Conference Focus
Gottfried Michael Koenig · James Tenney · ICSC 2026
Focus
This year marks the centenary of the birth of Gottfried Michael Koenig (1926-2021), as well as the fifth anniversary of his passing. Beyond being a central figure in electronic music, Koenig engaged with Csound in his later years: first while revising his Essay (1957), which was included for a period among the QuteCsound/CsoundQT examples, and later in the composition of his final works, Polychromie (2001) and Polytonie (2010).
Moreover, 2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of James Tenney (1934-2006). Tenney was among the first major composers to employ digital audio programming languages such as MUSIC III, a foundational system in the lineage that would later lead to Csound. From Analog #1 (1961) to For Ann (rising) (1969), his work represents one of the earliest stages of a trajectory that continues to inform contemporary practice.
In light of these anniversaries, the conference aims to highlight, as a conceptual fil rouge across dedicated paper sessions and concerts, selected aspects of their output. Despite their markedly different aesthetic orientations, their works reveal significant correspondences and points of reflection.
Their contributions engage with a wide range of topics, including electronic music composition and theory, as evidenced in writings such as Tenney’s Computer Music Experiences 1961-64 and Koenig’s The Construction of Sound, as well as conventional and non-conventional sound synthesis, algorithmic composition, voltage-controlled synthesis, and music programming.
We encourage submissions, both musical and scientific, that engage with the themes, methods, and perspectives emerging from the work of Gottfried Michael Koenig and James Tenney.