Perception and Analysis of Orchestration Through the Lens of Auditory Grouping Principles

Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 4:00pm CDT

McClintock Choral and Recital Room

Presented by Stephen McAdams, PhD, McGill University 

Professor McAdams is interested in auditory perception and cognition in everyday and musical listening. The primary emphasis of his research is on psychophysical techniques capable of quantifying relations between the properties of vibrating objects, acoustic signals, or complex messages and their perceptual results. A long-term goal of his research is to provide empirical data allowing the integration of lower- and higher-level auditory processes. His current work is focused on developing a perceptually grounded theory of orchestration practice. McAdams was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2022 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Music Perception and Cognition in the same year.