44. The Establishment of the CMRC—KSYME in Athens: A Virtual Exhibit
Nickos Harizanos, Katerina Tsioukra, and Dana Papachristou1
© 2024 Nickos Harizanos, Katerina Tsioukra, and Dana Papachristou, CC BY-NC 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0390.46
The Contemporary Music Research Center (CMRC)—Κέντρο Σύγχρονης Μουσικής Έρευνας (KSYME) was founded in 1979 by Iannis Xenakis, John G. Papaioannou (1915–2000),2 and Stephanos Vassileiadis (1933–2004)3 in Athens. The fundamental goals behind the creation of the Center were the research and the development of electroacoustic music in Greece, with pioneering musical equipment such as Xenakis’s UPIC (Unité Polyagogique et Informatique de CEMAMu (Centre d’Études de Mathématique et Automatique Musicales)). Obtaining sufficient financial resources to finance these goals took seven years and the Center was officially inaugurated in 1985, the same year as the founding of Les Ateliers UPIC by Xenakis in France.4 KSYME has been and remains active in the musical, cultural, and scientific life of Greece.
Virtual Exhibition
The following virtual exhibition shows the genesis of the founding of KSYME and showcases many photographs, images, and other important documents from our archives in Athens: https://ksyme.omeka.net/exhibits/show/the-establishment-of-the-cmrc-
References
WEIBEL, Peter, Brümmer, Ludger, and KANACH, Sharon (eds.) (2020), From Xenakis’s UPIC to Graphic Notation Today, Berlin, Hatje Kantz, https://zkm.de/en/from-xenakiss-upic-to-graphic-notation-today
1 Thanks also to Costas Mantzoros for his invaluable input.
2 John G. Papaioannou, amateur musicologist, professional architect, and city planner.
3 Stephanos Vassileiadis, composer of orchestral and electronic music, pedagogue, choral conductor, and admirer of the many textures and timbres of Greek folk music and Greek Orthodox chant.
4 Weibel et al., 2020, in general, and in particular, Alain Després’s chapter (p. 142–57).