The University of Limerick has this month opened a new electronic music studio in the Digital Media and Arts Research Centre at the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems. 

The University of Limerick Electronic Music Studio (ULEMS) features a range of digital and analogue instruments and will support students of the BSc in Music, Media and Performance Technology and the BSc in Interaction Design undergraduate courses, as well as visiting Irish and international composers.

The centrepiece of the new studio is a newly commissioned Buchla 200e modular synthesizer and the facility also offers students and composers access to music technology tools and instruments by Roli, Schlappi Engineering, Nord, Doepfer and Eventide, as well as sophisticated recording and surround sound monitoring.

‘For over 25 years, UL has played a key role in the development of electronic and computer music in Ireland, supporting education, research and reaching out to the wider community through conferences, festivals and partnerships,’ said composer Jürgen Simpson, Director of UL’s Digital Media and Arts Research Centre. ‘We are delighted to present this new facility which offers students and guest artists a unique opportunity to explore the rich possibilities and heritage of electronic music instruments’.

ULEMS was officially launched during an event earlier this month which featured a talk by electronic music composer Roger Doyle and performances by Paddy Mulcahy, Sharon Phelan, Jürgen Simpson and Neil O’Connor, along with Jonathan Impett and Juan Parro Cancino from the Orpheus Institute, Belgium. 

It was also announced during the launch that the university’s Digital Media and Arts Research Centre will partner with the Contemporary Music Centre (CMC) to facilitate a composer-in-residence programme starting in 2025. The scheme will offer the opportunity to Irish and international composers to work in the new studio. 

Commenting on the partnership, Evonne Ferguson, Director of CMC, said: 

The opening of ULEMS marks an important moment for electro-acoustic compositional practice in Ireland, and is indicative of the vibrant new music scene in the midwest of the country. The new studio, and the wealth of expertise and experience at UL’s Digital Media and Arts Research Centre presents enormous potential for professional development, creative experimentation and artistic collaboration.

For further information, visit www.ul.ie.