FIU student electro-acoustical music group honored


The FIU Electro-Acoustic Research Society (EARS) was recently named the Outstanding Organization in the Arts Community by the university’s Council for Student Organizations (CSO) for the activities the group coordinated during the 2008-2009 academic year.

EARS, which includes students who are music and non-music majors, was honored for its work with the New West Electro-Acoustic Music Organization (NWEAMO) Electric Arts and Music Festival, the New Music Miami Festival, the Winter Music Conference, the Florida Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble (FLEA), and 12 Nights, as well as many other activities including jam sessions in the dorms and workshops available to all FIU students.

“EARS works with music technology in an incredibly unique and idiosyncratic way,” said Paula Matthusen, an assistant professor of music who serves as an advisor to the group. “The students do a great job of balancing research interests with practical implementation. There are a lot of really interesting projects coming out of this dialogue.”

The scope of the group’s activities is diverse, embracing a wide variety of musical styles for performance and discussion. EARS coordinates activities such as guest lectures, concerts and festivals related to electro-acoustic music, which encompasses a broad range of musics dependent on electronic technology for their creation and/or performance.

One of the group’s biggest events is the biannual Florida Electro-Acoustic Student Festival (FEASt), which is an entirely student-run concert series featuring works, performances and activities from students throughout Florida.

EARS was first initiated in the fall of 2003 by Moises Corkidi, an FIU alumnus of the Music Technology concentration in the School of Music. The group has expanded and flourished under the leadership of last year’s EARS president, Daniel Lepervanche, and the current president, Nayla Mehdi.

“This award was a complete surprise to the group and a validation of the work they’re doing,” said Matthusen. “These students are finding new ways to develop intriguing and practical techniques of working with sound. It’s really inspiring that they have been so successful.”

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