G R U S S W O R T E    ·    W O R D S   O F   G R E E T I N G

It’s always my pleasure to meet distinguished colleagues to share music, exchange ideas, and in general get caught up on their activities. And so it is with great anticipation and warmth that I convey my best greetings to all of my colleagues who will soon be in Cologne and think, What a great festival this will be!

Joel Chadabe


I am very sorry I was not able to attend the Cologne Computing Music IV conference. Your guest list included many good friends. Cologne with its long history of innovation and of great computer and electronic music was an ideal place to join together. My best wishes to you and all who attended the conference.

Max Mathews


Greetings to all those who will attend COMPUTING MUSIC IV! Clarence and Gimik, congratulations for organizing this gathering. I wish I were with you - distinguished colleagues and friends. Unfortunately it was impossible for me to leave Marseille at the time of the meeting. MAIS JE SERAI AVEC VOUS DE COEUR!
Alas, a major pioneer, Jim Tenney, died this summer: he will be sadly missed, but the meeting will be the occasion of a tribute to him. Jim is the first composer who made a significant use of the computer synthesis of sound - in conjunction with computer-aided stochastic composition. Jim was a fierce individualist, radical but thoughtful, dedicated to exploring new territories and expanding our awareness: an exemplary figure for our community. Warm wishes to all,

Jean-Claude Risset


I wish that could be with you at this time, but my traveling schedule does not permit it. I wish everyone a stimulating conference in the great city of Köln. Please allow me to convey a special greeting to Herr Koenig, who has made so many important contributions to our field.

Curtis Roads


Everyone at the festival!! I had intended on showing up in person, but that has become impossible... so, I am writing to say hi! and have a wonderful time even without me. Best,

Morton Subotnick


Greetings from Vancouver, Canada to all those attending Computing Music IV. As you celebrate 50 years of computer applications in music, I am sure you will be impressed by “how far we’ve come”, as well as how little the basic issues involved in those applications have changed. The use of the computer has provoked us to question every aspect of music, from what constitutes a musically interesting sound, to what the compositional process is all about, and what is the role of the performer. The simplest and most profound answer to the question of why we should use a computer was given to me nearly 35 years ago by Knut Wiggen in Stockholm when he said it was to “control complexity”. That prospect of designing and guiding a process that is beyond normal human ability to control is what has kept me addicted to the use of these often troublesome machines for all that time. And, to give just one example, it has opened up the fascinating world of microsound which I explored for the first time in my granular synthesis work Riverrun (1986), an excerpt of which you will hear during the festival.

Barry Truax