***Call for Participation***
The Synthesizer Research Network (SyReN)
***DEADLINE*** FOR PROPOSALS: 31 JULY 2025
SYNTHposium, Saturday 11 October 2025
School of MUSIC, University of LEEDS, UK.
The Synthesizer Research Network invites participation in a one-day symposium event.
Participation can be in the form of a paper presentation, or performance-demonstration.
https://synthresearch.org/symposium
***Rationale and context***
The synthesizer is an instrument with a long history that has played an important role in popular and experimental music from the late 1960s onwards. The Synthesizer Research Network (SyReN) will initiate dialogue and collaborations between musicians, academic researchers, non-academic scholars, software and hardware engineers, composers, and other expert groups. These different communities share a common interest in the history, design, or musical practice of synthesizers. SyReN aims to provide an organised route for exchange of knowledge between these groups to explore how we can expand our understanding of how synthesizers are used by musicians (both past and present) and potentially use that knowledge to inform the design of future instruments.
Themes or questions for critical discussion:
Synthesizer practice: performance, composition, sound design
* How has synthesizer performance practice evolved over time, within specific genres?
* To what extent is the full potential of specific instruments exploited by musicians?
* Do specific categories of synthesizer have archetypal sounds and styles of performance practice that can be defined?
* What gaps currently exist in our knowledge of synthesizer practice?
Industrial design and musical practice
* Do variations in synthesizer design have an impact upon musical practice?
* Why are certain parameters or functions used more than others by musicians?
* What are the musical impacts of changes to synthesizer specifications?
* What gaps exist in our knowledge of synthesizer design?
Exploring the history and music of the synthesizer
* Has the perception of the synthesizer changed over time within different academic, professional, industrial, and enthusiast communities?
* How may our view of the synthesizer be augmented by broader cultural studies, including (but not limited to): race, disability, gender, sexuality and social class?
* What gaps currently exist in synthesizer scholarship and musicology?
Additionally, the over-arching question for all SyReN activities will be:
How can the network enhance synthesizer research and facilitate new discoveries that will be valuable to musicians, academics, engineers, and non-academic experts?
The deadline for submissions will be: 31 July 2025.
Please apply using the form available to download from our website: https://synthresearch.org/symposium
Forms and enquiries about the event should be emailed to Ewan Stefani - e.j.stefani@leeds.ac.uk with "SYREN 2025" in the subject line before the deadline.
The Synthesizer Research Network (SyReN)
***DEADLINE*** FOR PROPOSALS: 31 JULY 2025
SYNTHposium, Saturday 11 October 2025
School of MUSIC, University of LEEDS, UK.
The Synthesizer Research Network invites participation in a one-day symposium event.
Participation can be in the form of a paper presentation, or performance-demonstration.
https://synthresearch.org/symposium
***Rationale and context***
The synthesizer is an instrument with a long history that has played an important role in popular and experimental music from the late 1960s onwards. The Synthesizer Research Network (SyReN) will initiate dialogue and collaborations between musicians, academic researchers, non-academic scholars, software and hardware engineers, composers, and other expert groups. These different communities share a common interest in the history, design, or musical practice of synthesizers. SyReN aims to provide an organised route for exchange of knowledge between these groups to explore how we can expand our understanding of how synthesizers are used by musicians (both past and present) and potentially use that knowledge to inform the design of future instruments.
Themes or questions for critical discussion:
Synthesizer practice: performance, composition, sound design
* How has synthesizer performance practice evolved over time, within specific genres?
* To what extent is the full potential of specific instruments exploited by musicians?
* Do specific categories of synthesizer have archetypal sounds and styles of performance practice that can be defined?
* What gaps currently exist in our knowledge of synthesizer practice?
Industrial design and musical practice
* Do variations in synthesizer design have an impact upon musical practice?
* Why are certain parameters or functions used more than others by musicians?
* What are the musical impacts of changes to synthesizer specifications?
* What gaps exist in our knowledge of synthesizer design?
Exploring the history and music of the synthesizer
* Has the perception of the synthesizer changed over time within different academic, professional, industrial, and enthusiast communities?
* How may our view of the synthesizer be augmented by broader cultural studies, including (but not limited to): race, disability, gender, sexuality and social class?
* What gaps currently exist in synthesizer scholarship and musicology?
Additionally, the over-arching question for all SyReN activities will be:
How can the network enhance synthesizer research and facilitate new discoveries that will be valuable to musicians, academics, engineers, and non-academic experts?
The deadline for submissions will be: 31 July 2025.
Please apply using the form available to download from our website: https://synthresearch.org/symposium
Forms and enquiries about the event should be emailed to Ewan Stefani - e.j.stefani@leeds.ac.uk with "SYREN 2025" in the subject line before the deadline.
