Berklee College Of Music's Voltage Connect Conference Brings Together Electronic Instrument Pioneers

Berklee Voltage Connect Conference

THE BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC’s ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION AND DESIGN DEPARTMENT present its first VOLTAGE CONNECT CONFERENCE on MARCH 10th and 11th. Themed PIONEERS, PLAYERS, THINKERS, PURVEYORS, the conference will examine the development and direction of electronic instruments, from early commercial synthesizers in the '70s to the present and beyond, and bring together major figures in the field, including researchers, established and emerging companies, and performers.

VOLTAGE CONNECT will consist of panel discussions, presentations, technology demos, and performances exploring how electronic instruments are developed and used.

Presenters at the conference include keynote speakers DAVID FRIEND, cofounder of the ARP INSTRUMENTS company; MARCUS RYLE, President of LINE 6; and DANIEL HAVER, CEO of NATIVE INSTRUMENTS. The conference is open to the public. To register, visit berklee.edu/voltage-connect.

ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Chair MICHAEL BIERYLO commented: “It’s unusual because you have traditional academic conferences that present research on new electronic instruments, and you have industry trade shows. It’s rare to have them come together to shine a light on the really interesting things happening in the field. It was important for us to bring this to Berklee, since that’s what we do. We take cutting edge music technology research and bring it into the classroom in a way that’s useful and practical.”

The VOLTAGE CONNECT CONCERT, in conjunction with the conference, will celebrate electronic instruments in live performance with sets by JORDAN RUDESS,keyboardist of prog rock band DREAM THEATER; electronic music pioneer and visiting scholar in EPD SUZANNE CIANI; and electronic musician and entrepreneur RICHARD DEVINE. Each of these remarkable artists explores the promise and possibilities of electronic sound. Their performances will range from modular synthesizers to new kinds of expressive controllers.

In honor of EPD founder DAVIS MASH, who retires in MAY, four selections of music he composed will be performed at the concert by a few bandmates from his '70s electronic jazz-fusion band ICTUS, EPD faculty members, and a student pianist. 

The concert takes place FRIDAY, MARCH 10th, 8p (ET), at the BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER (BPC), in BOSTON, MA. Tickets are available for $8/$12 at the BPC box office or berklee.edu/bpc. 

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