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USC School of Music
COMPOSITION PROGRAM

xMUSE

The Experimental Music Studio at the University of South Carolina

Dr. Reginald Bain, director

Music Building, R039
Web site: www.music.sc.edu/ea/comp/xmuse/
Phone: 803.777.5408

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Concerts | Research Projects | Courses | Contact

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Guest artist Michael Nicolella, electric guitar,
with members of the USC School of Music
faculty performing guest composer
Paul Lansky's A is For...

The Experimental Music Studio (xMUSE) at the University of South Carolina was established in 2004 to support the creation of new music that exploits the resources of cutting-edge technology. It is a place where composers, performers, technical specialists and other creative artists come together to design musical experiences that require the interaction of humans and machines. It is also a laboratory for research in algorithmic composition, digital-signal processing, musical sonification, and real-time interactive composition/performance. USC offers a variety of courses and research opportunities to students at all levels of study.

The mission of xMUSE is:

1. To promote the creation of new music that exploits the resources of cutting-edge technology and establish our students and faculty as leaders within the community, region and nation;
2. To work in collaboration with the Composition Program, Southern Exposure, recording arts program, and other units within the university to host concerts, residencies, and master classes by world class artists;
3. To provide students with opportunities to study algorithmic composition, interactive composition/performance, musical sonification, and related fields;
4. To educate students in the theory and history of electroacoustic music;
5. To increase the knowledge and creative potential of each student through a balanced program of creative research.

Concerts

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The creative products of xMUSE are regularly featued at the USC Computer Music Concert, Southern Exposure New Music Series, New Voices Student Composers Concert, Discovery Day, and other campus venues.

Visit the USC Computer Music Concert Web site.

Collaborations with the Southern Exposure New Music Series include:

Guest artist Norbert Lewindowski performing Carl Vine's Inner World for solo cello and electronic sound.

Saturday, Janurary 21, 2012
Exposed Wiring IV with special guests Odd Appetite and Susan Fancher.

Works by Reginald Bain, Nathan Davis, Ha-Yang Kim, Radiohead and Lois Vierk.

February 2, 2007
Exposed Wiring III with special guests Michael Nicolella and Paul Lansky

Works by Reginald Bain, Jimi Hendrix, Paul Lansky, Dennis Miller and Michael Nicolella.

April 5, 2005
Exposed Wiring II: Music of Humans & Machines

Works by Edmund Campion, John Fitz Rogers, Kaija Saariaho, Carl Vine, and Iannis Xenakis

April 8, 2003
Exposed Wiring I with special guests Scott Lindroth and Cameron Britt.

Works by Reginald Bain, Michael Daugherty, Scott Lindroth, Kaija Saariaho, and Jacob ter Veldhuis.

 

Research Projects

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Music, Physics and Sonification. Reginald Bain, principle investigator. Funded by a Provost's Arts and Humanities grant.

Wiimote Ensemble. Chris Johnson, principle investigator. Funded by a Magellan Scholar undergraduate reserach grant.

Sounding Number. Reginald Bain, principle investigator. Funded by a USC ROP Category III grant.

Music, Performance, and Interactive Parallel Computing Networks. Alex Wroten, principle investigator. Funded by a Magellan Scholar undergraduate reserach grant. Discovery Day Arts & Music Award winner.

Real-Time Audio Applications for String Quartet. Nick Isganitis, principle investigator. With support from the South Carolina Honors College (SCHC).

Sonifications of Gold Nanorods. Alex Wroten, principle investigator. For more information, see "Biology, poetry, and nanorod marimbas" in the Winter 2008 issue of USC's Research and Health Sciences Breakthrough (pdf). Funded by the USC Nanocenter.

Musical Applications of Cellular Automata. Drew S. Allen, principle investigator. Funded by Magellan Scholar undergraduate reserach grant. Discovery Day Arts & Music Award winner.

Musical Sonification. Reginald Bain, principle investigator. Funded by a USC ROP Category II grant.

Text-to-Speech Synthesis. Logan Young, principle investigator. Funded by a SCHC Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

DMA composoer Bik Lee performing her interactive composition Still (left)
USC's Graduate Saxophone Quartet performing Jacob Ter Veldhuis' Pitch Black (middle)
Oboist Petrea Warneck performing guest composer Scott Lindroth's Terza Rima for (right)

Courses and Research Opportunities for Students

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Abby McKee, performing Kaija Saariaho's Noa Noa for solo flute and electronics.

MUSC 336 Introduction to Computer Music
Techniques of computer-generated music production including aspects of MIDI, digital synthesis, programming and interactivity. Open to students in any discipline.

MUSC 540 Projects in Computer Music
Directed study in computer music composition or research. {Prerequisite: MUSC 336}

MUSC 737 Advanced Projects in Computer Music
Directed study in advanced computer music composition or research.

Undergraduate Research at USC

South Carolina Honors College Senior Thesis

Contact

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Questions about research programs and facilities should be directed to Dr. Reginald Bain, Director of the Experimental Music Studio, rbain@mozart.sc.edu or (803) 777-8183.

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Updated: April 9, 2011