MIT Experimental Music Studio

MIT Experimental Music Studio (EMS) was founded by Professor Barry Vercoe in 1973 and became the first facility in the world to have digital computers making music full time. EMS developed and researched many important computer music technologies: real-time digital synthesis, live keyboard input, graphical score editing, programming languages for music composition and synthesis. Composers at the Experimental Music Studio had been primarily focused on the interaction between live performers and computer accompanists. EMS hosted the first International Conference on Computer Music in 1976 and organized a Summer Workshop in Computer Music with Peter Child, John Rimmer and Richard Boulanger in 1979. Child composed Three Brief Impressions for Computer during the workshop and stayed at EMS as a member of the graduate seminar. The same year, Studio organized a "New Music for Computer" concert at MIT's Kresge Auditorium, featuring works by Edith Smith, Richard Boulanger, Pamela Marshall, John Duesenberry, Dexter Morrill and Jean-Claude Rissett. In 1982, System Development Foundation of Palo Alto awarded EMS $1.1 million. The same year Musica Viva performed Peter Child's Ensemblance, a piece that incorporates computer-generated sounds engineered at the EMS. In 1985, Professor Vercoe became one of the founding faculty members of MIT Media Lab. He moved EMS facilities into the new building, where experimental music and digital synthesis became part of the Media Arts curriculum. The Studio continued organizing concerts at MIT to showcase works of their resident composers. The "Very New Music for Computer and Instruments" in July 1984 presented eight participants of EMS Summer Workshop: Toby Mountain, Jon Nelson, Harry Castle, Michael Eckert, Dave Edelson, Kerry Koitzsch, Thomas Timothy Lenk and Joel Settel. The "With Strings Attached" event (February 1985) showcased collaborations between computer and string instruments: Tod Machover's Electric Etudes for cello, computer, and live electronics, Carla Scaletti's Lysogeny for harp and computer, and Paul Lansky's As If for string trio and computer. The "IRCAM" concert in 1986 featured Stanley Haynes and Jonathan Harvey from the UK, Kaija Saariaho from Finland and Tod Machover. The "Binary Convergence" concert at MIT's Experimental Media Facility in 1988 presented live computer works by Morton Subotnick, David Arzouman, Javier Alvarez, Jonathan Harvey and Mario Davidovsky. In March 1999, a special "Digital Rewind" concert was organized at Kresge Auditorium to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Experimental Music Studio. Richard Boulanger and members of Collage New Music: Marcus Thompson (viola), David Horne (piano) and Curtis Macomber (violin) performed works by William Albright, James Dashow, Elliot Balabal, Richard Boulanger, Peter Child, Mario Davidovsky, Tod Machover, Jean-Claude Risset, and Barry Vercoe.