CMT/CCP WELCOME CONCERT
6pm MARCH 14th 2025 AT QCGU IN IHRH
This concert features 7 performances by Faculty and HDR/Honours students associated with Creative Music Technology and Contemporary Creative Practices at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
1) “MSN/AV: Maximum Silence to Noise/Audio-Visual” by John R. Ferguson and Andrew R. Brown (QCGU/QCAD Faculty)
MSN/AV (Maximum Silence to Noise/Audio-Visual) is an interactive audiovisual system performed by two musicians The sound world is created through ring modulation synthesis controlled by multi-dimensional touch gestures This approach provides a rich diversity of sonic potential whilst maintaining clear remnants of physical gestures Each musician uses a ROLI Lightpad Block and an iPad running TouchOSC to control bespoke software written in Pure data Interaction data from each performer is passed to a Touch Designer network which generates and/or manipulates visual materials MSN/AV celebrates physical interplay with gestural interfaces and situates live improvisation within a responsive audiovisual environment Sensor data is used to generate sound and graphics in real-time, aiming for an audiovisual entanglement that provides sonic and visual connections ranging from the gentle steering of musical improvisation to more autonomous and potentially disruptive behaviour At the heart of MSN/AV is a novel implementation of ring modulation that features two identical oscillators These oscillators morph from silence to white noise, passing through sine and square waveforms along the way. This morphing capability enables a smooth transition from simple to complex audio spectra.
2)
Patterns in Code is a live audiovisual performance that merges the worlds of algorithmic music and generative visuals, demonstrating the artistic potential of programming. Using Tidal Cycles for live-coded music and Hydra Synth for dynamic, real-time visuals, the performance explores how patterns emerge through code, evolving into a seamless interplay of sound and imagery Through rhythmic sequencing, and visual feedback loops, the artist constructs an immersive experience where technology becomes an expressive tool At its core, Patterns in Code challenges the boundaries between technical and artistic disciplines, reimagining code not as a rigid system but as a fluid, creative medium. The performance invites audiences to witness the generative nature of computational art, where logic and randomness converge to form something organic, dynamic, and unpredictable By blending music, visuals, and live coding, Patterns in Code highlights the transformative power of creative technology, pushing the boundaries of digital performance.
3) “Towards Ethereality” by
Madeleine Cocolas (QCGU PhD candidate)
“Towards Ethereality” explores the nexus between music, place and memory It incorporates processed and manipulated electronic field recordings and live piano The field recordings were taken during a trip to Greece in 2024, and these recordings represent a distinct connection to place and memory whilst the piano composition is an emotional response to the field recordings This work has been written as part of my PhD research.
From PhD abstract: This artistic research explores the nexus between music, place and memory through the creation of recorded music compositions, a text score and a set of listening instructions. It draws upon and extends existing frameworks for compositional and listening approaches, including Barry Truax’s principles of soundscape composition and communicational approach to listening, Pauline Oliveros’s Deep Listening theory and theories around ambient music The creative outputs will be supported by a written exegesis contextualising the research within existing literature and developing new compositional frameworks.
4) “Keep It Up” By Joseph Cross (QCGU honours Candidate)
“Keep it Up” demonstrates the power within modern music production to highlight the possibilities that are achievable in today’s world of music production.
Taking inspiration from Barry Can’t Swim and Justice, this song brings together a complex layering of synthesisers and melodic elements to support the various stages The core foundation of this work has been built around synthesisers to allow for textural and rhythmic elements sampled and digitally manipulated in Ableton Live to bring out the energy and upbeat flow. Whilst making room for the sampled ambient and background elements to provide an underline state of flow for the track to be built around Combining the depth and detailed use of effects to help effective space and spread out each other, to help nest elements to support the dynamics and layering complexity of this piece
QCGU honours candidate)
“Prelude to Opacizzarsi” is part of a larger work in progress (“Opacizzarsi”) for solo baritone, small ensemble and electronica. The prelude purely features the use of live electronics and functions as a piece in itself “Opacizzarsi” is set out in 8 stanzas, all based around poetry by Giacinto Scelsi. The prelude itself explores the possibilities of basic live-looping electronics, and forms a naturally evolving work with each new layer shedding new light onto the others as they enter. The score for the work has been developed as a guide, with the original work stemming from an improvisation that the composer recorded and then transcribed in order to remember it accurately The prelude has been used as introductory material by Meanjin based garage-jazz project “slump” at their live shows in 2024, and the looped material is used as connective tissue between their works as they reconfigure staging and swap instrumentations live
Performer: Ben Marshall (QCGU Honours Student 2025)
hD candidate)
Trace Rotation brings together numerous audio technologies that utilise magnetic and optical media in circular forms, as well as a variety of audio sampling technologies, some of which employ circular buffering
During the performance, samples are ‘plundered’ from the variety of sound media, combined and reworked, celebrating both medium and message
7)
Improvisation & the Refusal of Preparation” by Benji Colbourne (QCGU PhD candidate)
A week of silence. A deliberate forgetting. The instrument, untouched; this performance unfolds as an act of queer improvisation an encounter shaped by distance, disruption, and unresolved questions Through the woven identity of patch cables, the performer navigates a shifting terrain of sound, responding in real time to what emerges in the sonic mirror. In the days leading up to this moment, Benji Colbourne has deliberately disengaged from their instrument, refusing the comfort of rehearsal and allowing space for uncertainty to take hold Now, in the presence of the machine, the reunion begins What does it mean to return to something patched, performed and left behind? And what, in turn, returns to meet you?