Founded in 1986, La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / The Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC) is Canada's national electroacoustic / computer music / sonic arts organization and is dedicated to promoting this progressive art form in its broadest definition: from "pure" acousmatic and computer music to soundscape and sonic art to hardware hacking and beyond.
Among the objectives, as written in the Bylaws of the corporation, are the "support, development, production, distribution of information, materials, works... for the electroacoustic/computer music community in Canada... with continuing special concern for the younger generation of individuals and women in this community. The CEC recognizes and supports the principle of sexual equality, and also, the equal status of English and French."
The CEC endeavors to foster a broad, diverse, and inclusive community of electroacoustic practitioners, raise the profile of electroacoustics in the Canadian arts milieu, and to promote Canadian electroacoustic composers and activities across Canada and internationally. The various ongoing and singular CEC activities aim to maintain and strengthen communications and information flow concerning electroacoustics.
With projects such as the electronic journal !, the online jukebox SONUS, the annual Jeu de temps / Times Play (JTTP) project for Canadian-based young and emerging sound artists, and the Cache, PRESENCE and DIS Contact! CD compilation series, the CEC offers Canadian electro acousticians a venue to both promote themselves and participate within the global community, thereby fostering mutual awareness and benefit in the international scene.
Projects
e-Contact!
The CEC's online journal of electroacoustics was launched in May 1998 as the successor to the print journal, Contact! (1988–97), and is published four times a year. Each issue focusses on a particular theme or topic, and Guest Editors have been invited to coordinate one issue per year since (2004–05). Articles, reviews, interviews, commentaries and analyses are featured in the journal, often supported by audio and video files. All issues are freely available to the public.
Between 2005–08, a number of important changes were made to the journal's overall "look" and format, which greatly improved its navigability, readability and consistency. The interrelations between and other CEC projects, notably SONUS, were strengthened, and a number of recurring elements have been implemented, including the "Community Reports," "Rediscovered Treasures," "Focus on Institutions" and "Kwik Picks" columns. At the same time, the scope and size of the contributions has expanded considerably, reflecting the range of backgrounds and experiences the growing community of contributors brings to the journal.
has matured into more than just a journal: it is recognized in the international community as a significant electroacoustic primary research source and resource which makes very efficient and unparallel use of the potential of open online publication. Each issue can be understood as a living portal into the theme it features, and its open and flexible structure — not to mention the span of topics it covers — reflect the CEC's general policy of inclusiveness. Issues of special note in recent years include: 9.3 — Mastering in Electroacoustics (April 2007), a bilingual issue; 10.2 — Interviews (August 2008), the largest issue yet, with 115 individual interviews; and the Special Edition 10.x — Concordia Archival Project (CAP) (March 2009), celebrating the journal's tenth year of publication.
Jeu de Temps / Times Play (JTTP) / Cache (CD compilation) Jeu de Temps / Times Play (JTTP) was launched in 2000 to support and encourages the work of Canadian-based young and emerging sound artists. This annual project consists of a competition with more than $4300 (in 2008) worth of prizes awarded to the top five placing composers (by selection of an international jury), an issue of eC-ontact! featuring all submissions to the project, a Cache CD compilation with the top 8–11 placing works, and international radio broadcasts and concert diffusion for the winners.