An upcoming electro-acoustic concert series at Rutgers University—Camden will introduce audiences to a whole new kind of listening experience.
“This is not ‘music’ in the traditionally accepted sense, but certainly an exploration of sound through the use of various kinds of computer processes,” says Mark Zaki, who directs the Rutgers Electro-Acoustic Lab (REAL) at Rutgers–Camden. “One of the most salient characteristics of this type of music is the fact that the sounds are largely ‘acousmatic’ in nature. Meaning the listener isn’t aware of the source behind the sound.” For instance, there might not be a visual link to a sound created, including an actual performer.
This past fall the REAL facility opened, offering Rutgers–Camden students access to two recording studios equipped with cutting-edge music and audio production technologies, as well as the capabilities to create post-production scoring for film and television.
“What REAL can do is open up a door to music composition through electronic music, which is a field that most students already are comfortable with on some level,” adds Zaki, an assistant professor of music at Rutgers–Camden. “REAL also gives students technical skills and knowledge that they can take with them into a variety of fields, from recording to gaming.”
Zaki says the concert series, which starts next week, might take audience members out of their comfort zones, but that might be a start to sharper listening skills.
“If one listens to electro-acoustic music with traditional ears, like listening for the tune, they might be disappointed. But in this world, composers hold up a sound as if it were a physical object and say, ‘hey, let’s look at this.’ The electro-acoustic experience is a different approach to sound, but eventually you will start to hear all kinds of new things.”
The free, public series begins at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, when electronic music composer Joo Won Park, an assistant professor of music at the Community College of Philadelphia, demonstrates how to use the text-based digital signal processing software SuperCollider and offers a real-time performance. This free concert will take place in the Stedman Gallery.
At 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, Zaki will present “Electric Café: Soundscapes and Ambient Travels.” This free concert will take place in the Stedman Gallery.
At 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29, the “New Music from Rutgers” concert will showcase original music by Rutgers–Camden student and faculty composers. Zaki will direct the performance, which will take place in the Mallery Room.
A graduate of Rutgers and Princeton Universities, Zaki joined the Rutgers–Camden faculty in 2008. Prior to joining the Camden Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, he taught music composition at the University of California at Irvine. The Rutgers–Camden composer has worked on more than 50 films, TV programs, theater, and other projects, including writing an original score for the PBS documentary “The Political Dr. Seuss,” which was nominated for a Peabody Award.
Both the Stedman Gallery and Mallery Room, which is accessible on the second floor, are located in the Fine Arts Complex on Third Street, between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge on the Rutgers–Camden Campus.
More information about the Rutgers Electro-Acoustic Lab is available at finearts.camden.rutgers.edu/REAL.php.
For directions to Rutgers–Camden, visit camden.rutgers.edu.
Media Contact: Cathy K. Donovan
(856) 225-6627
E-mail: catkarm@camden.rutgers.edu