International Colloquium of the Department of Musicology of the University of Fribourg, 7-8 October 2022

Scientific direction: PD Dr. Delphine Vincent. In collaboration with the Société des Concerts de Fribourg and the smem. Supported by the SNSF.

Fri. 7.10: Conferences at the University of Fribourg, followed by a concert in the Aula Magna and the Diffusion #5 in the Halle Grise.

• 19h30: Aula Magna: Concert organized by the Société des Concerts de Fribourg: Orchestre de chambre de Genève plays works of Gustav Mahler, Max Richter, Franz Schubert and Alfred Schnittke. Tickets on sale at the evening box office. More infos about the tickets here.
• 20h30: Diffusion #5: d'incise / Synkie. Price: exhibition entry + donation for the artists

Sat. 8.10: Conferences at the Espace Gate, BlueFactory with visits of the smem's collection and exhibition.

• 21h00: Plug the Big System (In C) : the concert version! Price: free!

Full program for the colloquium: here.
General infos about the exhibition here.

Last, but not least! A closing weekend that goes from studying the music of Max Richter to discovering synæsthetic musical experimentations by mixing video and audio signals 🎶📺  

And to close this exhibition, the performance of our homemade and spatialized version of Riley’s In C 🔊

07.10.22 Diffusion Dominicale #5
20:30 d'incise presents Ka​û​ma (experimental)
22:00: Synkie (drone, noise, minimal techno)

08.10.22 Plug the Big System presents Terry Riley's In C (the concert version)

Halle Grise, BlueFactory, entrance B (facing the Halle Bleue, see map here)
Price : included in the exhibition entry.
General infos about the exhibition here.

Infos d'incies presents Kaûma

The word καῦμα (kaūma) has become «calm» by losing its original meaning of «warmth». Here an archaic experimental music, a more or less advanced electronic technology with questionable durability, false loops, oscillations and glides, between immutable harmonic series and doubtful Chinese components. If «kaûma» also gives «close» (of the occitan «caumar», «rest during the heat»), another warming would disturb the calm, the model, to get out of our torpor (κῶμα, kôma, «deep sleep»). Above all syncretic music, stretched, between languor induced by the poetry of breath and defect and a speculative and playful processionary will.

Infos Synkie

For the past 25 years Michael Egger (*74) has been experimenting with the interaction between live visuals and music. In his newest project – Phonorescence – Michael goes solo and lets the images sing for themselves on his latest creation: the Synkie. Fusing the analog waveforms from signal generators and surveillance cameras into one stream that is recaptured with more cameras from cathode ray tube monitors he creates feedback loops that simultaneously produce picture and sound - a synaesthetic experience between drones and minimal techno, between seventies-style video art and twentieth century glitch aesthetics.

Trigger warning: Not suited for epileptics

Infos Plug the Big System presents Terry Riley's In C (the concert version)

As part of this exhibition dedicated to minimalist music, we invite you to come with your electronic or acoustic instrument (or your voice!) to perform together one of the most inclusive and famous works of the musical repertoire of the 20th century: In C by Terry Riley. That's right, Plug the Big System is you, it's us.

This version will be the "concert" version and will be the closing event of the exhibition and concerts series that accompanied it. The installation will be at 19h30. There will be a (non-mandatory) rehearsal on the 18.09 at 16h00 (set-up at 14h00) to do some trials and errors. Save the dates!

Score and practice: The work requires a little bit of preparation. You can find all versions (with transpositions) of the score here. Here is a version with a useful "play along" to practice. To play together, a metronome will give the tempo and a beamer will display the score, indicating where we are in it. We will see which tempo fits everyone when we meet. More detailed instructions will be given on site. We might also plan other rehearsals (or jams) aside of the 18.09 if people taking part in the project are interested.

For those with the machines: If your equipment reads MIDI scores, you can find a prepared Ableton set here. Playing with the MIDI files will allow you to have both hands free to shape your sounds. Super easy! For synchronization, a signal will be transmitted via Ableton Sync and a bunch of Midi cables will be available. Take MIDI splitters with you if you have some! And the cables you need to plug your gear into the soundsystem ofc. If you have a mixer to sum up all your inputs in two that will help.