When you imagine someone working in the music field, what do you see? A composer? A musician? A conductor? Would you ever picture a scientist or an engineer? The areas of science and music appear to some to be diametrically opposed to one another, but nothing could be farther from the truth in today’s music industry.
Making music is about being an artist. And yet it is so much more. Designing rooms for optimized acoustics requires physics. Creating electrical components for amplifiers and crafting instruments requires a keen understanding of engineering concepts. Entrepreneurs use technology to dream up the musical devices and instruments of the future. In this field, creativity is not just about putting notes together.
The music field is full of people across many disciplines who apply a wide range of education and skills to their love of music. Come join us as we explore the intersection between music, science, engineering, and technology.
Nicolas Collins was born and raised in New York, then spent most of the 1990s in Europe, where he was Visiting Artistic Director of Stichting STEIM (Amsterdam), and a DAAD composer-in-residence in Berlin. An early adopter of microcomputers for live performance, Collins also makes use of homemade electronic circuitry and conventional acoustic instruments. He is editor-in-chief of the Leonardo Music Journal, and a Professor in the Department of Sound at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His book, Handmade Electronic Music – The Art of Hardware Hacking(Routledge), has influenced emerging electronic music worldwide. Collins’ indecisive career trajectory is reflected in his having played at both CBGB and the Concertgebouw.
Matt Hennessy is a Chicago based Producer, Mix Engineer and Studio Owner with strong roots in the Chicago Urban Music Scene. He received formal training at Berklee College of Music, studying both Jazz Performance and Production. In 2000 Hennessy joined the staff of Chicago Trax/The Chocolate Factory to engineer projects for R. Kelly, Jay-Z, Twista, Kanye West, DMX, and many others. In 2009 Matt opened VSOP Studios in Chicago. Matt Mixed and Mastered Chicago rapper Twista's latest release “The Perfect Storm” including the hit single “Make a Movie” featuring Chris Brown, as well as producing work for Tia London, Demita Haddon, Bobby Brown and many other artists, including those on the Traxster Inc imprint. Hennessy is president of the Chicago chapter of the Grammys.
Torin Hopkins is a recent undergraduate with a degree in physiology and a minor in music and chemistry. He is currently serving as an adjunct neuroscience research associate doing fMRI research studying the hippocampus and memory systems. He is also a musician, application developer for the gTar--the first "smart guitar"--and music technology hobbyist.
Moderator: Aaron Freeman is C2ST's Artist in Residence. Freeman is a writer/producer, science commentator and funnyman. Former host of both NPR's weekly talk show Metropolis and WTTTW's Chicago Tomorrow, a weekly science-and-health half-hour magazine.
Tuesday, March 24th
Doors open at 5:00pm
Program runs 6:00pm-7:30pm
Come early--Hopkins will be demonstrating the gTar prior to the program, starting at 5:15!
This program is FREE to attend, but registration is strongly encouraged.
Click here for complete details and registration information.
