Nerd Nite Brighton

It’s music to our ears this month at Nerd Nite, with three talks on musical topics. Great speakers, cake, gin, nerdy news and the highly competitive quiz…

7.30 for an 8pm start. We usually sell out so get your tickets now!
£4 Regular Nerds or £3 Unemployed/Students/65+ Nerds

Our speakers:

– Chris Kiefer: Designing New Musical Instruments
– Emily Macdonald: Music Therapy: Why singing is good for you.
– Ben Newland: Occupying Space with Sound: A brief guide to the social, political and cultural use of portable sound systems.

Dr Chris Kiefer is a computer-musician and musical instrument designer, specialising in musician-computer interaction, physical computing, and machine learning. He performs with custom-made instruments including malleable foam interfaces, touch screen software, interactive sculptures and a modified self-resonating cello. Chris’ research often focuses on participatory design and development of interactive music systems in everyday settings, including digital instruments for children with disabilities, and development of the NETEM networked score system for musical ensembles. His work also concentrates on machine learning and signal processing for audio and interaction, with a particular emphasis on nonlinear and dynamical systems. He has developed and published games and instruments for mobile devices.

Emily Macdonald is a music therapist, piano teacher, choir leader, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. Her music therapy work has focused on vulnerable, at-risk children and leading therapeutic singing groups for adults with dementia. She sings with barberswing trio The Close Shaves and is the Director of Brighton Swing Choir. When she’s not playing music, you can usually find her dancing the lindy hop! https://brightonswingchoir.co.uk/

Ben Newland is an artist, designer and music fanatic who tends to work with sound and sound system technologies. He is the creator of the Nomadic Sound System, a 10 piece portable sound system in the form of a marching band. In this talk Ben Newland meanders through the history of portable sound system use and explores the cultures that revolve around them. From marching bands, to sonic weapons, to sodcasting teenagers on the back of buses, portable sound systems are projectors of territory, identity and cultural values and disruptors of the status quo. He will also demonstrate his own sound system projects and speculate on the future of mobile noise making. You can follow Ben on Twitter @Nomadicsoundsys.

Hosted by Dr Mick Taylor

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Twitter: @brightonnerd

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