Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Eric Lyon

Department of Music and Sonic Art
Queen's University Belfast
Belfast, BT7 1NN
Northern Ireland
UK
Education

  • University of California, San Diego, Ph. D., Major in Music Composition, 1991.
  • Eastman School of Music, M.A., Major in Music Composition, 1986.
  • Princeton University, B.A., Major in Music, Magna cum Lauda, 1984.

    • Additional Studies

  • Composition, Aspen Music Festival, 1980-1984.
  • Computer Music, International Computer Music Conference, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1995-1997, 2000, 2004.
  • Composition, Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music, 1990, 1992.

    • Professional Experience

  • Lecturer in Computer Music, Queen's University, Belfast, 2006-present
  • Lecturer in Electroacoustic Music, Manchester University, 2005-2006.
  • Assistant Professor of Music, Dartmouth College, 1999-2005.
  • Lecturer in Computer Music and Multimedia Design, IAMAS, Gifu, Japan. 1995-1999.
  • Research Associate/Lecturer in Computer Music, Keio University, Shonen Fujisawa Campus, 1993-1995.
  • Research Associate in computer music, CRCA, 1991-1993.

    • Undergraduate Courses Taught

  • Composition
  • Composition of Electro-Acoustic Music
  • Computer Music Techniques
  • Counterpoint
  • The History of Electronic Music
  • Music and Technology
  • Music in the Age of Mechanical (and Digital) Reproduction
  • Musical Applications of Fourier Theory
  • Recording Studio Techniques
  • Sound Synthesis and Signal Processing
  • Twentieth Century Music

    • Graduate Courses Taught

  • Analysis of Musical Systems
  • Analysis, Synthesis and Perception of Timbre
  • Composition of Computer Music
  • Compositional Environments
  • Directed Research
  • Software Improvisation Systems
  • Sound Design

    • Publications

    "A Sample Accurate Triggering System for Pd and MaxMSP," Proceedings of the ICMC, New Orleans, 6 - 11 November, 2006. San Francisco: ICMC, 2006.

    Book section written for "The Audio Programming Book" MIT Press. (Thirteen chapters, 240 pages, covering C programming of Max/MSP externals and other issues related to digital audio signal processing and musical algorithms.) In Press, Forthcoming late 2008.

    "Spectral Tuning," Proceedings of the ICMC, Miami, FL, 1-6 November 2004. San Francisco: ICMA, 2004. 375-377.

    "Spectral Reanimation," Proceedings of the Ninth Biennial Symposium on Arts and Technology, New London, CT, 27 February - 1 March 2003. New London: Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology, 2003. 103-105.

    "Dartmouth Symposium on the Future of Computer Music Software: A Panel Discussion," Computer Music Journal. 26(4) (2002): 13-30.

    "Mushroom: An Oracular Sound Processor," SEAMUS Journal. 16(1) (2001): 2-4.

    "Building a Better Organ: A Music Environments," Proceedings of the Multimedia Technology & Appplications Conference, Irvine, CA, 7-9 November 2001. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 2001. 169-172.

    "Gordon Mumma," Open Space Magazine, 1(2) (2000): 193-194.

    "The Bregman Electronic Music Studio at Dartmouth College," Proceedings of the ICMC, Berlin, 17 August - 1 September 2000. San Francisco: ICMA, 2000. 404-405.

    Lyon, Eric and Penrose, Christopher. "FFTease - a Collection of Spectral Signal Processors for Max/MSP," Proceedings of the ICMC, Berlin, 17 August - 1 September 2000. San Francisco: ICMA, 2000. 496-498.

    "An Introduction to Reverberation Design with Csound." In "The Csound Book," Ed. Richard Boulanger, Cambridge: MIT Press, 2000. 467-481.

    Lyon, Eric and Igarashi, Hisakazu. "NetMix Audio," Proceedings of KlangArt-Kongress Osnabrueck, Germany, 9-13 June 1999. Osnabrueck: Osnabrueck Publishing, 2003. 194-198.

    "Rhythmic Rendering," Proceedings of the ICMC, Thessaloniki, 25-30 September 1997. San Francisco: ICMA, 2000. 485-486.

    "POWERpv: A Collection of Spectral Processors," Proceedings of the ICMC, Hong Kong, 19-24 August 1996. San Francisco: ICMA, 2000. 285-286.


    Selected CD Recordings

  • "Rose of the World" on "Clairaudience," a compilation of works based on electronic voice phenomena (EVP). Bohn Media, 2007.
  • "Trajectories" on "Music from SEAMUS volume 16," a stereo version of the 8-channel work. SEAMUS, 2007.
  • "Psychic Driving" on "Escapement," a CD/DVD by Daniel Koppelman. DK Recordings, 2005.
  • "Ex Cathedra," a collection of computer music from 1999-2003. Centaur Records, 2004.
  • "Molten Statues" on "60x60." Capstone Records, 2004.
  • "Confessions of a Virtue Addict" on "BEAST." Isospin Labs Records, 2004.
  • "An American Fantasy" on "10th Anniversary Bonk." Bonk Recordings, 2000.
  • "The Blistering Price of Power" on "Pipe Wrench." EMF, 2000.
  • "Onceathon II: The Kiss of Constable" on "Future Flute." Sound's Bounty, 2000.
  • "Heavy Rotation" on "Future Flute." Sound's Bounty, 2000.
  • "Untitled" (with Zbigniew Karkowski) on "Antiphony." Ash International, 1997.
  • "Red Velvet," a collection of computer music from 1994-1996. Smart Noise Records, 1996.
  • "Low Flying Unicorns" on "Intercambio: Computer Music from Buenos Aires and California." CCRMA/LIPM/CRCA, 1993.


    • Selected Conference Presentations and Lectures

    "Dynamic Archiving," lecture at the Electroacoustic Music Studies Conference, Paris, 2008.

    "Spatial Orchestration," lecture at the 5th Sound and Music Computing Conference, Berlin, 2008.

    "Articulated Noise," lecture at the International Computer Music Conference, Belfast, 2008.

    "A History of Sonic Arts," invited lecture at the Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast, 2008.

    "Recent Compositional Work in Live, Fixed Media, and Noise-Based Instrumental Computer Music," invited lecture to the CCRMA graduate composition seminar at Stanford University. Stanford, CA, 2007.

    "Performance Strategies for Computer Chamber Music," invited lecture at CNMAT, UC Berkeley, 2007.

    "Signal Processing, Composition, and What You (Mathematicians) Can Do for Computer Music", invited lecture to CCNY Brooklyn Math Department Colloquium. Brooklyn, NY, 2007.

    "Current Problems in Live Computer Music Peformance", invited lecture as composer-in-residence for the International Electroacoustic Music Festival. Brooklyn Conservatory. Brooklyn, NY, 2007.

    "Algorithmic Sound Design and Current Modes of Listening", NYU Department of Music Colloquium Series, invited lecture. NYC, 2006.

    "Computer Chamber Music and Some Technical Aspects of Introduction and Allegro", invited graduate seminar lecture at Columbia University. NYC, 2006.

    "The Pleasures and Perils of Sampling", graduate seminar lecture at Manchester University. Manchester, 2006.

    "Do We Still Need Computer Music?", talk presented at EMS 2006. Beijing.

    "Current Problems and Practices in Computer Music." A daylong session of workshops, a master-class and a live computer performance, presented as guest artist for the Sonic Computing Organization (SCO). Gainesville, FL, 2005.

    "Spectral Tuning," International Computer Music Conference. Miami, FL, 2004.

    "Employing the FFT in Electro-Acoustic Music: Technical Principles, New Software, and Recent Compositions," The Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music (STEIM), Amsterdam, 2003.

    "Too Smart for Their Own Good: Technique as Albatross in the Music of XTC," Practicing Popular Music, International Associate for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), McGill University, Montreal, 2003.

    "Spectral Reanimation," Ninth Biennial Symposium on Technology and the Arts. Connecticut College, New London, CT, 2003.

    "Spectral Reanimation," SEAMUS Conference. Tempe, AZ, 2003.

    "Techno Counterpoint: Tracking in the Music of Aphex Twin," EMP Conference on Popular Music, Seattle, WA, 2002.

    "FFTease and New Strategies for Live Computer Performance," Guest Lecture at EMS Studio, Sweden, 2001.


    Organization of Conferences and Festivals

    Sonorities 2007 Artistic director and festival coordinator. Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2007.

    "The Electric Rainbow Coalition: A Festival of Electro-Acoustic Music." Curator and co- director with Jon Appleton. Hanover, NH, 2003.

    "Festival of New Musics" featuring guest artist George Lewis. Director. Hanover, NH, 2002.

    "The Futures of Computer Music Software, a Symposium." Director and Coordinator. Hanover, NH, 2001.

    "The Bonk Festival of New Music." Co-founder and core composer. Tampa, FL, 1992-2005.


    Authorship of Computer Music Tools

    LyonPotpourri 2.0 - a large collection of MaxMSP externals with a wide variety of funtionality. Written for both MaxMSP and Pd, and released with source code.

    FFTease 2.5 - FFTease rewritten with a more flexible architecture, expanded externals set, ported to Pure Data, recompiled as Universal Binaries for MaxMSP

    Max/MSP Potpourri of Externals - A set of externals for Max/MSP providing various capabilities, such as an additive synthesizer, a sample-accurate sequencer, a flanger, a phase modulated waveform, and so forth.

    FFTease 2.0 - an expanded version of FFTease compiled for Mac OS X and Windows.

    POWERpv - a set of spectral processing tools based on the short time FFT and the phase vocoder. These tools provide multiple schemes for spectral alterations of sound for artistic purposes.

    BashFest - a virtual drum machine. This tool preserves the drum machine paradigm of quantized rhythm, attack patterns, and bar sequences, but uses sounds stored on hard disks, rather than ROM memory, greatly expanding the potential sonic vocabulary of drum machines. In addition, built-in independent DSP and spatial paths provide the potential for multiple sonic permutations of each individual source sample.

    eriCMIX - a set of objective-C unit generators for Paul Lansky's acoustic compiler Cmix.

    NetMix Audio - a system for spatially distributing sound with spectral separation and independent realtime control of time/frequency parameters for multiple oscillator banks. (Collaboration with Hisakazu Igarashii of IAMAS.)

    FFTease 1.0 - a set of externals (linked objects) for Max/MSP which provide real-time capabilities for many different spectral processing methods. (With Christopher Penrose of Keio University.)

    Mushroom - an iterative sound-processing system for generating families of spectrally related sounds, in generational layers with progressive reduction of features from the original source sound.


    Residencies

  • Guest artist, STEIM. Amsterdam, 2008.
  • Featured Composer, International Electroacoustic Music Festival at Brooklyn Conservatory. Brooklyn, NY, 2007.
  • Guest Artist, Sonic Computation Organization. Gainesville, FL, 2005.
  • Composer/Researcher in Residence, STEIM. Amsterdam, 2003.
  • Composer in Residence, Djerassi Resident Artists Program. Woodside, California, 2002.
  • Guest Artist, Malmo Univerisity. Malmo, Sweden, 2001.
  • Guest Artist, Goteborg University. Goteborg, Swedent, 2001.
  • Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB) "Residence" award, taken at Les Ateliers UPIC (now CCMIX). Alfortville, France, 1992.


    • Awards, Prizes, Grants and Fellowships

  • Support for the Individual Artist Award, 2008.
  • League-ISCM World Music Days Composition Competition, 2004.
  • UC Regents Dissertation Fellowship, 1990.
  • ASCAP Composer's Award for String Quartet #1, 1988.
  • UC Regents Scholarship, 1986.


    • Selected Musical Performances

  • A Solo Concert of laptop and fixed media computer music. CNMAT, Berkeley. 2007
  • "Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Computer" premiered at the NOVARS Research Centre, Manchester University. Manchester, 2007.
  • Duo improvised laptop performance with Zbigniew Karkowski. SARC, Belfast. 2007.
  • Spatial audio architect and laptop performer with Kairos for The Gathering - a performance by Michael Mayhew at the Manchester International Festival. Manchester, 2007.
  • Improvisated laptop trio at Salon Bruit - K77, with Paula Mathussen and Ameobazoid. Berlin, 2007.
  • "Onceathon II: The Kiss of Constable" performed at inner sOUndscapes electroacoustic music festival. Oklahoma, 2007
  • "Double Globe" performed at "Music of the Americas:Millennium Approaches". College of Music, University of North Texas, 2007.
  • "Global Eyes" performed at North-South MANTIS concert. Manchester, 2007.
  • "Remix de Bruits" performed at Futuresonic 2007. Manchester, UK.
  • "Confessions of a Virtue Addict" performed at FEMF 16. Gainesville, Florida, 2007.
  • "Confessions of a Virtue Addict" performed at NODUS Concert. Miami, Florida, 2007.
  • "Private Lesson" premiered at NIME Festival. NYC, 2007.
  • "String Quartet no. 3" premiered at a Smith Quartet Concert. Belfast, 2007.
  • "Trajectories" performed at Spatial Collective Concert. Dublin, 2007.
  • "Trajectories" performed at Integra Concert. Belfast, 2007.
  • "Introduction and Allegro" performed at Sonorities 2007. Belfast.
  • "Remix de Bruits", "Stem Cells" and "Rose of the World" performed on solo concert at GEM Days 2006. Huddersfield, UK.
  • "Introduction and Allegro" performed at MANTIS concert. Manchester,UK, 2006.
  • "Introduction and Allegro" performed at ICMC 2006. New Orleans, LA.
  • "Introduction and Allegro" performed at Cinncinati Conservatory New Music Concert. Cinncinati, USA, 2006.
  • "White House 1980" performed at the Bonk Festival. Tampa, FL, 2005.
  • "Stem Cells" performed at the Electro-Music Festival. Philadelphia, PA, 2005.
  • "Liberation #1" performed at the Sonorities Festival. Belfast, Ireland, 2005.
  • "Taking Liberties" premiered at the Bonk Festival. Tampa, FL, 2005.
  • "The Lancaster Overture" premiered at the Bonk Festival. Tampa, FL, 2005.
  • "Trajectories" performed at the 14th Annual Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival. Gainesville, FL, 2005.
  • "Trajectories" performed at the Spark Festival. Minneapolis, MN, 2005.
  • "Trajectories" performed at Electro-Acoustic Music Concert. Hanover, NH, 2005.
  • "White House 1980" performed on a North River Music series concert. NYC, 2005.
  • "Shock and Awe" performed on a North River Music series concert. NYC, 2005.
  • "The New World Sonatina" premiered (complete version) on a North River Music series concert. NYC, 2005.
  • "Stem Cells" performed at the ICMC. Miami, FL, 2004.
  • "Onceathon II: The Kiss of Constable" performed at the ICMC. Miami, FL, 2004.
  • "Stem Cells" premiered at Ars Electronica. Linz, Austria, 2004.
  • "Liberation #1" performed at SEAMUS 2004. San Diego, CA.
  • "Trajectories" premiered at Harvest Moon Multi-Channel Audio Symposium. Montreal, Canada, 2004.
  • "Onceathon II: The Kiss of Constable" performed at the 3rd International New Music Festival. Cheyenne, NV, 2004.
  • "The Blistering Price of Power" performed at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. Boulder, CO, 2004.
  • "Molten Statues" premiered at Vox Novus 60x60 concert. Brooklyn, NY, 2004.
  • "Low Flying Unicorns" performed at "Beyond Noise" concert. Sibelius Academy, Finland, 2004.
  • "The New Improved Truth (Book II)" performed at the Bonk Festival. Tampa, FL, 2004.
  • "The Last Years of Democracy in Athens" premiered at the Bonk Festival. Tampa, FL, 2004.
  • "Liberation #1" performed at the Bonk Festival. Tampa, FL, 2004.
  • "Liberation #1" performed at Electric Rainbow Coalition festival. Hanover, NH, 2003.
  • "The Blistering Price of Power" performed at the Third Practice Festival. Richmond, VA, 2003.
  • "Rock and Roll Goddess" performed at Auditorium Montale, Teatro Carlo Felice. Genova, Italy, 2003.
  • "Onceathon II: The Kiss of Constable" performed at Karnatic Lab Concert. Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 2003.
  • "The New Improved Truth (Book I) performed at Odd Appetite concert. Roulette, NYC, 2003.
  • "The New Improved Truth (Book II) performed at Odd Appetite concert. Roulette, NYC, 2003.
  • "Liberation #1" premiered at "Your Special Gift from the Muses" concert. Providence, RI, 2003.
  • "Rock and Roll Goddess" performed at NYU New Music Ensemble concert. NYC, 2003.
  • "Ex Cathedra" performed at New Music concert. Dartmouth, MA, 2003.
  • "The Pursuit of Opulence" performed at ICMC. Thessiloniki, Greece, 1997.
  • "1979" performed at the ICMC. Hong Kong, 1996.


    • Selected Musical Compositions

  • "Piccolo Noise" for solo piccolo, 2007.
  • "White and Grey" for two flutes
  • "Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Computer", 2007.
  • "String Quartet no. 3 with Computer Enhancements" for string quartet and laptop, 2007.
  • "Private Lesson" for pianist and disklavier, 2007.
  • "Introduction and Allegro" for ensemble and laptop, 2005-06.
  • "The Book of Esther" - for clarinet and computer-processed improvisations of Esther Lamneck, 2005.
  • "Deer Park" - on a text by JK Randall, for soprano and small ensemble, 2005.
  • "Twins" - for solo piano, 2005.
  • "The Lancaster Overture" - for flute and large percussion ensemble, 2005.
  • "Taking Liberties" - for trumpet, trombone and piano, 2005.
  • "Trajectories" - 8-channel computer music, 2004.
  • "Stem Cells" - live computer music, 2004.
  • "Molten Statues" - computer generated music, 2003.
  • "The New Improved Truth (Book III)" - for flute and computer generated music, 2003.
  • "The New Improved Truth (Book II)" - for cello and computer generated music, 2003.
  • "The New World Sonatina" - for small ensemble, 2001-2003.
  • "The Last Years of Democracy in Athens" - for solo flute, 2003.
  • "Liberation #1" - computer generated music, 2003.
  • "Six European Lullabies" - for solo piano, 2000-2003.
  • "Global Eyes" - computer generated music, 2003.
  • "Ex Cathedra" - computer generated music, 2002.
  • "FrM" - computer generated music, 2002.
  • "Second Skin (on a Text by Erik Belgum)" - live computer music, 2002.
  • "Grand Duo" - for trumpet and trombone, 2002.
  • "International Male Nightmare" - for flute and percussion, 2001.
  • "Conspiracies R Us" - live computer music, 2001.
  • "White House 1980: A Cantata" - for baritone and piano, 2001.
  • "Rock and Roll Goddess" - computer-processed electric guitar music, 2001.
  • "Sacred Amnesia" - computer generated music, 2001.
  • "Happy Millennium to You!" - live computer music, 2000.
  • "None of Us Will Ever Be the Same" - computer generated music, 2000.
  • "The Framework of Discipline" - for small ensemble, 2000.
  • "A Gauzy Red Miasma" - live computer music, 2000.
  • "Shock and Awe" - for small ensemble, 2000.
  • "Blip" - computer generated music, 2000.
  • "An American Fantasy" - for large chamber ensemble, 1999.
  • "Psychic Driving" - for piano and live computer processing, 1999.
    • Peer Review Service
  • Paper reviewer for ICMC
  • Paper reviewer for NIME
  • Paper reviewer for Organised Sound
  • Book reviewer for MIT Press



    • Computer Proficiency

  • Operating Systems: Linux, IRIX, MacOS 9, MacOS X , Windows98, WindowsNT.
  • Acoustic Compilers: Csound, Cmix, clm.
  • Audio Software: CARL, Max/MSP, Pd, SuperCollider, ProTools, Logic, many others.
  • Programming Languages: C, Objective-C, Perl, HTML, CGI, JavaScript.
  • Networking: Experience with NeXT workstation networking and Linux.
  • System Administration: Experience administering Linux web-servers.