Student research visit
12.11.2025
We would like to welcome a doctoral student researcher Mr. Champ Darabundit from McGill University! Mr. Darabundit will be staying at the IWK for a few weeks. During his visit, he will work on the physical modeling of woodwind instruments to study various aspects of their playability. In particular, the study will examine how structural modifications in the geometry of the mouthpiece may influence the instrument’s playability.
Participation at ISPS Shanghai
11.11.2025
At the International Symposium on Performance Science 2025 in Shanghai, two members of our department represented us. Werner Goebl delivered a keynote address titled "Gesture, gaze, and shared intent: How music ensembles shape time together". The presentation of Tim-Tarek Grund's research took place during the session entitled Multigenre Performance II, where he delivered a talk "Towards understanding performer eye gaze in live-electronic music performance".
New FWF research project: Let's Encode!
07.11.2025
We are very happy that the new research project Let's Encode! Crowd-Encoding and Validation of Music Scores has been approved and will be implemented at the IWK. The project, funded by the FWF, is led by David Weigl and will run for four years.
The Let's Encode! project will develop a decentralized, collaborative infrastructure for the semantic encoding and validation of musical notation in MEI format, with the aim of making digital scores accessible as a sustainable, machine-readable, and research-relevant resource for music practice and scholarship.
Research project at FOTO WIEN 2025
14.10.2025
The mdw is participating in this year’s FOTO WIEN 2025 with a photo exhibition "Sound of Insight" at the Future Art Lab. Alongside other photographers, the exhibition features the work of Stephan Polzer, who has documented various aspects of the research project Études for Live-Electronics. The exibition includes the sound installation "Cloud Hands" by Tim-Tarek Grund and Alex Hofmann. As part of the program, Tim-Tarek Grund will give an audiovisual performance for live electronics and live video projection "Velvet Occlusion" on October 18 at 7 PM, and Nyokabi Kariũki will host a Listening Session on the music of Egyptian composer Halim El-Dabh on October 21 at 6 PM at Klangtheater of the Future Art Lab.
New equipment – new research
13.10.2025
We are delighted to be able to launch a study on the verification and material selection of 3D-printed bridges in comparison to the original wooden ones. We have mounted our new automatic impulse hammer on the robot arm and are eagerly awaiting the results. What we already know: never before have we been able to excite an instrument to vibrate with such a high frequency bandwidth and such reproducibility!
Interdepartmental Exchange between mdw and SHCM
26.09.2025
Representatives from the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the SHCM – Shanghai Conservatory of Music came together for an interinstitutional exchange. The meeting provided space for discussion on structural developments, institutional differences, ongoing research projects, and the interconnection between research and teaching.
Publication of Video "What is this sound?"
23.09.2025
Where physics meets music: Ever wondered what makes the cello sound so unique? Discover the fascinating physics behind bowed string instruments! Montserrat Pàmies-Vilà from the Department of Music Acoustics – Wiener Klangstil at mdw takes you on a journey through the acoustics of the cello, showing how the movement of the bow creates those amazing sounds.
Participation at SMC 2025
11.07.2025
The 22nd Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC 2025) takes place in Graz from July 7 to 12. Members of our institute actively participated in the conference and presented their current research work. David Weigl presented the contribution in the field of Music Performance Analysis (Jiang, Weigl and Goebl), while Tim Tarek Grund presented the research on "Cloud hands: Three Emanations of a Touchless Musical Assemblage" (Grund and Hofmann).
photo by Stephan Polzer/mdw
MAPPER Symposium at IWK
10.07.2025
The MAPPER – A Symposium on Music Acoustics for Performance Preparation and the Engagement with Repertoire in Live-Electronics, which took place on 1st and 2nd July at mdw Vienna, brought together artists, academics and technicians from Asia, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. During the symposium, 15 lecture-performances were presented, addressing topics such as music acoustics, new interfaces for musical expression, engagement with repertoire, and cross-cultural collaborations in the context of live electronics. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme fostered valuable discussions and highlighted innovative developments at the intersection of research, technology, and art.