NIME

Guest lecture: Dan Trueman

Time: Wednesday 8. October kl 10.00 – 12.00
Location: Auditoriet, Norges musikkhøgskole

Title: The laptop as instrument
Lecturer: Dan Trueman, Princeton University

Abstract: The laptop orchestra presents a number of fascinating technical and musical challenges. Among them: what kinds of sounds can we create? how can we physically “control” these sounds? how do we compose with these sounds? how do we organize a dozen or more players in this context? with a conductor? via a wireless network? In this lecture, I will discuss our experiences with these questions in the context of the Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk). In particular, I will talk about speaker design, networking approaches, physicality and performance with laptops, and I will also share some of the music we have made over the past three years.

Bio: Dan Trueman is a composer and performer, based outside New York City. He is a student of traditional Hardanger fiddle music, and also composes new music for the instrument. His experiences with traditional instruments inform his work with digital performance technologies; he is co-founder and director of the Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk), the first such ensemble of its size and kind. He also composes for conventional ensembles and orchestra. Dan is an Associate Professor of Music at Princeton University.