Folkwang University of the Arts, Institute for Computer Music and Electronic Media (ICEM)
Biography
The “Institute for Computer Music and Electronic Media” at the Folkwang University of the Arts evolved from the “Electronic Studio” and the “Studio for Live Electronics”; together with these predecessors, it has been one of the oldest academic training centers for electronic music in Germany since 1971. In 1990, it was founded as an independent, interdisciplinary university institute. In addition to training composers, the ICEM offers courses for all departments of the university, organizes joint events in cooperation with the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and, together with the SAE Bochum, runs the “Master of Professional Media Creation” program. Artistically, the ICEM focuses primarily on algorithmic composition, interactive stage concepts, and immersive audiovisual projects. In addition, the ICEM plays a key role in the curatorial and planning team of the annual “NOW!” festival for contemporary music at the Philharmonie Essen. The ICEM has four electronic studios. The largest of these is equipped with a Spatial Soundwave System from the Fraunhofer Institute; another is dedicated to analog sound synthesis and was rebuilt in 2016 around the large-scale synthesizer “SYNLAB.” In addition, there is an AV studio with a video rendering cluster, as well as a “project studio” designed to meet the requirements of pop music production.