Skip to content Skip to navigation
IICSI
Menu
  • About IICSI
    • Welcome from our Director Ajay Heble
    • History
    • Research Areas
    • Community Engagement & Partnerships
    • Team
      • Team (Currently Active)
    • Organigram
    • Research Opportunities & Employment
      • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 2019-2020
      • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 2022-2023
      • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 2023-2024
      • Postdoctoral Fellowship Application – Frequently Asked Questions
    • Reflections
    • Contact Us
  • Graduate Programs
    • About
    • Students
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Calls for Papers
    • Calendar
    • ImprovNotes Newsletter
      • ImprovNotes Archive
  • Workshops & Conferences
    • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2023
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2019
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2018
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2017
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2016
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2015
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2014
      • Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium 2013
    • McGill Colloquium
      • McGill Colloquium 2021
      • McGill Colloquium 2017
      • McGill Colloquium 2016
      • McGill Colloquium 2015
      • McGill Colloquium 2014
      • McGill Colloquium 2013
    • Memorial University of Newfoundland Colloquium and Workshops
      • MUN Colloquium 2018
      • MUN Symposium 2017
      • MUN Colloquium 2016
      • MUN Colloquium 2014
      • Improvisation Think Tank 2014
    • University of British Columbia Colloquium
      • UBC Colloquium 2019
      • Improvising Forward: Persevere, Repair, Sustain
      • UBC Colloquium 2018
      • UBC Colloquium 2017
      • UBC Colloquium 2016
      • UBC Colloquium 2015
      • UBC Colloquium 2014
    • University of Regina Colloquium
      • University of Regina Colloquium 2017
      • University of Regina Colloquium 2015
    • Other Colloquia and Events
      • 2022 – Curating for Change: The Work that Music Festivals Do in the World
      • Athens 2018 – Space, Sound And The Improvisatory
      • 2016 – Colder Than Mars: Humanizing Data On The Prairies
      • 2015 – Improvisation, Collective Action, and the Arts of Activism
    • Musical Improvisation at Land’s End / Coin-du-Banc en folie
      • Collaborators & Sponsors / Collaborateurs & Partenaires
      • Schedule / Programme
      • Summary of Costs Per Participant / Sommaire du coût par participant
      • Faculty Bios / Biographies des Professeurs
      • Previous Editions of MILE Camp
      • Participants Photo Gallery
      • Contact Us / Contactez-Nous
    • Summer Institute / Institute d’été
      • Schedule / Programme
  • Research Sites
    • SSHRC PG – Improvising Futures, 2022–2027
    • SSHRC PG – 2013–2023
  • Research Projects
  • Research Library
Welcome from our Director, Ajay Heble.
A mix of bright colours: orange, yellow, green, blue, and pink

IF 2023: Restless Imagination, Improvising the New Normal

JOIN US FOR IF 2023 ON OCTOBER 20–21, 2023

Previous Slide Next Slide
abstract canvas painting with pronounced brush strokes.

Call for Papers Emergent and Convergent Scholar-Practitioner Worlds:

Improvisation and Social (In)Justice

Previous Slide Next Slide
ImprovNotes Slide

ImprovNotes IICSI's monthly newsletter

CfPs, features on IICSI projects, news related to improvisation research and performance & more!

Previous Slide Next Slide
research library-graphic

Visit our online Research Library of films, interviews, think pieces, articles, and more!

Previous Slide Next Slide

improvcommunity

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the lineup for th 🎉 We are thrilled to announce the lineup for the 4th annual edition of our 24-hour festival of improvised arts: IF 2023! Happening October 21–22, 2023, this free festival will feature improvised performances in Guelph’s newest state-of-the-art performance space, ImprovLab, and installations across campus and online through an all-night digital stream.

IF 2023 will feature world-renowned artists across all disciplines, including jazz legends Vijay Iyer (@vijayiyer) and Wadada Leo Smith (#wadadaleosmith); acclaimed bassist/singer Mali Obomsawin performing with her quartet (@maliobomsawin); visionary instrument builder and improvisational polymath Douglas R. Ewart (#douglasrewart) with Juno award-winning percussionist Jesse Stewart (@artstewrecords); two-time Governor General’s award-winning playwright Judith Thompson (#judiththompson) with trumpeter jashen edwards (@jashenedwards); Guelph’s  spoken word artist Truth Is ... (@truthisellipsis) performing in a world premiere context with drummer Marshall Trammell (@musicresearchstrategies); Dancetheatre David Earle (@davidearlearchive); pianist Marianne Trudel (@mariannetrudelmusique) and percussionist John Hollenbeck (@flexatone); vocal improviser Rhiannon (#rhiannonmusic); and more!
 
There’s sound installations by Milo Tamez (@tamez.milo) and Jerónimo Naranjo (@jeronimo.naranjo), and Jesse Stewart, and contributions from our partners around the globe, such as LASALLE College of the Arts (@lassallesingapore) and Sonic Arts Research Centre (#sonicartsresearchcentre). View the full lineup on the website now (link in bio)!

IF 2023 passes are available now via Eventbrite (link also in bio). While the festival is free for all, you are encouraged to reserve a pass as some performances will have limited spacing. 

IF 2023 is presented by IICSI, with support from Musagetes (@musagetesf), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (@sshrc_crsh), the Art Gallery of Guelph (@agguelph), CFRU 93.3FM (@cfru93.3), the College of Arts at the University of Guelph (@uofg_arts), and Lost Aviator Coffee (@lostaviatorcoffeeco).
Introducing our next Thinking Spaces event, happen Introducing our next Thinking Spaces event, happening Monday, October 2 at 2:00 pm EST! This talk will be led by Dr. Karamjeet Dhillon, an award-winning scholar who will discuss and share ideas about embodied ways of sensing, knowing and being in the world.

Dr. Dhillon has over a decade of experience in program evaluation, organizational change management, community curriculum programming and project development. She keenly documents the nature of lived experience through sensory ethnography and post-intentionality phenomenology. Her arts-based approaches include visual research within the framework of physical activity.

The event is free and will take place in-person at ImprovLab, University of Guelph. Registration is required to attend, so sign up now and learn more about the talk using the link in our bio!

#ThinkingSpaces #Guelph #IICSI #UofG #UniversityOfGuelph #SpeakerSeries #FreeEvents #guelphevents
Looking for a fun Friday night activity? If so, ch Looking for a fun Friday night activity? If so, check out the super cool project being presented by Theatre Studies alumni on September 29-30! 🎭 

Megan van der Merwe (producer/director, playwright) is putting on this event, happening at the Performance Theatre of the Art Research Centre in Guelph, and will last about two hours with a 15 min intermission. The main premise for the play is this: In 1947, six people find themselves in a gay bar. With the ghosts of WW2 nipping at their heels, all their lives converge and change.
 
"The Halcyon | A Workshop Presentation is the explorative proof of concept for what will hopefully one day be a full-scale production. Using in-kind donations and on-hand resources, the team has workshopped the play and put together a presentation that aims to communicate story, design ideas, and, above all else, possibility. Our team comprises University of Guelph alumni who have come together to create with the support of the university. We are all so excited to be back on campus and bringing stories to you."
 
P�lease note: This performance contains mature language, references to, and themes of racism, homophobia, war and discussions of the Holocaust.

Get your tickets now using the link in our bio!

#UofG #Guelph #GuelphEvents #Play #Halcyon
Don't miss out on this exciting event, happening n Don't miss out on this exciting event, happening next week at the Sonic Lab, Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC), Queen's University, Belfast! On Friday, September 29, professor Paul Stapleton will be discussing the role of improvisation in how we collaborate with people, places and things in music making and in everyday life.

This will be a fun and engaging discussion, so be sure to register ASAP! The event is free but you must reserve a spot ahead of time and you can do so by visiting the link in our bio

#IICSI ##queensuniversitybelfast #SARC #sonicartsresearchcentre #Improvisation
Applications for the Student Life Enhancement Fund Applications for the Student Life Enhancement Fund (SLEF) and the University of Guelph Alumni Association (UGAA) Student Experience Fund are now open!

Check out the following information:
 
"Do you or students you know of have a non-academic initiative they intend to participate in or provide to University of Guelph students – one that will enrich the student experience?
 
Approximately $100,000 is available through SLEF and the UGAA for the September 2023 allocation cycle for applications meeting the criteria!
 
Who is eligible? Recognized University of Guelph student organizations and clubs, registered students, and University departments are eligible to apply to the Student Life Enhancement Fund (SLEF) and University of Guelph Alumni Association (UGAA) Student Experience Fund!"

Application deadline: Friday, September 29, 2023, 9:00 am
(Late applications will not be accepted.) 
Reccomended to apply in Fall 2023 for any initiatives taking place throughout Fall 2023, Winter 2024 and Summer 2024.
 
For full details about funding eligibility and the application process, check out the link in our bio.

#Guelph #UofG #StudentExperience
Introducing our second Thinking Spaces for the fal Introducing our second Thinking Spaces for the fall: “POISE” with clarinetist François Houle & pianist/composer Benoît Delbecq! Join us on Monday, September 18th at 10am EST for an exciting discussion on musical compositions and improvisation 🎵

As the music unfolds, composition and improvisation seem to flow together into a dream-like continuum where jazz and new music meet. To reach this place, Delbecq and Houle have worked for years extending the techniques of their instruments and creating their own language of musical gestures for purposes of spontaneous musical composition.

This talk will take place in-person in ImprovLab, University of Guelph. Please note that registration is required to attend. Find out more and register for free using the link in our bio! ⭐

#ThinkingSpaces #Guelph #IICSI #UofG #UniversityOfGuelph #SpeakerSeries #FreeEvents #guelphevents
Follow on Instagram

Critical Studies in Improvisation

CSI-ECI is an open-access, peer-reviewed, electronic, academic journal.

Visit Site
CSI-Feature

The ImprovLab

Designed by Diamond-Schmitt Architects The ImprovLab will be our Institute’s research and performance facility at the…

Find Out More
ImprovLab rendering designed by Diamond-Schmitt Architects

AUMI

Adaptive Use Musical Instrument (AUMI) software interface and iOS App are new musical instruments that enable…

Learn More
AUMI - Adaptive Use Musical Instrument

IICSI Announces Lineup for IF 2023: 24-hour Festival of Improvised Arts

IF 2023 will feature world-renowned artists across all disciplines, including jazz legends Vijay Iyer and Wadada…

Read More
Graphic for IF 2023: Restless Imagination, Improvising the New Normal, featuring the artist lineup and sponsor images. Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith: A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke; Jesse Stewart & Douglas R. Ewart; Dancetheatre David Earle; Milo Tamez and Jerónimo Naranjo: Batería Suspendida; Marianne Trudel & John Hollenbeck: Dédé Java Espiritu; Endahl/Finley/Fraser/Robinson; Marshall Trammell & Truth Is...; Ed Sarath; Rhiannon: Swimming in the Vocal River; Judith Thompson & jashen edwards; Mali Obomsawin Quartet; with additional contributions from our partners: Sonic Arts Research Centre (Queen's University Belfast); the Guelph Comedy Festival; Audiopollination; LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore); Wavelength Music; Hillside Festival; UC Pogramming, University of Guelph; Upstream Music Association, and more. October 20-21. 24 hours.

The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) is a central source for the collection and dissemination of research on improvised creative practices.


The Institute's mandate is to create positive social change through the confluence of improvisational arts, innovative scholarship, and collaborative action.

Research Partners

  • Memorial University Memorial University
  • The University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia
  • University of Regina University of Regina
  • UCSB Center for Black Studies Research UCSB Center for Black Studies Research
  • University of Guelph University of Guelph
  • McGill University McGill University
  • Musagetes Musagetes
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Vimeo
  • Subscribe to our Enews
  • Sitemap
  • Subscribe to ImprovNotes

International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation
IICSI House, 9 University Avenue East, Guelph, ON, N1H 1M8
Tel: 519-824-4120 Ext. 53885 | [email protected]

Send mail to: 042 MacKinnon Building
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1
improv@uoguelph.ca

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

© 2023 International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation

Site by Barking Dog Studios