CORE Seminar Syllabi: McGill

Instructors: Stephen McAdams and Guillaume Bourgogne

Years taught: 2019–2020, 2021–2022

Description: Over the course of this seminar, composers and performers will work together collaboratively and interactively to conceive of and solve orchestration-related problems for a specified acoustic chamber ensemble. Orchestration is taken in its broadest sense of the selection, combination and juxtaposition of sounds to achieve a specific sonic goal. The first main aim is to draw from each other's imaginations and expertise to create and perform one musical étude for each composer. There are no restrictions on style. The second main aim is to learn something about perceptual principles underlying orchestration practice and its realization in performance. An interactive inquiry-based learning approach is adopted in this course: students are expected to be proactive and to discover, create, and communicate knowledge on their own to the benefit of the whole class.

Download the syllabus for 2019–2020 here.

Download the syllabus for 2021–2022 here.