The Institute of Sonology is an education and research center for electronic and computer music based at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in the Netherlands.
Background
The institute was founded at Utrecht University in 1960 as the Studio for Electronic Music (STEM), as a successor to the former studio for electronic music at Philips' NatLab in Eindhoven. In 1964, Gottfried Michael Koenig became the studio's artistic director. The studio grew under Koenig's leadership, and in 1966 an annual international electronic music course was founded which exists to this day.
In 1967 STEM was renamed as the "Institute of Sonology". International attention increased in 1971 with the purchase of a PDP-15 minicomputer which was used to develop programs for algorithmic composition and digital sound synthesis. During the early years of the institute, a series of landmark programs were developed there, including Koenig's Project 1, Project 2, and SSP, Paul Berg's PILE, Werner Kaegi's MIDIM/VOSIM, and Barry Truax's POD. In 1971 the Brazilian composer Jorge Antunes, a precursor of electronic music in his country, was a student at the Institute where he composed the work "Para Nascer Aqui".
In 1986, the institute was moved to the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, hosting the International Computer Music Conference there during its inaugural year.
Current research focuses on algorithmic composition, live electronic music, historical reconstructions of electronic and computer music (including György Ligeti's Pièce électronique Nr. 3 and Edgard Varèse's Poème électronique), field recording, sound installations, and sound spatialization. Alongside the annual one-year course, the institute offers bachelor's and master's degrees in Sonology.
Discography
Gottfried Michael Koenig – The Electronic Works (1990) BV Haast
His Master's Noise (2001) BV Haast
Kees Tazelaar – Electronic compositions (2004) Near
Institute of Sonology: Early Electronic Music 1959–1969 (2009) Sub Rosa
Anthology of Dutch Electronic Tape Music, vols. 1 and 2 (1979) Composer's Voice
Notable teachers and alumni
Ángel Arranz
Clarence Barlow
Jorge Antunes
Richard Barrett
Justin Bennett
Paul Berg
Konrad Boehmer
Darien Brito
Nuno Canavarro
Luc Döbereiner
Cathy van Eck
Barbara Ellison
Angel Faraldo
Raviv Ganchrow
Kathrin Grenzdörfer
Marie Guilleray
Bjarni Gunnnarsson
Edwin van der Heide
Werner Kaegi
Ji Youn Kang
Roland Kayn
Gottfried Michael Koenig
Fani Konstantinidou
Johan van Kreij
Otto Laske
Giacomo Lepri
Cort Lippe
Igor Lintz Maués
Sergio Luque
Riccardo Marogna
Fred Momotenko
Hugo Morales Murguia
Yota Morimoto
Lasse Nøsted
Peter Pabon
Gabriel Paiuk
Jean Piché
Sara Pinheiro
Kees van Prooijen
Dick Raaijmakers (also taught at the Royal Conservatoire's pre-Sonology studio) Takayuki Rai Joel Ryan Robert Rowe Wouter Snoei Peter Struycken Kees Tazelaar Stan Tempelaars Roland Kuit Barry Truax Henry Vega Claude Vivier Rodney Waschka II Frits Weiland Anne Wellmer Amnon Wolman Semay Wu Andrea Young