State University of Music and the Performing Arts (HMDK) Stuttgart, Studio for Electronic Music (StEM)
Biography
The Studio for Electronic Music (StEM) at the HMDK Stuttgart was founded in 1973 by Erhard Karkoschka, who also served as its director until 1989. In 1989, Rainer Wehinger and Ulrich Süße took over as directors. In 1996, the StEM moved into new facilities and is now one of the largest electronic music studios at German conservatories. From 1995 to 2024, sound engineer Igor Stepanov (Dipl.) managed hardware and software; Prof. Marco Stroppa has been the director of StEM since 1999.
At the HMDK Stuttgart, electronic and electroacoustic music is not a standalone degree program, but rather a potential area of specialization within the programs in composition, music theory, jazz, and school music. The studio also collaborates with students and faculty in the instrumental programs.
The studio’s goals are to educate and teach electroacoustic concepts in musical and artistic practice and to support all students at the university in realizing performances with electroacoustic components, particularly in the context of contemporary music. The main areas of focus are sound studio technology, sound analysis and processing, computer-assisted composition, sound synthesis, and live electronics. In addition to these areas, courses are offered in event technology, video technology for concerts and productions, media practice, musical acoustics, and computer notation.
The studio organizes concerts featuring electronic and live-electronic music both at and outside the HMDK. Since its founding, the studio has maintained a regular collaboration with the “next generation” festival at the ZKM | Karlsruhe.