Fwd: Seminar on Music Notation & Computation - 30 June 2014

Dear all,

On Monday, 30 June 2014, Queen Mary University of London will host the Seminar on Music Notation and Computation, a continuation of an event at NIME at Goldsmiths. The event features talks and discussion on music notation tools and research related to notation issues.

The event is free to attend, and will take place from 3:00pm to 5:30pm in Room 209 of the Engineering Building (which is here: <https://goo.gl/maps/yriIp>).

The event page includes abstracts for the talks:
http://notation.afim-asso.org/doku.php/evenements/2014-06-30-qmul

For details of other events related to the Music Performance and Expression group at C4DM, please visit the MuPaE webpage:
http://mupae.blogspot.co.uk/


Organizers:

Jean Bresson, Pierre Couprie, Dominique Fober and Yann Geslin of the Groupe de travail AFIM
Richard Hoadley of Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.
Elaine Chew and Jordan Smith of the Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London

Getting here:

Information on how to access the school can be found at http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/about/campus-map.php. If you are coming from outside Queen Mary, please let me know, so that I can provide detailed directions and make sure you are not stuck outside.

ondon

Fwd: Music Informatics Research Group Seminar - Dr Andre Holzapfel, 7th July, 1pm

Dear all,

On Monday 7th July at 1pm, Dr Andre Holzapfel (Boğaziçi University, Istanbul) will present the seminar "Tracking the odd: meter inference in musical audio using particle filters".

The talk will take place in room AG03 (College Building) at City University London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB (campus map: http://www.city.ac.uk/visit ). More details below:

---------

Title: Tracking the odd: meter inference in musical audio using particle filters

Abstract:
In the field of MIR (Music Information Retrieval) the potential of Bayesian methods for signal analysis is widely acknowledged, but for many tasks in MIR Bayesian approaches are still the exception. In this talk a new state-of-the-art particle filter (PF) system is presented for the task of meter inference from a music audio signal. The system can be applied to determine the type of meter of a musical audio signal, and to track beats and downbeats in a unified framework. The new inference method is designed to overcome the problem of PFs in multi-modal state-spaces, which arise due to tempo and phase ambiguities in musical rhythm representations. Our recent work will be summarized in which we compare the new method with a hidden Markov model (HMM) system and several other PF schemes in terms of performance, speed and scalability on several audio datasets. We demonstrate that using the proposed system the computational complexity can be reduced drastically in comparison to the HMM while maintaining the same order of downbeat and beat tracking accuracy. Furthermore, our results on a culturally diverse collection will be illustrated, in which the proposed model is shown to infer the type of meter in a collection of music samples from India, Greece, and Turkey. Our results suggest that the proposed system is capable of meter inference in large culturally diverse music collections. We argue that the system can be easily adapted to musical styles, and therefore avoids inclusion of an ethnocentric bias into music recommendation and distribution software systems.

Bio:
Andre Holzapfel is currently a post-doctoral researcher at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, funded by a Marie-Curie IEF grant. In parallel he pursues his second doctoral degree in music at the Center for Advanced Music Studies (MIAM), Istanbul. Before his work in Istanbul he was working as a researcher for the CompMusic project (University Pompeu Fabra), for INESC TEC Porto, and for the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence. He obtained his first Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Crete. His MIR related research focuses on models and inference schemes for the structure of music, with an emphasis on rhythm. His research in ethnomusicology focuses on music of Crete, and he investigates subjects of the interaction of music and technology. He is a regular performer of Greek Rembetiko music, with his main instruments the Turkish oud and the guitar. He currently directs a documentary movie on amateur Fado in the city of Porto. For further information, refer to www.rhythmos.org

---------

Best wishes,
Emmanouil

--   Emmanouil Benetos, Research Fellow  Department of Computer Science  School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering  City University London  Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK    http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~sbbj660/

--




Dr Evangelos Himonides FBCS CITP
Institute of Education
University of London

Fwd: Online Survey on Happy Music

dear all,

I am conducting an on-line study to explore the nature of listeners’ emotional experience of happy music. This survey is part of a broader study investigating the so-called “paradox of pleasant sadness” (i.e., why do people seek and appreciate sadness in music?). The survey is in English and takes only 5 minutes.

The following link will take you to the survey:

http://www.unipark.de/uc/Cluster_Languages_of_Emotion/4947/

Please don't hesitate to contact me at liilataruffi@zedat.fu-berlin.de with any queries.       Thank you very much for your time.    Liila Taruffi  

Fwd: Yuri Botnari to Release his Latest Music Album with London Symphony Orchestra

Yuri Botnari to Release his Latest Music Album with London Symphony Orchestra

 

Yuri Botnari conducts the London Symphony Orchestra for his new Classical Masterpieces release. 100 people from different countries collaborated on this classical music project.

 

City, State, PRWEB, Wednesday, May 7, 2014 – The famed orchestra conductor and the President of the Royal Music Society, Yuri Botnari, records Classical Masterpieces with the London Symphony Orchestra at the legendary Abbey Road Studious in London, UK.

 

This fantastic recording is to be released in autumn 2014. The best professionals from different countries have collaborated in this historic venture. They have recorded the masterpieces by Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition”, Prokofiev “Romeo and Juliet” in a new compilation by Maestro Yuri Simonov; Tchaikovsky: Pas de Deux from Nutcracker, Polonaise from Eugene Onegin and Waltz from Sleeping Beauty.

 

According to Yuri Botnari, “This was our first collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and it has been a wonderful experience from a creative standpoint. We have reached constructive understanding and I believe that we have received the remarkable result. It has been my pleasure to work with such a wonderful orchestra.”

 

This recording of Yuri Botnari is as an act of dedication to the prosperity of the high standards in the Classical Music as well as cultural diplomacy project that the Royal Music Society has always upheld as one of its primary objectives. The project has acted as a cultural bridge between the European conductor Yuri Botnari and the London Symphony Orchestra with the US Grammy producer Cristina Botnari creating beautiful recording of the most popular Russian masterpieces that will be presented to the people all across the globe.

 

The project was also supported by the Russian Music Society, the organization that is dedicated to keeping the Classical Music alive.

 

Yuri Botnari, who is also the General Producer of the album said, “ The preparations including the negotiations between the famous Abbey Road Studios, London Symphony Orchestra, engineers, copyright agencies, etc. took us with Cristina almost one year to make this project come true. The language of music is universal and is not limited by the geographical or language boundaries. Music transcends all borders and appeals to humans alike, irrespective of the countries to which they belong. We are happy that we had a chance to collaborate with highly professional musicians and this collaboration was successful.

 

Cristina Botnari, the Executive Producer of the project, has said: “Music has made it possible to make us feel universal, without borders. It was an amazing experience to be working with the best people in the industry. The eternal appeal of the classical music recreated by the orchestra of wonderful musicians will make history on the day of its release. And it is my honor to be a part of this musical history. We also would like to give special thanks to the people who helped to make this project happened: Mark Stevens, Arne Akselberg, Stephen Buck, Andy Smith and all LSO musicians, management and Abbey Rd Studios staff”

 

The month of release of the album coincides with the UK tour of Yuri Botnari and the famous Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra – May 6- 25.  Keep a watch on iTunes and Amazon for pre order bookings.

About– Yuri Botnari: starting 2014 Maestro Botnari is the Chef Conductor and Music Director of the Barcelona Philharmonic Orchestra, guest conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra since 2002, as well as the guest conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, National Radio Orchestra of Romania, Moravia Philharmonic Orchestra, on the Honorary Board of Directors for the Royal Music Society and the Vice-President of the Russian Music Society. For more information, visit http://www.botnari.com

About Cristina Botnari - Cristina Botnari is a Classical music industry professional and a qualified musician. She wears many hats of an artist, performer and producer. Holding 2 Master Degrees from prestigious Universities, Cristina has extensive experience in Governance, Production, Organization, Marketing, PR and other aspects of the industry. She is the Executive Producer for the Russian Music Society record label and one of the Founding Directors of the Royal Music Society Foundation as well as the host of the Classical Music Hour radio program on www.i-netradio.com For more information, visit her website athttp://www.cristinabotnari.com

Keywords: Yuri Botnari, London Symphony Orchestra, Cristina Botnari, Royal Music Society, Classical Music, iTunes, Amazon release, Abbey Road Studios, UK, Russia, US, Moscow Philharmonic, Arne Akselberg, LSO, RMS

 

USA

Contact person: Producer Cristina Botnari

Email: Cristina@RoyalMusicSociety.us

 

 16 Tchaikovsky Polonaise.mp3

 11 Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle.mp3

Fwd: YOUTH MUSIC SUPPORTS NEW BBC MUSIC INITIATIVE 'TEN PIECES'

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

16^TH June, 2014

 

 

YOUTH MUSIC SUPPORTS NEW BBC MUSIC INITIATIVE ‘TEN PIECES’

 

 

Following the BBC Director General’s announcement today regarding its new music initiative for primary schools, ‘Ten Pieces’, the national charity Youth Music pledged its support.

 

Led by BBC Learning, the BBC Orchestras and the BBC Singers, Ten Pieces begins in October with a week of special screenings for schools in cinemas across the UK of an inspiring and immersive new film introducing the ten pieces of classical music.

 

During the autumn term, children will be asked to respond creatively to the music through their own compositions, dance, digital art or animation. The aim is to inspire a generation of children to get creative with classical music. With a range of online resources, UK-wide events and close collaboration with partners, every primary school across the UK will have the opportunity to take part.

 

Matt Griffiths, Executive Director, Youth Music said:  “It’s great to see these ten classical pieces being used in such a creative way to provide the inspiration for other music and art forms. Anything that develops young people’s creativity and stimulates their interest in music is to be welcomed.”

 

Youth Music recently launched its Give a Gig fundraising campaign, encouraging music fans to raise money for the charity by donating a portion or all of the proceeds of live music events. Give a Gig encompasses live performances of all sizes, from festivals and arena tours to gigs in community halls and local pubs. Youth Music is inviting schools and classical musicians to put on gigs to raise funds for the charity. Events can be registered at www.giveagig.org.uk.

 

Youth Music supports over 400 music projects around the country and every year provides music-making opportunities for more than 90,000 young people living in challenging circumstances.

 

Schools can sign up now to take part in the BBC’s Ten Pieces project via www.bbc.co.uk/tenpieces

 

For more information about Youth Music visit www.youthmusic.org.uk .

 

 

Fwd: Music Informatics Research Group Seminar - Prof Juan Pablo Bello, 24th June, 12:30

Title: Designing and Learning Features for Music Information Retrieval

Abstract:
This talk discusses a mix of concepts, problems and techniques at the crossroads of signal processing, machine learning and music. I will start by motivating the use of content-based methods for the analysis and retrieval of music. Then, I will introduce recent work done at my lab on a variety of music information retrieval (MIR) problems such as automatic chord recognition, music structure analysis, cover song identification and instrument recognition. In the process of doing so, I’ll review the impact of feature design for specific MIR tasks, suggest that existing feature extraction methods in audio can be re-conceptualized as deep, multi-layer and trainable systems combining affine transforms and subsampling operations, and show a few examples where deep learning matches or outperforms the current state of the art in music and sound classification.

Bio:
Juan Pablo Bello is Associate Professor of Music Technology, and Electrical & Computer Engineering, at New York University, with a courtesy appointment at NYU’s Center for Data Science. In 1998 he received a BEng in Electronics from the Universidad Simón Bolívar in Caracas, Venezuela, and in 2003 he earned a doctorate in Electronic Engineering at Queen Mary, University of London. Juan’s expertise is in digital signal processing, computer audition and music information retrieval, topics that he teaches and in which he has published more than 60 papers and articles in books, journals and conference proceedings. In 2008, he co-founded the Music and Audio Research Lab (MARL), where he leads research on music informatics. His work has been supported by public and private institutions in Venezuela, the UK, and the US, including a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation and a Fulbright scholar grant for multidisciplinary studies in France. For a complete list of publications and other activities, please visit: https://files.nyu.edu/jb2843/public/

Fwd: SEMPRE Conference - Deadline for cfp 11th July

Forthcoming SEMPRE Conference, Postgraduate Study Day, and Hickman Award

______________________________________________________________________________________________


SEMPRE conference: Children's musical worlds

Saturday 25 October 2014

Institute of Education, University of Reading

This one-day SEMPRE conference in music psychology and education is
hosted by The Institute of Education, University of Reading. We
welcome submissions on a broad range of topics related to the theme,
including research into the various musical worlds created by, with
and for children, and studies which focus on aspects of engagement
with music in childhood and its impact across the life course.

Contributions are invited from researchers at all levels and are
particularly encouraged from postgraduate students. Submissions should
show how the topic relates to the conference theme. Accepted
submissions will be organised thematically and presentations will be
chaired by leading researchers. Please send abstracts for spoken
presentations (200 words) by email to the conference organiser Mary
Stakelum (m.stakelum@reading.ac.uk) by Friday 11 July
2014.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________


Postgraduate study day

Friday 24 October 2014

Institute of Education, University of Reading

Exploring music education and psychology research

This SEMPRE Postgraduate Study Day is hosted by the Institute of
Education, University of Reading and precedes the SEMPRE conference on
'Children's musical worlds' to be held on Saturday 25 October.
Students are warmly invited to attend both events. The aim of the
Postgraduate Study Day is to provide opportunities for research
students to present and discuss ideas in a friendly and supportive
environment, as well as to create a meeting place for students from
different institutions. The event will include spoken presentations
(20 minutes each), a poster display, and open discussions about
research in music psychology and education led by invited academics.
We welcome submissions from part-time and full-time students who are
undertaking research in music psychology and education. Accepted
submissions will be broadly organized into themes and presentations
will be chaired by experienced researchers.

Please send abstracts for spoken presentations (200 words) and for
posters (100 words) by email to Dr Mary Stakelum
(m.stakelum@reading.ac.uk) by Friday 11 July 2014.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________


Applying for an award

Students submitting a proposal for this conference will be eligible to
apply for the The Aubrey Hickman Award, worth £500. Please see
http://www.sempre.org.uk/resources/2014_Hickman.pdf for further
details.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Fwd: Rye Music for Wellbeing Day Saturday 19 July

 

 

The Music Well in association with the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury Christ Church University presents:   Music for Wellbeing and Health   Rye Studio School, Rye, East Sussex Saturday 19 July, 11am-3pm £10 contribution including lunch and refreshments

 

Come along and hear about the work of The Music Well,

Rye’s very own music for wellbeing and music therapy service.

Learn about the value of music across the whole of our lives

in supporting wellbeing and health.

 

10.30     Coffee

11.00     Welcome by the Music Well Singing for Wellbeing Group

11.10     Wellcome from Niki Stuart, Music Well Director

11.15     Giorgos Tsiris provides a critical introduction to music therapy drawing from his work in

end-of-life care and his research in the field

12.00     Jon Fever, Music Well music therapist on music therapy with children and young people,

joined by Chantelle to talk about her own experience of music therapy

12.30     Lunch, with music from the Rye Ukulele Band

1.30        Dr. Trish Vella-Burrows and Professor Stephen Clift show films on the value of singing

to support people with respiratory illness and Parkinson’s

2.15        Dr. Maria Varvarigou talks about her research on the value of community music for the third and four ages

3.00        Close with tea

 

Special guest speakers

 

Giorgos Tsiris, Nordoff-Robbins and St. Christopher’s Hospice	Dr. Maria Varvarigou Canterbury Christ Church University
To book a place please contact Liz Butt, lizbuttrye@gmail.com

 

 

Stephen Clift FRSPH

Professor of Health Education

Department of Health, Wellbeing and the Family

Faculty of Health and Social Care

Canterbury Christ Church University

North Holmes Road

Canterbury

Kent CT1 1QU

UK

+44 (0)1227 767700

 

Director

Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health

The Block

69 Tontine Street

Folkestone

Kent CT20 1JR

UK

+44 (0)1303 220870

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/centres/sidney-de-haan-research/index.asp

 

Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

 

Honorary President, Singing Hospitals International Network, Germany

 

Executive Co-Editor, Arts & Health, an International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice

Published by Taylor & Francis in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Arts and Health

 

Editorial Board, Perspectives in Public Health

Published by Sage for the Royal Society for Public Health

 

Follow me on Twitter: @StephenClift

Fwd: AHRC Doctoral Studentship in Computational Musicology

STUDENTSHIP ADVERTISEMENT

With apologies for cross posting

AHRC Doctoral Studentship in Computational Musicology

Award: fees and tax-free stipend at £15,726 p.a. (inc. of London weighting)
Application deadline: Tuesday 1 July 2014
Expected start date: October 2014

We invite applications for a Doctoral Studentship, funded by the Arts
and Humanities Research Council, in Computational Musicology, located
at Queen Mary University of London, under the supervision of Professor
Geraint Wiggins.

The studentship is part of the "Transforming Musicology" project,
including Goldsmiths, University of London, Queen Mary University of
London, the University of Oxford and Lancaster University. This
project, led by Prof Tim Crawford in the Computing Department of
Goldsmiths, University of London, brings together 15 researchers to
effect a Digital Transformation of the discipline of musicology.

The aim of the open studentship is to research and develop new methods
for the representation of, and inference about, music-theoretic and
perceptual aspects of music, based on, but not restricted to, past
work by Prof. Wiggins and colleagues. This will be deployed using
Semantic Web technology.

The studentship will be located in a very rich research environment,
first within the Transforming Musicology project, but also within the
Computational Creativity Lab at QMUL, and the successful candidate
will be encouraged to interact with other researchers in both of these
contexts.

This studentship, funded by an AHRC Doctoral Training Account, is for
fees plus a tax-free stipend starting at £15,726 per annum. Further
details of the AHRC scheme including terms and conditions can be found
here:

http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Funding-Opportunities/Postgraduate-funding/Pages/Current-award-holders.aspx

Applicants must satisfy the AHRC's UK residence requirements:

http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Funding-Opportunities/Documents/Guide%20to%20Student%20Eligibility.pdf

Candidates must have a first class or 2.1 undergraduate degree or
equivalent, either with a significant component of music theory, in
which case evidence of exceptionally well-developed practical
expertise in computing, including programming, will be required, or in
computer science or equivalent, in which case evidence of formal
training in music theory (e.g. to grade V or equivalent) will be
required. Candidates with relevant postgraduate qualifications will be
particularly welcome, especially if they are qualified in both music
and computer science. Other relevant qualifications and/or areas of
expertise include (but are not limited to): artificial intelligence,
informatics, formal logic and automated reasoning, musicology,
knowledge representation, deductive database theory. The successful
applicant may be required to undertake relevant undergraduate and
postgraduate interdisciplinary courses as part of the programme of
study.

Informal enquiries can be made by email to Prof. Geraint Wiggins
(geraint.wiggins@qmul.ac.uk). Please note that Prof. Wiggins is unable
to advise, prior to interview, whether an applicant is likely to be
selected. To apply please follow the on-line process (see
http://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/howtoapply/) by selecting
"Electronic Engineering" in the "A-Z list of research opportunities"
and following the instructions on the right hand side of the web page.

Please note that instead of the 'Research Proposal' we request a
'Statement of Research Interests'. Your Statement of Research Interest
should answer two questions: (i) Why are you interested in the
proposed area? (ii) What is your experience in the proposed area? Your
statement should be brief: no more than 500 words or one side of A4
paper. In addition we would also like you to send a sample of your
written work, such as your final year dissertation. More details can
be found at: http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/phd/how-to-apply

Applications must be received by Tuesday 1 July 2014. Interviews are
expected to take place during July 2014.
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Richard Lewis
Computing, Goldsmiths' College
t: +44 (0)20 7078 5203
@: lewisrichard
http://www.transforming-musicology.org/
905C D796 12CD 4C6E CBFB 69DA EFCE DCDF 71D7 D455
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A survey for all choir singers

Dear Choir Singer

As part of a European funded project on choral singing the team from the University of York's Audio Lab (Department of Electronics) are looking into the vocal health of singers. They have a brief questionnaire, which takes about 90 seconds to fill in, and they would be very pleased if you could fill it in and pass it on to any choir singers or choir directors.

The link is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ChoirSinging

Thank you

David M Howard

University of York