Electronic Music Week kicks off in Shanghai

An electronic music show at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music over the weekend marked the opening of this year's International Electronic Music Week. [Photo/cntv.cn]

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An electronic music show at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music over the weekend marked the opening of this year's International Electronic Music Week.

It looked just like an ordinary concert, but it sounded very different. Composers were using computers and audio mixers to enhance traditional musical instruments and create something listeners had never heard before.

In this piece, American composer Howard Kenty was working with a Chinese violinist to mix the sound of a violin and electronics.

"My piece deals with people's controlling time. My piece is called We Have Less Time Than You Think. So the point of it is basically that we as humans are are trying to control time, but it is very difficult to. And oftentimes that we find that we have less time than we think both here and just on the small scale or the large scale," said Howard Kenty.

Electronic music originated in the 1950s and uses different kinds of technology such as electronic mixers and computer software to produce the music. One judge from Germany said the compositions this year were very creative.

"These are young composers and I think they are avoiding the stereotype of the past. And they are looking for something like a special expression that's working with all sorts of different styles and mixing them together," said Georg Hajdu, judge.

Organizers say they invited many electronic music composers from the United States, Germany and Japan to show off their pieces at this year's event. One Chinese composer said communication happens both on and off stage.

"Last time, I was sharing a room with an American composer. We were talking everything about electronic music and many other things like his piece and my piece. That helps us a lot," said Li Pengyun, Chinese Musician Association.

Organizers say besides the shows, the week will include forums, lectures and many other interactive events to promote electronic music.