Achievements and Distinctions

Michael Alcorn undertook postgraduate studies in composition with John Casken at University of Durham in the mid-1980s before joining the School of Music at Queen’s in 1989 as Composer-in-Residence. He devised and developed the Music Technology pathway at Queen’s and led the successful bid to develop the Sonic Arts Research Centre at the University. He was Director of SARC from its inception in 2001 until it joined forces with the School of Music in 2005. He is now Professor of Composition and Head of the School of Music & Sonic Arts at Queen’s, in addition to the following external roles:

Music Co-ordinator, International Computer Music Association (2003 - 2007)
At Large Director, International Computer Music Association (2003 - )
Director of Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annamakerrig
External examining at Glasgow, Manchester, Lancaster, City, Maynooth, Trinity College Dublin


Research Interests

Michael Alcorn’s compositional interests lie at the intersection between instrumental, electroacoustic music and areas of new media creative practice. His music has been performed and broadcast in the UK, Europe, North and South America and the Far East and featured at leading new music festivals in Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland and the US. He has received commissions from the BBC, The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Nash Ensemble, Singcircle, the Smith Quartet, Darragh Morgan, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Opera Theatre Company and the Ulster Orchestra.


Current Work

Ensemble work for the Crash Ensemble (for performance in 2009 (tbc))
Large-scale ensemble work using eScore (for performance in 2008)

Selected Publications

• 2006: Leave no Trace (for string quartet, live electronics and real-time score) Commissioned by Miso Music for the Smith String Quartet Premiere: Smith Quartet, Madrid, Nov 2006
• 2005: Psallo (Harp & live electronics) Commissioned by the 2005 World Harp Congress Premiere: Ann Yeung, Dublin, 2005, World Harp Congress
• 2005: Deconstructions in Metal I & II, Thin Air (recycled percussion and live electronics) commissioned by the British Council for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and premiered in the St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valetta, Malta in November 2005
• 2005: Parallax (percussion & live electronics) commissioned by the British Council for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and premiered in the St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valetta, Malta in November 2005
• 2003: Synapse (National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland) Commissioned by Radio Television Ireland (RTE) Premiere: National Concert Hall, Dublin, 10th January 2003 live transmission Lyric FM, BBC Radio
• 2001: Off the Wall (String Quartet) Commissioned by the New Helsinki String Quartet Premiere: Tampara Festival, Finland, September 2001
• 2001: Crossing the Threshold (violin & live electronics) Commissioned by Darragh Morgan Premiere: Tabernacle Theatre, London
• 2000: Resonant Air (tape) Commissioned by the Galway Arts Festival Premiere: Galway Arts Festival, August 2000
• 1998: Patina (eight-channel tape) Sonorities Commission Premiere: Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast 14 May 1998
• 1997: Macha’s Curse (orchestra) Commissioned by the BBC for the Ulster Orchestra Premiere: Waterfront Hall 2 May 1997 BBC Radio 3 & RTE FM3 live transmission
• 1994: The Old Woman of Beare (string quartet & IRCAM signal processing workstation) Commissioned by the Xebec Corporation, Japan for the Smith String Quartet First performance: Smith String Quartet, 29 November 1994, Xebec Hall, Kobe, Japan
• 1992: A Slow Dance (music theatre work for four singers, tape and live electronics) Commissioned by Greater London Arts for Singcircle First Performance: St Giles Church, Barbican, London, 1992
• 1990: Perichoresis (wind quintet) Commissioned for Nash Ensemble by Belfast Music Society First performance: University of Ulster, Coleraine 1990, Nash Ensemble First broadcast: BBC Radio 3, 1991, Nash Ensemble
• 1989: Making a Song and Dance... (piano, clarinet, 'cello, violin) Commissioned by 1989 Sonorities Festival First performance: 1989 Sonorities Festival, Sequenza Ensemble European Première: Aarhus, Denmark, 1990 European Broadcast Première: Danish National Radio, Capricorn, 1990

Future Research

Realtime score systems
New media practice