History of the Studios

The computer music studios at Hanyang University were founded in 1996 by composer Donung Lee. The original studio consisted of just a small workstation comprised of a computer, mixer and stereo monitors, and was made available to interested composition students at the university. By 2001, graduate students in composition could choose an emphasis in computer music for their degree.

In 2004 the New Media Music program was established as a graduate degree program in its own right, in response to the need from students wishing to focus specifically in the domain of electronic and computer music, either as composers, recording artists or music technology researchers. At this time, its studios were expanded, not only with computers, software and audio equipment, but also with a more prominent physical location within the buildings that comprise the Hanyang University School of Music. In the handful of years that the program has existed, the studios have become a fertile environment for courses, workshops, concerts, seminars, musical research and the creation of new music in the context of today’s media technology.

The New Media Music program and its studios collaborate closely with the faculty composers of the Hanyang School of Music’s Composition Department, as well as with faculty from the instrumental performance, and traditional Korean music performance programs. Together they strive to promote new and creative music in all its forms, whether purely acoustic music for western or traditional Korean instruments, or music integrating electronic and computer-based technology.