The Gassmann Electronic Music Studios are comprised of laboratories at UCI for the research, production, and pedagogy of electronic, electroacoustic, and computer music. The Gassmann Electronic Music Series presents free, public concerts and events focused on electronic, electro-acoustic and computer music. The studios and events are both part of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California, Irvine, and are named in honor of composer Remi Gassmann, who bequeathed his estate to UC Irvine for the purpose of creating a laboratory for research in electronic music.
In 1996, Professor Christopher Dobrian joined the faculty of the UCI Music Department and began implementing this gift, serving for the following 25 years as Director of the Gassmann Electronic Music Studios and Gassmann Electronic Music Series. Thanks to the Professor Dobrian’s extensive work in those roles, the studios grew to include a wide range of specialized laboratories and spaces, and the series presented 24 years of concerts, lectures and workshops on diverse forms of electronic, electro-acoustic and computer music, all public events with free admission.
Research and creative work in electronic music has also flourished at UCI thanks to the activity of faculty and students in the Music Department’s graduate program in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology, a novel program that was established as an MFA degree in 2008 and converted to a PhD in 2015.
Beginning in 2023, concerts and events supported by the Gassmann endowment are part of the Department of Music’s regular season offerings, including concerts by students and faculty in the ICIT PhD program as well as guest artists. We hope you will join us for future concerts and events!
Michael Dessen
Professor, Department of Music, UC Irvine
Director of the Gassmann Electronic Music Series and Studios