Robert Normandeau on the late Francis Dhomont - Making Waves

On today’s episode of "Making Waves," Montreal acousmatic composer Robert Normandeau talks about his late mentor Francis Dhomont. Dhomont came to Montreal from France in the late 1970’s where he composed the radiophonic piece “Sous le regard d’un soleil noir,” a piece so important to Dhomont that he counted this as his first-ever work even though he was already in his fifties. Acousmatic art has had a special relationship with radio, not only because state radio stations supported the first acousmatic studios, such as GRM at Radio France, but because radio provided a creative medium through which artists could bring together musical ideas and the written word. The show will be book-ended by movements from "Sous le regard d’un soleil noir." In between, Robert Normandeau will relate his first and last meetings with Dhomont, noting the influence and significance Dhomont had on the Montréal acousmatic scene and where acousmatic music is headed today. This monthly one hour program is about radio art and sound art, and is produced by New Adventures in Sound Art's Artistic Director Darren Copeland in South River, Ontario, Canada. The show features Canadian, US, and international artists creating sound-based media art. It focuses on the techniques, processes and motivations of the artists it features as well as individuals supporting the field through dissemination and curatorial activities. The show is a snapshot of what is happening in sound-based media art in the here and now from a northern perspective.