Half-heard sounds in the summer air: electroacoustic music in Wellington and the South Island of New Zealand

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of electroacoustic music in Wellington and the South Island of New Zealand. Electroacoustic music has a well-established tradition in New Zealand, dating back to Douglas Lilburn's pioneering work in the early 1960s. The Victoria University of Wellington Electronic Music Studios (VUW/EMS) that Lilburn established in 1966 became a focal point for electronic music activities in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This article examines current approaches to electroacoustic music composition, and discusses the facilities at Victoria University, the University of Canterbury and the University of Otago.