BFA Simon Fraser, MA Wesleyan, Mus. Doc Toronto

Originally from Canada, I joined the Department of Music in 2004 as a lecturer. My administrative responsibilities include being Director of the Electroacoustic Studios, and serving as a coordinator for COMPASS, the department’s Centre for Composition and Associated Studies.

I regularly teach on both undergraduate and postgraduate syllabuses with a specific focus on music composition and live electroacoustic music. I also teach other subjects, such as experimental music, and on occasion lead the University New Music Ensemble. I'm involved with BEAST, our 100 loudspeaker electronic music presentation system, and BEER (Birmingham Ensemble for Electroacoustic Research) our postgraduate laptop group.

I am happy to supervise students interested in instrumental and/or electroacoustic composition, particularly those interested in realtime computer music environments such as SuperCollider, audio spatialisation, multimedia,  mixed instrumental/electroacoustic works, laptop ensemble performance, network music and live coding. I can also supervise ‘technical’ projects where appropriate.

Find out more - our Music postgraduate study  page has information about doctoral research at the University of Birmingham.

As a composer my research focuses on musical composition for both acoustic instruments and electroacoustic resources. I have a particular interest in real-time interactive computer systems, mixed media pieces, and works mixing electroacoustics and live performers. I am also involved in research to develop flexible and idiosyncratic systems for audio spatialisation and am active in the development community of SuperCollider, a DSP and audio synthesis programming language. I was the lead editor of The SuperCollider Book, published in 2011 by MIT Press.

Further information about my research and my career can be found on my personal site.

Research group(s)

As part of my research and the Department’s focuses on Composition and Electroacoustic music, I work closely with staff and postgraduate researchers within COMPASS. This involves many external concerts and performances (with BEAST and the New Music Ensemble), and the ongoing development and refinement of BEAST’s systems for multichannel audio spatialisation (the BEASTmulch project). I direct the Department's laptop ensemble BEER (the Birmingham Ensemble for Electroacoustic Research).

Performances

My compositions have been presented internationally (Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, NewZealand, Japan, etc.) with notable performances at the Huddersfield Festival, ZKMusikFest, the Open Ears Festival, the Synthèse festival in Bourges, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada, and elsewhere. They have been broadcast on CBC Radio, the BBC, and Radio France.

I also have an active interest in traditional Irish music, and in the performance of Javanese gamelan music.

Further information and examples of my work are available at http://scottwilson.ca