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Timbre and Orchestration Summer School


ACTOR Timbre & Orchestration Summer School

The Analysis, Creation, and Teaching of Orchestration (ACTOR) project is pleased to announce that third edition of the Timbre & Orchestration Summer School will be held at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, June 03-07, 2025. Building on the success of previous editions (Thessaloniki 2023, Vancouver 2024), TOSS 2025 again foregrounds the rich and interdisciplinary world of timbre and orchestration research.
Visit our website to learn more and apply! The application deadline is December 15, 2024.

TOSS 2025 homepage

TUTORS
We are thrilled to introduce our tutors:

  • Lori Burns (University of Ottawa)

  • John Rea (McGill University, retired)

  • Johanna Devaney (CUNY Brooklyn College)

  • Lindsey Reymore (Arizona State University)

  • Megan Lavengood (George Mason University)

  • Claire McLeish (Third Side Music)

  • Eliot Britton (McGill University)

  • Nicole Biamonte (McGill University)


PROGRAM
In addition to two days of tutorial sessions (June 3-4), students will participate in the Timbre and Orchestration in Popular Song (TOPS) Conference (June 5-7), attending workshops, and having the opportunity to present a poster during the conference (Note: participation in TOSS does not preclude students from also submitting a paper proposal directly to the conference call for proposals).

PARTICIPANTS
We welcome applications from graduate students, advanced undergraduate students, postdocs, and early-career researchers working in any field of music-related research who have a keen interest in timbre and orchestration.

COSTS
Selected applicants will be notified by January 15, 2025 and invited to register. The fee structure is as follows:

* All amounts in CAD

  • Option 1 – $870: $720 (TOSS) + $150 (TOPS) – This includes tuition, lunches on June 3-7, dinner June 7, and single-room accommodation (June 2-8; 6 nights) as availability permits.

  • Option 2 – $396: $246 (TOSS) + $150 (TOPS) – This includes tuition, lunches on June 3-7, and dinner June 7

Accommodation are at the Royal Victoria College - Student Housing, located next to the Schulich School of Music. Rooms are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

NOTE: TOSS participants must also register to TOPS in order to access the activities on Days 3, 4, and 5 of TOSS. 

MORE INFORMATION

Visit: https://www.actorproject.org/timbre-and-orchestration-summer-school/montreal-2025
Contact: actor-project.music@mcgill.ca

 ABOUT TOPS
The Timbre and Orchestration in Popular Song (TOPS) is a three-day conference hosted by McGill University's Schulich School of Music and the ACTOR (Analysis, Creation and Teaching of Orchestration) Partnership. It convenes scholars, producers, performers, and audiences of popular music under the theme of how timbre and orchestration give rise to critical and analytical accounts of genre, identity, performance, production, and perception. Keynote speakers include Nina Eidsheim (UCLA), and Kevin Holt (Stony Brook University).

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December 9

Timbre Semantics Workgroup

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July 7

ACTOR Y7 Workshop 2025 — Geneva, Switzerland, TBC