Michael Alcorn facts for kids
Michael Alcorn (born on January 22, 1962) is a talented musician and professor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He teaches music at Queen's University, Belfast and is also a composer who creates his own music.
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Michael Alcorn's Journey in Music
Michael Alcorn was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is a professor at Queen's University, Belfast. He also directs the School of Music and Sonic Arts there. This school focuses on studying and creating music, especially with new technologies.
His Education and Early Career
Michael studied music at the University of Ulster. He then earned a special degree called a PhD in composition. He got this degree from the University of Durham, where he studied with a famous composer named John Casken.
In 1989, Michael became a "composer-in-residence" at Queen's University, Belfast. This means he was a composer who worked and taught at the university. He still teaches music there today.
Music, Technology, and Research
Michael is very interested in how new technologies can be used to make music. He helps to promote these new ways of creating sounds. In 2001, he became the director of SARC. SARC stands for the Sonic Arts Research Centre. It is a special place at Queen's University where people research and experiment with sound and music.
He has also visited other famous universities to share his knowledge. He was a visiting composer at Stanford University in the United States. He also visited Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. These visits helped him share ideas about music and technology with others.
His Musical Creations
Michael Alcorn creates many different kinds of music. Some of his music is for regular musical instruments. Other pieces are for "electro-acoustic" performances. This means they use electronic sounds, sometimes mixed with live instruments or pre-recorded sounds.
His music has been played and broadcast around the world. People have heard his compositions in the UK, across Europe, in North and South America, and even in the Far East.
Leading Downshire Brass
Besides his work at the university and as a composer, Michael Alcorn also leads a musical group. He is the Musical Director of Downshire Brass. This shows his passion for both creating and performing music.
