Dr Richard Orton
Richard Orton established the University’s Electronic Music Studio (EMS) in 1968. The studio began as a ‘classical’ tape studio, but later adopted the technologies of the voltage-controlled synthesizer, and digital systems. He proposed the Project teaching system which is still the basis of teaching at York, and which has been emulated by many University Music departments around the world. He established the Mediamix series of concerts, which combined performances of electro-acoustic compositions with film, dance and other performance media. He was a co-founder of the Composer’s Desktop Project, which placed affordable sound technologies on the individual composer’s desk, and developed musical composition software, which formed part of the CDP system. In 1992 he began working on his algorithmic composition language, Tabula Vigilans, designed for real-time performance.
On taking early retirement from the University of York in 1998, he was honoured by the University with a lifetime Emeritus Readership.
Website: http://www.uniqmusic.co.uk