Electroacoustic Music Studies Asia Network [EMSAN]

EMSAN is a research project initiated by the MINT research unit (Observatoire musical français). It was started in 2006.

NEXT EVENTS

A Mailing list has been set up as an outcome of the CEMC/EMSAN Day in Beijing. It will be a link between researchers interested in electroacoustic music in East Asia.

To subscribe, please go to the emsan-L page and create a login and password for yourself, go to the page :

mailman.ucalgary.ca/mailman/listinfo/emsan-l

We are looking forward to seeing you on the mailing list.

EMSAN has co-organized a conference day during the MusicAcoustica Festival with the China Electronic Music Center (CEMC). The CEMC-EMSAN day will be held on October 28th, 2008, Beijing, Central Conservatory of Music. Details :

CEMC/EMSAN DAY, Beijing, Octobre 28, 2008

Call for papers and panel discussion, and information :

— EMSAN Day at MusicAcoustica (MusicAcoustica page)

— CEMC/EMSAN Day (MINT page)

EMSAN is organizing a conference day under the auspices of KEAMS (Korean Electro-Acoustic Music Society) for the purpose of discussing the implementation of an EMSAN team, as well as a LABS team (Leonardo Abstracts). It has been held in Seoul on November 11, 2008.

Presentation of EMSAN

Goals and Scope of EMSAN
The Network aims at creating a body of musicological studies of the musical repertoire and musical practices within its areas of expertise : musical creation in the twentieth century, when the music has called for audio technology. This encompasses all the electroacooustic music in the conventional sense as well as computer music, audio art, electronic music, sound poetry, installations, etc.

The main goal is to conduct a vast project on electroacoustic music and music technology in East Asia, and is composed of 3 main areas.

Database

• A comprehensive database, geared towards the inventory and documentation of the musical repertory of electroacoustic and computer music from East Asia in the twentieth century.

Knowledge base

• Search among the materials kept in the repository will be conducted through a knowledge base (bibliographies, hyper-links, program notes, manuals, grey literature, reports....).

Repositories

• Materials, documentation records and miscellaneous musical data and media will be identified, collected and retrieved, stored and preserved in repositories, in France or in the participating Asian countries.

Structure
Within the partnership are gathered scholars from various fields : musicologists, ethnomusicologists, composers, technosciences experts, computer scientists. The project involves several doctoral students from Asia and from France. Because it s network, each country has its own team and team leader which is selected solely by the country team. The French team is headed by the director of an academic research unit, MINT-OMF (EA206, university Paris-Sorbonne).

The Network has its central node at the Sorbonne in Paris. It is instigated by the MINT (Musicologie, informatique et nouvelles technologies, M. Battier, director).
It is structured as a partnership network with partners and advisers in each country of the studies area as well as from other countries in which researchers are willing to collaborate.
One of the goals is the creation and development of a comprehensive database. The database will be composed of information in all relevant languages and scripts : French, English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, Korean, etc. The database will give access to comprehensive information on composers, pieces composed, technology used, musical instruments, terminology and other data which are relevant to musicological purposes. It will also include or point towards iconography, sound files, and full texts.

The scope of the endavour is wide because no such project exists so far. Historical and political questions have prevented any of the countries and regions from East Asia to undertake such a project. However, researchers from East Asia have shown interest in this project and several scholars are willing to take an active part in it. The project will help preserve the memory of an important part of the world heritage at the onset of new forms of musical practice and performance.

Participating Asian partners

• China
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Taiwan

Initiatives

• EMSAN meeting at the EMS conference, Leicester (UK), June 2007.

• Workshop in Taipei and Tainan funded by the French-Taiwan Orchid program. Participants from the French team : Apollinaire Anakesa, Marc Battier, Chen Hui-Mei, François Picard. September 2007.
• EMSAN track during the EMS08 conference, Paris, June 2008.

• EMSAN TRACK, EMS08 CONFERENCE — Electroacoustic Music Studies Network, JUNE 3-7, PARIS. See :
  Additional information EMS08 :
  ems-network.org/EMS08

• The EMSAN concert has taken place on June 6 at Salle Olivier Messiaen, Maison de Radio France, Paris, with the GRM Acousmonium.
• EMSAN concert of music from China and Taiwan, Paris, June 2008.

• CEMC/EMSAN Symposium Day, 24 octobre 2008,organized by M. Battier and Zhang Xiaofu, Musicacoustica Festival, China Millenium Monument, Beijing, China.

• EMSAN/LABs Conference, 11 novembre 2008, SICMF Festival, Seoul, South Korea. Panelists : Doojin Ahn (Hanseo Univ.), Marc Battier (Paris Sorbonne Univ.), Unjung Nam (Baekseok Univ.), Tae Hong Park (Tulane Univ., chair), Sungah Shin (Baekseok Univ.), Woon Seung Yeo (KAIST).