Ambrose Seddon

Dr Ambrose Seddon

  • Principal Academic in Music and Audio Technology
  • TA 131 Tolpuddle Annex
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Biography

I am a composer working in the fields of electroacoustic and electronic music. My recent outputs include multichannel acousmatic work, soundscape composition, immersive sound installation, and live performance with laptop and electronics. My music is available through Canadian label empreintes DIGITALes and German label Gruenrekorder.

After completing a BMus (Hons) in Music at Goldsmiths College, University of London, I composed, produced, and performed electronic music, which was released through a number of independent record labels. During this time, sonic experiments with field recording, hardware processing, and computer audio led me to discover the extensive possibilities of electroacoustic music. As a result, I then pursued an MA in Electroacoustic Composition, followed by a PhD in Music (electroacoustic composition) both at City, University of London, and both under the supervision of Professor Denis Smalley.

I supervise PhD projects here at BU, and welcome enquiries from potential students...

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Research

My research interests include electroacoustic composition, multi-channel and ambisonic approaches to composition, form and structure in electroacoustic music, and music analysis. I have presented at various international conferences and festivals including: International Computer Music Conference (ICMC); Sound & Music Computing (SMC); Electroacoustic Music Studies (EMS) Network conference; Klang! Festival, Montpellier; Sonorities Festival, Belfast; Visones Sonoras, Mexico City; and L'Espace du Son, Brussels.

I have been composer in residence at Elektronmusikstudion (EMS, Sweden, 2015, 2016, 2023), and at Visby International Centre for Composers (VICC, Gotland, Sweden, 2023 [forthcoming]).

My electroacoustic works are regularly performed internationally in concert and on radio, receiving numerous competition prizes and special mentions including:

• 1st Prize - Klang! Electroacoustic Composition Competition 2014

• 1st Prize - Visiones Sonoras Electroacoustic Music Composition Competition 2006

• 2nd Prize XI° Destellos International Competition of Electroacoustic Music 2018

• 2nd Prize - Klang! Electroacoustic Composition Competition 2019

• Finalist - Métamorphoses Acousmatic Composition Competition 2012

• European Region Composition Prize - ICMC 2007 (International Computer Music Conference)

I also create interactive sound installations, collaborate on immersive audiovisual projects, and perform as part of improvised live electronics ensemble NonRecursive.

Favourites

Journal Articles

Chapters

  • Seddon, A., 2016. Temporal recurrence in Andrew Lewis’s Penmon Point. In: Emmerson, S. and Landy, L., eds. Expanding the horizon of electroacoustic music analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 231-246.

Conferences

  • Seddon, A., 2021. Variability and the spatial setting: emergent properties and sound relationships in acousmatic music. In: Electroacoustic Music Studies Network Conference 2021 10-13 November 2021 De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. Electroacoustic Music Studies Network.
  • Seddon, A., 2018. Audible relationships in acousmatic music composition. In: CeNMaS Composers' Conference 27-29 April 2018 University of Sheffield.
  • Seddon, A., 2017. Some reflections on using video feedback at Bournemouth University. In: CELebrate 2017 - Assessment and Feedback 13 June 2017 Bournemouth University, UK.
  • Seddon, A., 2015. Notions of Landscape and Environment in Fleeting Strands. In: INTIME 2015 - Landscapes And Environments: Experimentation And Transformation In Sound And Music 24-25 October 2015 Coventry University.
  • Seddon, A., 2013. Trevor Wishart's Globalalia: Analytical Agendas, Initial Listenings and Question Marks. In: OREMA Symposium 4 11 July 2013 Leicester.
  • Seddon, A., 2012. Sound Material Correspondence and Temporal Relationships in Acousmatic Composition: Proposing a Taxonomy of Recurrent Phenomena. In: Electoacoustic Music Studies Network Conference (EMS) 11-15 June 2012 The Royal College of Music (Kungliga Musikhögskolan), Stockholm. Stockholm: Electroacoustic Music Studies Network.
  • Seddon, A., 2011. Developing a Taxonomy of Recurrence for Acousmatic Music: Sound Identity Correspondences. In: Sound Sight Space Play 8-10 June 2011 De Montfort University, Leicester.
  • Seddon, A., 2011. Investigating Recurrences in Andrew Lewis’s Penmon Point. In: Wolfe, M. and Hill, A., eds. Sound, Sight, Space and Play 2010 2-4 June 2010 De Montfort University Leicester. Leicester: Sound, Sight Space and Play Postgraduate Symposium for the Creative Sonic Arts.
  • Seddon, A., 2007. Recurrence in Acousmatic Music: Creative and Analytical Possibilities. In: EMS07 Electroacoustic Music Studies Network Conference 11-15 June 2007 De Montfort University Lecester. Leicester: Electroacoustic Music Studies Network.
  • Seddon, A., 2006. Approaches to Electroacoustic Composition. In: Visiones Sonoras Festival Internacional de Música Electroacoústica y Nuevas Tecnologías 18-26 September 2006 Morelia, Mexico.
  • Seddon, A., 2006. Recurrence and Sound Material Identity in Acousmatic Composition. In: Digital Music Research Network 22-23 July 2006 Goldsmiths College, University of London. Online London: Digital Music Research Network.

Performances

  • Seddon, A.. Pellere. 8-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. EARspace at HFWAS, Birmingham. 21 March 2015.
  • Seddon, A.. Pellere. Radio Broadcast. 5 January 2015.
  • Seddon, A.. Pellere. 8-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. New York City, USA. 27 June 2015.
  • Seddon, A.. Pellere. 8-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. ICMC/SMC2014, Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens, Greece. 17 September 2014.
  • Seddon, A.. Pellere. 8-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. Maison des Arts Sonores et La Chapelle Gély, 34070 Montpellier, France. 5 June 2014.
  • Seddon, A.. Fouram. stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. Centro Musica Contemporanea, Milan, Italy. 21 March 2014.
  • Seddon, A.. Fleeting Strands. stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. Symposium on Acoustic Ecology, University of Kent, Chatham, Kent, UK. 9 November 2013.
  • Seddon, A.. Secure. 16-channel audio. Bold Tendencies, Peckham, London. 3 August 2013.
  • Seddon, A.. Fleeting Strands. Stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. INTIME 2015 - Landscapes And Environments: Experimentation And Transformation In Sound And Music. 24 October 2015.
  • Davis, T., Troisi, A., Seddon, A., Thompson, B., Canning, R. and Chiaramonte, A.. NonRecursive. Performance. Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe: The Engine Room. 15 October 2015.
  • Davis, T., Troisi, A., Seddon, A., Canning, R., Thompson, B., Chiaramonte, A. and Borgo, D.. NonRecursive @ Symposium on Interagency in Technologically-Mediated Performance. Performance. Bournemouth University. 29 January 2016.
  • Seddon, A.. The Nowness of Everything. Stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. Dudley House, Bendigo, Australia. 2-4 September 2016.
  • Seddon and Seddon, A.. Pellere. 8-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. Bournemouth University. 9 November 2016.
  • Seddon, A.. Pellere. 8-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. Sound Image 2016, Greenwich University, London. 12-13 November 2016.
  • Seddon, A.. Fleeting Strands. Stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. BEAST FEAST 2017, University of Birmingham, UK. 29 April 2017.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. 4-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. Salle Molière, Opéra Comédie de Montpellier, Montpellier, France. 2 June 2017.
  • Seddon, A.. Fleeting Strands. Stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. Sound + Environment 2017, University of Hull. 29 June-2 July 2017.
  • Seddon, A.. 10_35_70. Stereo acousmatic sound, fixed media. Student Hall, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University. 2 May 2018.
  • Troisi, A., Davis, T., Amelidis, P. and Seddon, A.. nonRecursive. Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe: The Engine Room, The Old Fire Station. 1 May 2018.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. Stereo acousmatic sound. Sound and Music Computing Conference 2018, Rialto Theatre, Limassol, Cyprus. 4 July 2018.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. Multic-channel fixed media acousmatic sound. New York City, USA. 20 July 2018.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. Multic-channel fixed media acousmatic sound. L'Espace du Son Festival, Théâtre Marni, Brussels, Belgium. 24 October 2018.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. Fixed media acousmatic sound. Musicacoustica Festival, Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China. 26 October 2018.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. Fixed media, 4-channel acousmatic sound. Pontio, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales. 20 November 2018.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. 4-channel acousmatic sound. University of Greenwich. 27 January 2019.
  • Seddon, A.. Tipping Points. Sound installation. Bournemouth Natural Sciences Society. 4-5 May 2019.
  • Seddon, A.. Tipping Points [Bridport]. Multichannel sound installtion. Bridport Literary and Scientific Society, Bridport, Dorset. 6 July 2019.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. 4-channel acousmatic sound. BEAST FEaST 2019, University of Birmingham. 4 May 2019.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. 4-channel acousmatic sound. Convergence Conference/Festival of Music, Technology and Ideas. 12-15 September 2019.
  • Seddon, A.. Tipping Points. Site responsive interactive sound installation. Horniman Museum, Forest Hill, London, UK. 16-17 November 2019.
  • Seddon, A.. Reflecting Cau Cau and Parque Urbano el Bosque. Ambisonic sound. University of Limerick, Ireland. 4 July 2022.
  • Seddon, A.. 'Pellere' at Klang! Festival of electroacoustic and contemporary music 2022. acousmatic sound 8-channel. Opéra Comédie, Salle Mollière, Montpellier, France. 4 June 2022.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play at Klang! Festival of electroacoustic and contemporary music 2022. 4-channel acousmatic sound. Opéra Comédie, Salle Mollière, Montpellier, France. 4 June 2022.
  • Seddon, A.. Reflecting Cau Cau and Parque Urbano El Bosque. ambisonic sound. The Historic Dockyard, University of Kent, Chatham, Kent. 29 October 2022.
  • Seddon, A.. Reflecting Cau Cau and Parque Urbano El Bosque. Ambisonic electroacoustic sound. Campus Los Canelos de la Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile. 5 October 2023.
  • Seddon, A.. Traces of Play. 4-channel acousmatic sound, fixed media. Visby, Sweden. 27 January 2024.

Compositions

Artefacts

PhD Students

  • Antonino Chiaramonte. Audio-visual relationships and the use of electroacoustic sounds as a main compositional source for producing a soundtrack, (In progress)
  • Dennis Braunsdorf, 2021. Composing with flexible phrases: the impact of a newly designed digital musical instrument upon composing Western popular music for commercials and movie trailers, (Completed)
  • Arnold Marinissen, 2022. The composition of concert music within the Digital Audio Workstation environment, (Completed)

Profile of Teaching UG

  • Composing Using Technology
  • Production Techniques 1
  • Creative Music Technology
  • Creative Music and Audio Technology
  • Production Techniques 2
  • Composing Using Technology
  • Studio Techniques
  • Individual Project - supervision 2014–present
  • Composition 2
  • Production Portfolio

External Responsibilities

Internal Responsibilities

  • Programme Leader: BSc Music & Sound Production Technology, Department of Creative Technology

Journal Reviewing/Refereeing

  • Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, Anonymous peer review, 01 Jun 2023
  • Jury member: International Destellos Competition of Electroacoustic Music, Anonymous peer review, 25 Mar 2022
  • Organised Sound: an international journal of music and technology, Postpublication review, 01 Jul 2021
  • Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, Anonymous peer review, 01 Jan 2020

Public Engagement & Outreach Activities

  • BU Sonic Arts Concert featuring Louise Rossiter (03 May 2023)
  • BU Sonic Arts concert featuring Suk-Jun Kim (07 Dec 2022)
  • BU Sonic Arts Concert: Music from the Soundlapse Project (23 Mar 2022)
  • BU Sonic Arts concert: music for piano and electronic sound featuring Dr Xenia Pestova Bennett (University of Nottingham) performing Karlheinz Essl’s Gold.Berg.Werk (04 Mar 2020)
  • BU Sonic Arts Concert: visual music and multichannel electroacoustic music by Dr Andrew Knight-Hill, Natasha Barrett, Paula Fairfield, Bethan Kellough, and BU PGR Antonino Chiaramonte (12 Feb 2020)
  • Concert of electroacoustic music featuring Prof David Berezan and Dr Manuella Blackburn (27 Mar 2019)
  • Concert of music for harp and electronics featuring Dr Úna Monaghan (University of Cambridge) (30 Jan 2019)
  • BU Sonic Arts concert featuring featuring Dr Brona Martin and Dr Orestis Karamanlis alongside students from the Composing Using Technology unit (05 Dec 2018)
  • Elecroacoustic music concert featuring Dr Owen Green and researchers from University of Huddersfield (17 Oct 2018)
  • Electroacoustic music concert featuring BU UG and PG students (02 May 2018)
  • Electroacoustic music concert featuring Dr Annie Mahtani (University of Birmingham) (28 Feb 2018)
  • Outreach and course promotion (06 Nov 2017)
  • Electroacoustic music concert: Cello and electronics featuring Dr Alice Eldridge and Dr Chris Kiefer (University of Sussex), Dr Thomas Gardner (UAL), Dr Tom Davis (BU) and Laura Reid (independent) (01 Nov 2017)
  • Bournemouth and Poole College visit to BU (13 Oct 2017)
  • Visiting talk at Bournemouth Academy of Modern Music (13 Oct 2017)
  • Highcliffe School visit to BU campus (11 Oct 2017)
  • SChoold outreach (03 Oct 2017)
  • Visiting talk at Brockenhurst College (02 Oct 2017)
  • Outreach and course promotion (25 May 2017)
  • Electroacoustic music concert featuring BU composers Panos Amelides, Ambrose Seddon and Antonino Chiaramonte (09 Nov 2016)
  • NonRecursive (14 Oct 2015)

Attended Training

  • Avid Certified User Pro Tools, 15 Apr 2021, Avid Certified User Pro Tools
  • Supervisory Development Training for Established Supervisors, 10 Jun 2019
  • Programme Approval and Review training, 16 Mar 2018
  • Bournemouth University Research Council Development Scheme (RCDS), 07 Mar 2018
  • Academic Career Pathway (ECR): Becoming a Research Leader. Personal Development Skills for New and Aspiring Research Leaders, 27 Feb 2018
  • Supervisor Training: New Supervisors, 10 May 2016, Certificate of Doctoral Training

Qualifications

  • PG Cert in Education Practice (Bournemouth University, 2016)
  • PhD in Music (electroacoustic composition) (City University, London, 2013)
  • MA in Composition (electroacoustic) (City University, London, 2002)
  • BMus (Hons) in Music (Goldsmiths College, University of London, 1996)

Honours

  • 2nd prize: Klang! Electroacoustic Composition Competition, Montpellier, France (Klang! Electroacoustic Composition Competition, Montpellier, France, 2019)
  • 2nd Prize XI° Destellos International Competition of Electroacoustic Music 2018 for the acousmatic work 'Traces of Play' (Destellos Foundation, Argentina, 2018)
  • Finalist: Métamorphoses 2018 Acousmatic Composition Competition (Musiques et Recherches, Belgium, 2018)
  • Finalist: Metamorphoses competition for acousmatic music composition (Musiques & Recherches, Belgium, 2018)
  • 1st prize: Klang! Electroacoustic Composition Competition, Montpellier, France (2014)
  • Special Mention: Métamorphoses 2012 Acousmatic Composition Competition (2012)
  • Special Mention: Foundation Destellos International Competition of Electroacoustic Composition and Visual-Music (Destellos Foundation, Argentina, 2010)
  • European Region Composition Prize: ICMC 2007 (International Computer Music Conference) (2007)
  • 1st prize: Visiones Sonoras Electroacoustic Music Composition Competition, Mexico (2006)
  • Pré-sélection: 33e Concours International de Musique et d’Art Sonore Electroacoustiques Bourges, France (Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB), 2006)
  • 32e Concours International de Musique et d’Art Sonore Electroacoustiques Bourges, France (Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB), 2005)

Memberships