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Erik Alalooga defends his doctoral thesis on 21 December at 16:30 room A-402 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Theatre):

“Developing a systemic method of tinkering for object theatre”

Supervisor: Madli Pesti, PhD (EAMT)

Opponent: Raivo Kelomees, PhD (EAA)

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Summary:

In my artistic research entitled „Developing a systemic method of tinkering for object theatre“, I analysed the situation in which a performer makes personal stage partners. Tinkering here means making art objects from random everyday objects and materials from surrounding environment. I also explored how such a model influences dramaturgical creation and how the self-made object and the performer’s interaction with it is positioned in the contemporary theatrical landscape.

The personal starting point of the work was the need to systematically and analytically study my long experience of tinkering and teaching. It allows to apply the new knowledge gained through creative activities. Although I have consistently emphasized in my research the functioning of tinkering with the support of minimal formulation, regular analyses of the overall process and outcomes are necessary for qualitative development. I also felt that my background as a sculptor and installation artist offered new point of view to the material approach of object theatre.

The research problems stemmed from the perceived fact that tinkering, as a creative engagement with the surrounding material environment, is still a sparsely covered area in the educational process. This, in turn, has an impact on the attitude of young people with creative interests towards the use of technology in the artistic process. The over-theoretical nature of real subjects increases the distance with practical everyday life. People do not become aware of their personal capacity to manipulate material space. A hostile relationship or learned helplessness is constructed in its place. According to a common cliché, the conceptual idea of a work of art is still considered, to be „superior“ to the „shallow“ technical realisation. This in turn gives rise to a further problem – the too facile entrusting of the making of art objects to a specialist for technical realisation. This often means that the artist’s personal touch is lost. The problems described may sound speculative for a research paper, but I assure you that they are the result of long-term observation. I see a huge potential in bringing the practical relationship with the material environment to a more adequate basis.

Tinkering is usually considered as an intuitive artistic activity. The aim of my research was to create a systematic method of tinkering for the object theatre production process. The method should allow the performer with no previous experience to create personal performance partners, which in my artistic research appear as mechanical sound machines.

On 24 October, an innovative doctoral thesis was defended at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre: for the first time in Estonia, a doctoral-level study on the dramaturgy of virtual reality was written. Its author, junior researcher Ana Victoria Falcón Araujo, addressed the question of how writers can create plays that are intended to be staged (partly) in virtual reality. The supervisors were senior researcher Madli Pesti (pictured with Ana Falcón) and dramaturg Marion Jõepera, PhD. The opponent was Ágnes Bakk, Lead Researcher at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest.

Falcon’s interdisciplinary PhD thesis, “Drafting the VR Play: Exploring Extended Reality Theater to Propose a Method for Virtual Reality Playwriting”, brings together early forms of VR playwriting, existing writing conventions, academic literature and artistic experimentation. As a result of the work, the author highlights aspects that writers should take into account when writing a play to be staged in virtual reality. These are the user’s sense of presence in the virtual space (immersion), interactivity, point of view, and the technology used (such as the devices and accessories attached to the user’s head). The doctoral thesis explains and explores the development, concepts and practical uses of virtual reality, a highly topical and constantly evolving field.

During last weeks two important high level international competitions with long traditions took place.

7–14 October VIII Jāzeps Vītols International Piano Competition took place in Latvia. From video selection 32 participants from 13 countries were chosen to participate in the competition. EAMT Doctorate student Mantas Šernius (piano class of Prof Ivari Ilja) was awarded a finalist diploma, Bachelor student Tiit Tomp (piano class of Senior Lecturer Mihkel Poll) was among semi-finalists.

13–24 September X M.K. Čiurlionis International Piano and Organ Competition took place in Lithuania. From video selection 34 pianists and 23 organists from 22 countries were chosen to participate in the competition. Among pianists Master student Fortunato Salvador García Piquer (piano class of Prof Ivari Ilja and Senior Lecturer Mihkel Poll) passed to semi-finalis. Among organists a recent EAMT graduate Marten Meibaum (organ class of Prof Andres Uibo), who is active as a cellist, singer and organist passed to semi-finals.

Ana Victoria Falcon Araujo defends her doctoral thesis on 24 October at 14:30 room A-207 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Theatre):

“Drafting the VR Play: Exploring Extended Reality Theater to Propose a Method for Virtual Reality Playwriting”

Supervisors: Madli Pesti, PhD (EAMT), Marion Jõepera, PhD

Opponent: Dr. phil. Ágnes Karolina Bakk, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (Hungary)

The doctoral thesis is available HERE and in print in the EAMT library.

Abstract:

This dissertation is the first to propose a writing process and format for plays envisioned for
Virtual Reality. Also known as VR, Virtual Reality is a computer-generated three-dimensional medium in which the audience may interact using commands and physical movement (Ryan 2015: 15). By devising a workflow and format for VR theater, this artistic research aims to aid playwrights and screenwriters to draft plays for the ever-advancing Virtual and Extended Reality (XR) mediums.

The methodology of this dissertation consists of a literature review, autoethnography, and
practice as research. As part of exploring how to bring Virtual Reality elements onto the
page, this research describes the development of a writers’ workshop, a practical handbook,
an two Extended Reality (XR) plays with scenes set in 360° video and limited interactivity.

This artistic research concludes by proposing a development process to write stories in a
format denominated as VR play, which fulfills the function of a literary screenplay
(Szczepanik 2013: 86) in a Virtual Reality or Extended Reality theater production. Therefore,
the VR play marks the completion of the conception of the story and is the seminal source for production documents such as the director’s script, lighting floorplans, technical breakdown
of interactions, mood boards, storyboards, narrative path design, axis mapping of actions, and others needed to stage a Virtual Reality play.

This dissertation evolves traditional stagewriting and screenwriting to devise a format for the
ever-advancing Virtual and Extended Reality medium. By doing so, this artistic research
enables storytellers unfamiliar with VR—but familiar with the writing conventions of theater
and cinema—to grasp the narrative possibilities of Virtual Reality and find creative
fulfillment by drafting stories for it.

The European Union Youth Orchestra is looking for the new members!

All applicants for the 2023 Orchestra must be aged between 16 and 26 inclusive on 31 December 2023 and hold passports from one of the 27 European Union member countries. Precise rules and regulations are available here.

The auditions will take place in two rounds:

• Pre-audition for the strings will be on 24 November @13.00 in D-511. For the wind, brass and percussion, there will be 2 pre-auditons on 26 November @15.30-21.00 in C-405 and on 28 November @10.00-15.00 in the Great Hall;
• Final round on on 29 November 2023 at 10.00 in D-511.
  

Since the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre has been actively involved in helping students who are citizens of Ukraine and has offered study opportunities to war refugees arriving from Ukraine. Currently, 16 Ukrainians are studying at the academy.

Ukrainian students are invited to start or continue their studies at EAMT in the following academic year as well. According to the decision of the EAMT Senate, the tuition fee of Ukrainian students for English-language study programs is equal to the tuition fee of citizens of European Union countries. Studying in Estonian-language curricula is free. EAMT also offers language learning opportunities to all foreign students.

Additional information:
Liina Deutschler
liina.deutschler@eamt.ee

Psychological assistance:
Elina Kivinukk
EAMT psychologist
elina.kivinukk@eamt.ee

Additional information: https://kriis.ee/en/security-situation-europe/ukrainian-war-refugees

EAMT charity concerts in support of Ukraine

On 6 March 2022, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre organized a charity concert in support of Ukraine. The concert can be watched here.

On 14 and 16 March 2023 two charity concerts dedicated to Ukraine took place in the Great Hall of EAMT, more information here.

The new academic year of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre begins on 28 August.

10:00 opening meeting of the academic year for the academy faculty and staff will be held at the Great Hall.

12:00 opening ceremony for new students at the Great Hall, followed by introductory meetings (information about the start time and room will be sent by the head of studies).

In addition, we are inviting all our first-year students to take part in the orientation week, which will take place from 28 August to 1 September. International students’ guideline can be found here.

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is announcing additional admission for a small number of study places for the academic year 2023‒2024 in the following curricula:

• Choral conducting (Bachelor’s Studies, Master’s Studies)
• Woodwind and brass (Bachelor’s Studies, Master’s Studies)
• Keyboard (Bachelor’s Studies, Master’s Studies)
• Early Music (Master’s Studies)
• Contemporary improvisation (Master’s Studies)

Applications and other documents must be submitted by 20 August via e-mail to: vastuvott@eamt.ee.

Application form is here.

Entrance examinations will take place from 21 to 25 August.

The renowned Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks will give a lecture on Monday, May 22 at 12:00 in the Organ Hall of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, which will be followed by a composition masterclass in class B-201 from 14:00 to 17:00.

The music of Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks is often associated with his country’s struggle for independence. Indeed, one of his best-known works, the symphony Voices composed in 1990-1991, symbolically and historically reflects Latvia’s final steps to freedom. Deeply rooted in the rich folk tradition of Latvia, Vasks’ haunting composition invites the listener on a cyclical journey from the timeless beauty of nature’s voices emerging from silence to the heartrending cacophony of despair and back to the tranquility of silence. Critics who discuss Vasks in the context of his Latvian inspiration and artistic debt to Witold Lutoslawski nevertheless acknowledge his originality, his characteristic soulfulness, and melodic subtlety, as well as a universality of expression that identifies Vasks as a major European composer.

Born in 1946, Vasks, who studied the double bass at the Lithuanian State Conservatory from 1964 to 1970, worked as an orchestra musician in the 1960s and 1970s. Vasks studied composition with Valentinus Utkins, at the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga, graduating in 1978. Working as a composer since the late ’70s, Vasks has forged an original musical style, which commentators have described as spiritual, powerfully evocative, and richly expressive. Vasks’ entire oeuvre is informed by the tragic dichotomy between humanistic ideals, symbolized by the vastness of nature and the historical realities of violence and despair. Vasks teaches composition at the Emil Darzins Music School in Riga. His works include Cantabile (1979), Musica Dolorosa for string orchestra (1983), and Lauda (1986), for orchestra.

EAMT master’s student Otto Iivari’s ambisonic work “Weightless” won the second place in the International Sonosfera Ambisonic Competition (ISAC) 2023 in Pesaro, Italy. The awards ceremony and the final acousmatic concert will take place on June 9th in Pesaro, Italy, in the Sonosfera deep listening theatre.

Given the very high number of candidates from 26 countries, the outstanding artistic and technical quality of the submissions, the non-standard 3D-audio listening venues needed for the evaluation of each piece, the preliminary, intermediate and final anonymous selection was for the jury extremely difficult and competitive. The results were as follows:

1st PRIZE: “Khemenu” by Nikos Stravropoulos
2nd PRIZE: “Weightless” by Otto Iivari
3rd PRIZE: “ní nán” by Wey Yang
1st Mention: “Scène aux champs” by Jean Marc Duchenne
2nd Mention: “La porta nel dado” by Jakob Gille

ISAC competition is based on an idea of Eugenio Giordani, emeritus professor of Electroacoustic Music Composition at the Conservatory G. Rossini of Pesaro, who imagined a competition for the Sonosfera in early 2020 just before the first wave of the pandemic. Eugenio passed away due to Covid-19 on April 4th 2020. As Director of LEMS (Laboratorio Elettroacustico per la Musica Sperimentale founded in 1971) for more than 40 years, Giordani has been the master and inspiration of several generations of electroacoustic composers, among whom all the organizers of this ISAC-2023 competition. Together with David Monacchi, Eugenio was the promoter of SPACE (Soundscape Projection Ambisonic Control Engine) the first 21.1 full-periphonic studio and listening venue in Italy, a facility built specifically for 3D-audio production and music composition, opened to the public in 2013. ISAC competition is thus permanently dedicated to Eugenio Giordani, whose work and tools in musical informatics, sound engineering and aided electroacoustic composition still inform current practices of composers and sound designers on a local and global scale. Learn more: https://isac-pesaro.github.io/

Otto Iivari’s works have been internationally recognized several times before: in the fall of 2022, “Thở” was recognized with a gold medal at the VI European Student 3D Audio Competition, the same work won the audience’s favorite title at the “Audio mostly” conference. In spring of 2022, the work “Dunes” was mentioned at the 15th International Destellos Electroacoustic Composition Competition in Argentina.

Otto Iivari’s compositions “Thở” and “Weightless” can be heard in an ambisonic sound environment at the concert exam for graduates of electroacoustic composition on June 2 at 7 p.m. in the EAMT black box.