Listening Room 2
Fixed Media | Program Overview
Makuta
Felipe Otondo
Mechanization
Yu-Cheng Huang
Spazio di accumulazione
Leo Cicala
The Lament of Prince Hamlet
Chen Mu Hsi
The Throat of the Earth
Ye Peng
Time Crystal Structure II
He Jing
Triangle
Ray Fields
Undercurrents
Antonio Scarcia
蜜蜂之后
Lia Su
Suwol
Seongah Shin
FMVP!
Guanjun Qin
About the pieces & artists
Felipe Otondo: Makuta
Makuta brings together Afro-Cuban and Congolese rhythms with electronic synthesis and field recordings made in Kenya and England. Composed and produced at the Arts and Technology Lab at Universidad Austral de Chile, the piece unfolds gradually through shifting rhythmic and textural layers, exploring how different sound materials can coexist and evolve within the same sonic space.
About the artist
Felipe Otondo is a Chilean composer and sound artist working with spatial audio, soundscapes and electronic music. He has held research and teaching positions at institutions including the Technical University of Denmark and Lancaster University. His works — from radio pieces to sound installations — have been presented in more than thirty countries. He is currently Professor at Universidad Austral de Chile and Director of the Arts and Technology Lab. More information: www.otondo.net and www.soundlapse.net
Yu-Cheng Huang: Mechanization
“Mechanization” is a fixed medium work. Its conception stems from my long-standing reflection on the changing nature of performative freedom throughout the history of music. Beginning in the Renaissance, performers were able to freely add ornamentation and adjust accompaniment patterns; interpretation itself involved a high degree of improvisation and indeterminacy. With the advent of the Romantic period, performance remained personal and expressive, yet dependence on notated conventions gradually intensified. In contemporary music, nearly every aspect of performance—gestural actions, dynamic variation, timbral control, and even detailed playing techniques—is precisely prescribed through explicit notation. Performers increasingly function as exact executors rather than free re-creators, as if they were simply carrying out a set of instructions. This leads me to ask: When performance can only be executed by following instructions, do we still need performers at all? Are performers gradually becoming machine-like?
About the artist
Yu-Cheng Huang, born in Taipei in 2001, is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Graduate Institute of Music, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, with a focus on contemporary music and multimedia composition. His creative work spans piano, string instruments, electronic music, and environmental sound recording, and explores the relationship between music and everyday experience. His compositional style is diverse, often integrating narrative elements, poetic sensibilities, and sensory memory to create distinctive listening experiences and evocative emotional spaces.
Leo Cicala: Spazio di accumulazione
Spazio di accumulazione [9′ 40″] (2025-26) The piece is constructed through processes of progressive accumulation of musical material: simple, repetitive and initially functional cells are added one after the other without anything ever really being eliminated. Each new element arises as a necessity, but over time loses its original role, becoming weight, background noise, clutter. The accumulation does not lead to development, but rather to a saturation of the sound space, in which quantity defines meaning. Music thus becomes a metaphor for the compulsive accumulation of contemporary society: the desire for possession generates a continuous stratification that suffocates emptiness, but also the possibility of listening, choice and silence.
About the artist
Leo Cicala, 1970 Composer, acusmatic performer, live performer, teacher. He studied Instrumentation for Band at the Tito Schipa music conservatory of Lecce and graduated magna cum laude in Electronic Music at the same Institution; He also a degree in Biology. He has performed on the acousmonium more than two hundred works from the classic and contemporary electroacustic repertoire, In 2015 he published the handbook entitled “Acousmatic Interpretation Manual” for Salatino musical edition, and a series of related video tutorials can also be found on the web (www.acusma.it). In 2014 he published the cd “Rust” by the Apulian label “Art & classic” “; has released the cd “Punto di Accunulazione” for the label “ Creative Sources Recordings”and he also composed the soundtrack for the short film “Io sono qui” directed by Pierluigi Ferrandini and “ Storia di Valentina” directed by Antonio Palumbo. He has set up in Bari the association “ACUSMA Theater of sound” that encourages sound arts of research promoting activities of teaching, pedagogy, and music production. Winning the first prize in electroacoustic composition “Bangor Dylan Thomas Prize” in the UK, his compositions are performed in festivals in Italy, France, Belgium, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Argentina, Cyprus and in the USA.
Chen Mu Hsi: The Lament of Prince Hamlet
“The Tragic Lament of Prince Hamlet” is a mixed work for flute, pre-recorded sound, and live electronics, with a duration of approximately nine minutes. The piece was composed during a period of emotional depression, in which a pervasive sense of melancholy and pain rendered creative activity particularly difficult. During this time, the figure of Prince Hamlet from Shakespeare’s Hamlet emerged as a central source of inspiration. Hamlet’s psychological condition—shaped by betrayal, the pursuit of truth, and the confrontation with existential dilemmas—resonated deeply with the composer’s own inner conflicts. Structured in four sections, the work integrates flute performance, fixed electronic sound, and real-time audio processing to articulate a sonic narrative of emotional tension and transformation. Through the exploration of timbre, texture, and gesture, the piece seeks not only to depict the psychological depth of the tragic character, but also to reflect and project the composer’s lived experience.
About the artist
Mu-Hsi Chen was born in 1998 in Taichung, Taiwan. She began studying piano in 2003 and started composing through self-study in 2016. She is currently pursuing a degree in Electronic Music at the Institute of Music, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, under the supervision of Professor Yu-Chung Tseng. Chen is deeply interested in exploring the relationship between sound and its underlying narratives and philosophies. Her work often reflects a sensitivity to emotional states and inner experiences, seeking to connect musical expression with personal and psychological dimensions, and to offer a space where listeners may find resonance, reflection, or emotional solace. Her works have been performed at ICMC 2023 (International Computer Music Conference) and WOCMAT 2022 (International Workshop on Computer Music and Audio Technology).
Ye Peng: The Throat of the Earth
This work recreates a complete Mongolian shamanic ritual through electronic music. Following the “slow-medium-fast” progression of the ceremony, the music begins with throat singing and sounds of nature, builds a trance-like dance atmosphere with ritual drum rhythms and animal calls, and culminates in an intense rhythmic climax?forming an auditory entreaty for divine blessing. By fusing traditional elements with modern electronic soundscapes, it creates an immersive ritual experience.
About the artist
Peng Ye. Master’s candidate in Composition (Class of 2025), Wuhan Conservatory of Music Student Member of the Electronic Music Society, Chinese Musicians Association Primary research areas: electronic music composition, integration of electronic music with visual media creation.
He Jing: Time Crystal Structure II
Time Crystal Structure II is a computer music Fixed media by the core concept of time crystals. It aims to translate the abstract physical notion of “breaking time-translation symmetry and exhibiting a periodically repeating structure” into perceptible auditory illusions through digital sound construction.Drawing on algorithmic composition technology, the work deconstructs and reconstructs the periodic features of natural soundscapes such as tides and pendulums, generating sound units with slightly variable parameters to simulate the ground-state motion of time crystals. Furthermore, this piece is the second installment in the Time Crystal Structure series.
About the artist
He Jing, June 1989- He has been residing in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China now. He serves as a faculty member of the Art and Technology major, Department of Composition, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, and also works as a Master’s Supervisor. Graduated from the Graduate School of Showa University of Music, Japan, he has long been deeply engaged in the interdisciplinary field of art and technology, and is committed to advancing the teaching and creative practice of computer music. His main research areas include AI music, interactive music, algorithmic composition, film scoring, etc. He has presented his works at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) on numerous occasions.
Ray Fields: Triangle
Triangle is an electronic composition in one movement. It is a musical exploration of the frequency profile of a triangle. A sound file of a struck triangle was deconstructed digitally, manipulated, and then assembled and composed.
About the artist
Ray Fields has composed music for orchestra, chamber ensembles, choir, dance, the stage, and film. His works have premiered on-line and at international music festivals, Imani Winds Chamber Music Festivals, DC New Music Conferences, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, MilkBoy ArtHouse, the University of Illinois, Prince George’s Community College, Stevenson University, and the Children’s Discovery Museum in Acton, Massachusetts. His liturgical works have been included in worship services in Kensington, Maryland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to composing, Ray Fields writes about music for academic publications. His book-length analysis of Morton Feldman’s Piano and String Quartet was published in August 2022 by Rowman and Littlefield. He has also written a chapter for a collection of essays honoring Feldman’s centenary to be published in 2026.
Antonio Scarcia: Undercurrents
This fixed-media work is based on a compositional framework that foregrounds the interaction between sound materials and musical gestures. Materials are conceived as sound entities carrying latent structural relationships, which may remain compositional implicit while becoming perceptually manifest through their audible effects. Gestures function as temporal processes that articulate these relationships and shape the listener’s perception. The work integrates concrete and synthetic, tonic and non-pitched sound materials, organized through strategies of contrast and balance. Gestural processes are formalized as parametric sequences generated via a computer algebra system, with sound synthesis realized in Csound. Although produced using digital technologies, the compositional approach aligns with the tape studio tradition, emphasizing detailed post-processing in both the time and frequency domains as an integral part of the compositional process.
About the artist
Antonio Scarcia received formal training in Electronic Engineering at the University of Padua, Signal Processing at the University of Bari, and Electronic Music at the Conservatory of Bari, where he studied under Francesco Scagliola. He held various teaching positions the Conservatory of Genoa from 2011 to 2021 and served as Lecturer in Electroacoustic Composition at the Conservatory of Salerno during the 2022–2023 academic year. His artistic production focuses primarily on acousmatic music and has been presented within the programs of major events, including various editions of the NYCEMF in 2022, 2021, and 2019; ICMC in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, and 2007; the North Carolina Computer Music Festival in 2008; SMC in 2012, 2010, and 2009; the Mantis Festival in 2010; CIM in 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, and 2010; EMuFest in 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010; SICMF in 2013; ICSC in 2013, 2022 and 2024; and the Musica Nova Competition, where he received honorary mentions in 2016 and 2013, and first prize in 2011.
Lia Su: 蜜蜂之后
This work uses bees as a conceptual model to explore the contemporary technological ecosystem.The sound materials are taken from recordings of flutes, dizi(Chinese flute), and ocarinas, preserving the acoustic characteristics of these instruments and placing them in an electronic environment inspired by swarm behavior, cybernetic systems, and speculative soundscapes. The innovation lies in the recontextualization of sound, placing acoustic instruments within an artificial sound ecosystem.
About the artist
Lia Su’s work frequently deals with the relationship between listening, music and space. Working across sound, music and installation to explore ideas surrounding cross-cultural and post-digital identity. Lia has exhibited, performed, and presented work across a range of artistic contexts, including 798 Art Zone, Beijing; National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing; Tree Museum, Beijing; West Kowloon Cultural District, Hongkong; New Taipei City Art Center, Taiwan; IKLECTIK, London; 5th Base Gallery, London; Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Huddersfield; Cafe OTO, London, Bristol New Music, among others. Lia is currently a PhD Candidate in Musical Composition at the University of Bristol, having previously studied at the University of the Arts London.
Seongah Shin: Suwol
I became drawn to the beauty of Jeju, South Korea, a volcanic island known for its strong winds and constantly shifting natural soundscape. As I spent more time there, I became increasingly aware that the sounds of nature often echo artificial, human-made sounds. I immersed myself in the sky, the air, and the movements—and sounds—of wind, birds, and insects. Rather than separating nature and humanity, I developed my work toward an integrated auditory world, focusing on new sonic environments created through the blending of field-recorded natural sounds and computer-generated sounds.
About the artist
Composer Seongah Shin works in the fields of contemporary music, music for the performing arts, and electronic music. She earned a Bachelor of Music in composition from Chugye University for the Arts, a Master of Music in electronic music composition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, an MFA in sound design from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and a DMA in composition. She has held a sound designer residency with the Missouri Repertory Theatre and an artist residency at EMPAC at RPI. She created the MixMediaImprov. series and presented ten solo creative music concerts. In addition to collaborative projects such as the Thin Line Project, she co-founded the Asia Computer Music Project(AMCP) and served as director for Asia/Oceania of the International Computer Music Association(ICMA). She is currently a professor of composition at Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea.
Guanjun Qin: FMVP!
FMVP! is an electroacoustic composition built entirely from the sampled sounds of basketball — the bounce, the squeak of shoes, the swish of the net, and the roar of the crowd. Through sound transformation and spatial movement, the piece narrates the emotional journey of an athlete: from doubt and criticism to determination, and finally to victory. Dedicated to basketball legend Stephen Curry, FMVP captures the rhythm, intensity, and inner monologue of a player striving to redefine limits. Each percussive impact becomes a heartbeat; each layered resonance a moment of resilience. The composition explores how athletic struggle and artistic creation share the same pulse — persistence, precision, and belief.
About the artist
Champion (Guanjun) Qin is an award-winning composer, producer, and topliner, currently pursuing a PhD in Music Composition at the University of Bristol, fully funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC). His works have been performed, awarded, or officially selected at major international music and sound art festivals, including the Denny Awards (USA & China), YoungLione*ss Festival (Italy), Futura Festival (France), and the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC). Champion’s creative practice bridges electroacoustic composition and popular music production, exploring the intersection of sound design, cross-cultural aesthetics, and narrative expression. He has collaborated with and composed music for renowned artists such as Jackson Wang, a member of GOT7, one of Asia’s most influential K-pop groups. His production work also extends to film and television, including the acclaimed animated series GG BOND, which drew over 50 million viewers in its first week of broadcast.