 2013 3:15-5 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense     The Search for the Autonomous Creative Composer Mikkel Snorre Wilms Boysen Associate professor, University College Zealand, Denmark Cand. mag and Master from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aarhus; PhD student at the University of Southern Denmark. Composer, musician and writer of articles about music, creativity and philosophy. Areas of research: Creativity, music, technology and pedagogy Abstract :Often, contemporary music basically consists of a mixture of various types of pre-produced musical material. Accordingly, the compositional process is most of all characterized by selection among different fragments and options of combinations. Consequently, creative work does not necessarily require traditional musical experience in terms of knowledge about orchestration, harmony etc. The composer simply tries out different sounds and combinations before finally making a choice based on his/hers idiosyncratic taste and artistic vision. As a result, traditional notions of the composer’s autonomy are challenged. Where is the musical idea born, if the composer primarily chooses between existing musical materiel? In the presentation, references will be made to several case studies involving children, young people, and adults making music by using computers. The theoretical framework will be provided partly by Actor-Network Theory, and the subsequent conceptualisation of technology as a significant non-human actor. Finally, the presentation will involve a discussion of basic questions regarding musical originality, value, reception, and interpretation. Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skype is also welcome     Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

From "News"; archived 02-12-2013

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound     SEMINAR November 28, 2013 3:15-5 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense   Audiovisual Relationships in VJing (Live Video-Musical-Performance)   Lau Lindquist, Master's degree in Performance Design and Philosophy from Roskilde University and VJ teacher at Engelsholm Folk High School.   Abstract: During my nine years of practice as a VJ - a live video performance artist - I have explored the relations between music and video in live performance. Instead of playing music instruments, I use electronic video production equipment to make real-time images at concerts. On a technical level this is very similar to TV production; on a practical level it is more comparable to playing electronic music. The final result is a type of video art, which is structured in conjunction to music, that can take the form of a narrative as in film, but more often develops other forms over the course of the performance. In some senses it can be compared to dance, TV, poetry, abstract painting and concert lighting among other endeavors. In this field of practice it has become increasingly evident to me that there is a gap in the knowledge about how the music and video relate to each other. Often VJs assert that the videoimages relate to music, but what are these relations? Exactly what in the moving images relates to the elements in the music and performance?   Using a mix of Peircean Semiotics, Conceptual Metaphor, Film Music Studies and Performance Studies I have developed an analytical model, which highlights different types of relations, and define some of the most common types of correlations between video and music.   As a practitioner I am familiar with the technical, practical dimensions of the field. This presentation is an attempt to explain what happens on a semiotic level.   This presentation contains streamed audiovisual examples, so a good Internet connection is preferable for long distance participation.   Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skype is also welcome   Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

From "News"; archived 23-11-2013

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound     LUNCHTIME CONCERT AND SEMINAR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013 CONCERT   Concert program available HERE. Concert poster available HERE.     SEMINAR November 21, 2013 3:15-5 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense     Mobile Video as a Tool for Music Education   Mika Sihvonen, Senior Researcher in The School of Information Sciences, University of Tampere. Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology, Lic.Phil in Music Education. University of Tampere Coordinator for NNIMIPA (Nordic Network for the Integration of Music Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics).   Via Skype.   Abstract: Analysis of music students' movements and gestures, such as finger positions, has always been an important part of the work of a music teacher. Mistakes in fingering or wrong body position are easy to spot and show to the student by means of a video clip. In addition, the terabytes of video resources on the internet can be helpful when studying how to play or sing. With regard to artistic development, young students might imitate the body gestures of their idols or study playing technique in a very detailed way. The instructional video has a relatively long tradition within music education technology and it has been usually been associated with robust main frame computers and professional video equipment. Today's mobile devices, however - such the smart phone and the tablet PC - might show themselves to be very useful tools in music teaching and learning. After recording a video clip with a modern mobile device, the clip can be used in many ways with regard to music learning, music teaching or participation in music culture. In this presentation I present several methods for utilizing mobile video as a tool for music learning. The significance of the video expression can be multifaceted with regard to the students’ or teachers’ musical comprehension. We can use it as a merely instructional tool or as a source of inspiration. Video utilized in a networked file format poses yet another challenge for music schools - when recording, sharing, storing and editing live shows. Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skype is also welcome       Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

From "News"; archived 16-11-2013

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound     SEMINAR November 14, 2013 4:15-6 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense   Thursday, November 14, 2013, 4:15-6 p.m. in U73. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN TIME TO ONE HOUR LATER. THIS IS DUE TO THE ANNUAL UNIVERSITY-WIDE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN ACADEMY LECTURE BEING HELD AT 3:00 P.M. in U45: TALES OF A MINSTREL GENETICIST WITH PROFESSOR MARY-CLAIRE KING, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. Music of the Visible   Søren Schauser, Educated as a violinist and music historian; holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Southern Denmark. Works as a cultural journalist and music critic for the newspaper Berlingske in Copenhagen.   Via Skype.   Abstract: One of the most intriguing disciplines in musicology is the analysis of works where central aspects of their form remain more og less hidden to the ear - but open to the eyes. The phenomenon has played an important role throughout the history of music - from the use of plainsong as a structural skeleton in Medieval times to Augenmusik in Baroque music and then on to several traditions is the 20th Century. I will show some of the most famous examples and share some thoughts on the principle in works by Mozart and Tchaikovsky.   Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skpe is also welcome   Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound   LUNCHTIME CONCERT AND SEMINAR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013 CONCERT   Concert program available HERE. Concert poster available HERE.     SEMINAR November 7, 2013 3:15-5 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense   ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 7 - POSTPONED UNTIL A LATER DATE . . .   Choral Capital and Choral Identity in the Academic Context: The Oxford Choral Scholars   Sigrún Lilja Einarsdóttir, Assistant professor, Bifröst University, Iceland.NNIMIPA Coordinator, Bifröst University, Iceland   Abstract: This paper presents a prospective socio-musical study on the historic choral tradition of Oxford college choirs in a wide context. The aim of this research will be to observe the social structures, choral capital and choral identity of selected Oxford college choirs, with special emphasis on the Oxford choral scholars. The research approach consists of a multiple-case study, where the choice of 3-4 college choirs will be based on a background analysis as well as the existing historical literature on the Oxford choral tradition. This paper will thus give a short overview of the ‘state-of-the-art’ of Oxford college choirs and introduce the prospective design of the research project itself. Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skype is also welcome.   . . . SO WE MADE AN ON-THE-SPOT SUBSTITUTION:   A Presentation of Recent International Conference Activity of Interest to Participants in Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound   Cynthia M. Grund, Associate Professor, Philosophy; Institute for the Study of Culture; University of Southern Denmark.   Abstract: Due to a severe attack of Icelandic influenza, our originally scheduled speaker, Sigrún Lilja Einarsdóttir, was obliged to cancel. We look forward to hearing from Sigrún at a later date! Meanwhile, since a group had assembled in U73 at SDU-Odense and on Skype, we soldiered forth nonetheless. Cynthia had had the good fortune to have been rather conference-active in October-November, so the seminar ended up as a presentation of what she had experienced at   (1) The NNIMIPA(Nordic Network for the Integration of Music Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics) satellite session - Music, Movement and the Brain - on October 14, 2013 in conjunction with The 10th International Symposium on Computer Music Multidisciplinary Research (CMMR), themed Sound, Music and Motion, October 15-18, 2013 (please see http://www.nnimipa.org/marseille2013.html  and http://youtu.be/U9DYVvyDA0k   (2) The CMMR symposium itself (please see CMMR2013 Proceedings(185.5 Mo) and http://youtu.be/U9DYVvyDA0k, and   (3) The 71st annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, October 30-November 2, 2013 (please see http://aesthetics-online.org/annual/2013p.pdf).   A lot of interesting discussion was forthcoming from the on-site and Skype audiences!   Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

From "News"; archived 02-11-2013

The Aesthetics of Music and Sound   LUNCHTIME CONCERT AND SEMINAR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013 CONCERT   Concert program available HERE. Concert poster available HERE.           Seminar October 10, 2013 3:15-5 p.m. in U73 University of Southern Denmark-Odense     Kierkegaard, Music and Truth   Christian Verdoner Larsen, Cand. mag./Master in the History of Ideas and BA in Classical Piano.   Abstract: Music is ’sound art’ – that should be self-evident, or shouldn't it? But historically this conception of music is fairly new. From the ancient Greeks, throughout the Christian Middle Ages and until only a couple of hundred years ago, humanly produced sound art was only considered a small part of the music in (and outside) the world. This means that human sound art was viewed from a very wide perspective, where it somehow related to the music of the universe, the music of body and soul, or the music of the heavenly angels. In modern times, of course, this wide perspective has been narrowed, and at least theoretically we no longer think of sound art as referring to a strictly pre-artificial musical reality. Music is autonomous. It can eventually be seen in context of something non- or extra-musical, but essentially music is an art, and exists only as a human creation. This modern understanding of music is considered self-evident in modern musicology, but historically it has caused immense problems for the creative artists who have taken it seriously. These problems have been investigated by T.W. Adorno and others, but already in 1843, in his pseudonymous text on music “The Immediate Erotic Stages or the Musical Erotic”, Kierkegaard staged the death of the musical world-understanding and consequently of musical truth. This resulted in music now being only possible as entertainment and distraction. My seminar will focus on Kierkegaard’s dooming of the musical to a painful death – only to be able to criticize his idea of music by contrasting it with the musical metaphysics of the Danish philosopher and theologian K. E. Løgstrup. Arguably, a criticism of Kierkegaard’s understanding of music can function not only as an opening towards a criticism of the modern understanding of music – it also results in a criticism of Kierkegaard’s epistemology.   Poster for the seminar available HERE.   Audience participation via Skype is also welcome   Schedule for series Topics in the Aesthetics of Music and Sound Schedule for Lunchtime Concert Series

From "Updates"; archived 05-10-2013