The University of Mary Washington
Music Department
Presents:
The Vocaloid Phenomenon:
Vocal Synthesis and Sample Concatenation
An Original Composition & Lecture Recital
By Cole Masaitis
TBA, April, 2017 at TBA
TBA, University of Mary Washington
Presentation and Untitled (TBA)……………………………………………………………………………………………Cole Masaitis
Cole Masaitis, Guitar
Danny Arslan, Piano
Caroline Flynn, Vocals
Drake Dragone, Violin
Luke Payne, Cello
Alex Rodríguez, Bass
Austin O’Rourke, Drums
NOTES:
Untitled was written to portray the beauty behind the imperfections of both human and Vocaloid singing, and inspired by growing up and being consumed by technology.
In the early 2000s, a man by the name of Hideki Kenmochi began a research project at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain. Following his time at university, Yamaha Corporation funded his research which allowed for the further development of his creation, which eventually came to be known as the worldwide phenomenon called “Vocaloid”. Vocaloid employs sample concatenation that replicates the human voice. It began only being able to pronounce vowels, and by the year 2003, the team released their product which was now able to sing simplistic words. In this lecture recital, a demonstration will be made on vocal synthesis software Vocaloid, through analysis of how it works, a brief history, and by employing its use in a lecture recital performance of an original composition consisting of Vocaloid synthesis accompanied by modern instruments.
PERFORMER BIOS:
Cole Masaitis is a guitarist, composer, writer, and a graduating senior studying music at the University of Mary Washington. He aspires to compose score, and be a sound designer for visual media, with an affinity towards video game music. During his time at UMW, he studied composition under Dr. Mark Snyder and guitar under Bruce Middle. Cole is a published Staff Writer at the UMWBlue and Gray Press, and has experience inbooking concerts, performing live music, composing musical works, and audio production.His music has been described as “haunting, bittersweet, and nostalgic” and is largely influenced by musicians such as Joe Hisaishi, Tiny Moving Parts, Yasunori Mitsuda, and many more.
Danny Arslan, a college student and aspiring musician, has been playing piano since the age of 3. A notable performance, the Hot Cross Buns concerto in A minor, can be found in links section of his website.
Caroline Flynn, (Bio TBA)
Drake Dragone is a composer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist from Richmond, Virginia. Currently studying Music Composition at the University of Mary Washington, Drake is honing in his musical skills studying under Mark Snyder while living in Fredericksburg. His compositions have been called “transporting“, and “refreshing.”
Luke Payne is a junior at the University of Mary Washington where he is pursuing a double major in music and computer science. A resident of King George County, he has been involved in many orchestras and chamber ensembles in the Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia area. He currently plays with The University of Mary Washington Philharmonic,The University of Mary Washington String Quartet, The Rappahannock POPS and the Payne Quartet. He has studied cello with Christine Hartigan, Gerald Fowkes, James Forry, and Ken Law.
Alex Rodríguezcurrently plays bass in the University of Mary Washington Philharmonic and Jazz Ensemble. Along those ensembles, he performs in a horn band and a cover/fusion band. He has performed in concerts starring famous musicians like Itzhak Perlman and Michael Feinstein.
Alex has worked for multiple guitar shops where he learned the basics of guitar and orchestral string maintenance and picked up many tricks of the trade.
Austin O'Rourke is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, sound designer, electronic music producer and recipient of the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award in 2015. He was born in Culpeper, Virginia and is studying music composition with Mark Snyder at the University of Mary Washington.