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    • 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
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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

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abstract canvas painting with pronounced brush strokes.

Call for Papers Emergent and Convergent Scholar-Practitioner Worlds:

Improvisation and Social (In)Justice

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ImprovNotes Slide

ImprovNotes IICSI's monthly newsletter

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

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research library-graphic

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

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improvcommunity

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
Calling all creative folks! A call for papers is n Calling all creative folks! A call for papers is now open for the Jazz Research Journal 📝: Creative Practice in Jazz Research

"Jazz Research Journal invites submissions in a variety of formats: for example, 8,000-word essays, 1,200-word provocations, and reflective or creative writing with links to recorded and/or visual media. Musicians, with or without academic affiliation, are warmly invited to contribute, as are collaborations between academics and industry professionals (etc)."

Deadline to submit abstracts is next week (September 18th), so don't miss out! Learn more information via the link in our bio.

#callforpapers #jazzresearchjournal #research #jazz
A quick reminder that tomorrow is the final part o A quick reminder that tomorrow is the final part of the Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium event that IICSI is organizing. 

Much like today, Friday, September 15 has two events held at the MacKinnon Multipurpose Room at the University of Guelph. Researching Jazz will commence at 9am, followed up Playing Jazz at 10:30am.

Afterwards, stay with us at 1 pm for a performance by Certain Crafts in ImprovLab!

We hope to see you there!

Learn more through the link in our bio.

#IICSI #Guelph #Colloquium
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Critical Studies in Improvisation

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

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The ImprovLab

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

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ImprovLab rendering designed by Diamond-Schmitt Architects

AUMI

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

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AUMI - Adaptive Use Musical Instrument

IICSI Co-Presents Will Butler, Owen Pallett, and Luna Li at Hillside Festival 2023

IICSI is thrilled to announce our co-presentation of Will Butler, Owen Pallett, and Luna Li at…

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Event poster for the session IICSI's co-presentation at Hillside Festival 2023, taking place July 29, at 10:45 a.m. Headshots of the artists Will Butler, Owen Pallett, and Luna Lee are spotlighted left to right. The poster features images and texts advertizing the event sponsors.

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
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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

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