Yes, SPLICE Institute 2024 will be held in-person at Western Michigan University! Please make sure to review our COVID policies below.

We take COVID-19 very seriously. All of the faculty and staff for Institute are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID and we strongly encourage all participants to make sure they are vaccinated before gathering in person. We are required to abide by the COVID policies of our host institution, Western Michigan University, which currently states:
”Masks are optional on campus and in University facilities with two exceptions: Sindecuse Health Center and Unified Clinics, which is in accordance with specific CDC and MDHHS guidance for clinical and health care settings. Masks are optional but not required at events.”
Full details can be found here: https://wmich.edu/covid-19. These policies may be updated as the public health situation changes; we will communicate any substantive changes in Western’s policy to prospective and confirmed Institute participants as soon as we learn of them.

For details please see our COVID-19 Information page. 

SPLICE Institute is an online weeklong, intensive program for performers and composers to experience, explore, interpret, and create music for live performance and electronics. Composers and performers participate in workshops, masterclasses, private lessons, and performances. Faculty members work directly with attendees to provide feedback and guidance. Attendees select from a variety of workshops and activities depending on their specific interests and previous experience with electronic music and technology. Community building and collaboration are at the heart of SPLICE: attendees will become part of a community that will continue to grow and develop beyond the event.

SPLICE Institute is designed for performers and composers who are interested in contemporary music that integrates performance with electronics. Performers engage in workshops that provide them with the knowledge to setup and problem-solve technology required to perform with electronics. Composers with previous experience in electroacoustic composition receive higher-level instruction in areas such as interactive systems and programming, while composers with limited previous knowledge learn techniques to improve their creative capacity with digital media, including basic programming.

Attendees engage in workshops, lessons, and discussions. A typical day includes two workshops in the morning, with rehearsals, master classes, ensembles, and presentations in the afternoon. Each day ends with a concert by members of the SPLICE Ensemble, guest faculty, and guest performers.

Performers engage with faculty in workshops that introduce the concepts of electroacoustic music performance. These include sessions introducing common hardware and software, basic programming, troubleshooting, and repertoire exposure. Performers with sufficient previous experience with electronics will participate in workshops that cover more advanced material.

Composers with limited experience with electroacoustic composition will participate in workshops that expand their current knowledge and skills with digital audio workstations and basic programming. Composers with significant previous experience will participate in workshops involving more advanced programming and discussions that relate aesthetic outcomes to creative process and programming structures. There are workshops in both SuperCollider and Max at various levels.

Information on specific workshops will be detailed on the Workshops page. Check back soon for details.

Attendees choose from a variety of workshops and activities depending on their specific interests and previous experience with electronic music.

If you are a performer and a composer who is interested in doing aspects of both programs, you should submit two separate applications. There is no application fee and there is no increase in cost for participating in various aspects of both programs.

Apply here!

Look at all of the important dates here!

SPLICE Institute is intended for students of all levels of familiarity with electroacoustics. It is strongly encouraged for every student to bring a laptop. For performers this is less significant. For composers if you do not have a laptop, you can still learn by taking notes and watching others. If you own an audio interface, please bring it. However, ownership of equipment is not required for participation, and students will be provided opportunities to work with this equipment.