Description

This fall event is envisioned as a moment of collective sharing and new perspectives for the entire CIRMMT community. The welcome session will open with brief presentations by two recently appointed Regular Members, who will share their research and its connection to the Centre’s mission. Following this, the Associate Directors will introduce the various programs available to all members, including the live@CIRMMT series, the Distinguished Lectures, upcoming events, funding opportunities, laboratory access, and other resources of interest. A delegation of professors and students from the Université de Sherbrooke will also be present on this occasion.

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Registration

Please register to attend using this MS form. Please note: attendees who would like to attend the reception portion must register by Friday October 17.

Program

• 16:30-17:05 — New member presentations with brief Q&A:
  • 16:30pm – Elizabeth Zimmerman
  • 16:45pm – Eliot Britton

• 17:05-18:00pm – Welcome for new members, presentation of the live@ program, lectures and events, usage of labs, and funding opportunities
  •  with Associate Directors Andrea Gozzi, UdeS, and Rachel Bouserhal, ETS

• 18:00-19:15pm – Reception

The live@CIRMMT concert in the MMR will take place at 19:30 and we invite you to reserve your seats via the registration form on the Espaces Connectés webpage

Abstracts & biographies

Elizabeth Zimmerman

Elizabeth Zimmermann is an Assistant Professor and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences. She received a PhD in Materials Sciences and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She was an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Scholar at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany) and a postdoctoral research at Shriners Hospital for Children-Canada. Her translational research aims to understand the relationships between tissue multiscale structure and function, using elements of engineering, bone biology, mechanobiology, and clinical imaging.

Abstract

The musculoskeletal system imparts movements to the body. This system is not a static feature but adapts its size and morphology to its function. At McGill, I am collaborating with researchers in the School of Music and clinicians in dentistry to quantify the health- and performance-related aspects of singing. Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is an umbrella term for disorders affecting masticatory muscles and/or temporomandibular joints (TMJs), with painful TMDs (pTMDs) occurring in 5-12% of the population. Jaw overuse is associated with increased risk of pTMD. Singers are occupational users of their head and neck; thus, singers are considered to be at risk of jaw overuse. It is unknown whether specific motor patterns are associated with the quality of singing and resulting vibrato, and if these learned muscle patterns allowing precise control are beneficial for oral health.

Eliot Britton

Dr. Eliot Britton is a composer-researcher whose hybrid practice links studio production, instrumental composition, and interactive media across formats including audiovisual performance, theatre, and touring orchestral/dance productions. His work draws on post-digital aesthetics to bridge communities and develop new approaches for score, screen, stage, and classroom.
Since 2024, Britton has been Associate Professor at McGill’s Schulich School of Music and co-director of the Digital Composition Studios. Current projects include a joint Toronto–Vancouver Symphony Orchestra commission: a 50-minute work for live electronics, orchestra, and life-size puppets.
From 2016 to 2023, he directed the University of Toronto Electronic Music Studios, overseeing its renewal and developing curriculum for the Music Technology and Digital Media and Composition areas. As co-PI, he secured a CFI award establishing the Centre for Brain Performance and Music Creation at the University of Toronto.

Abstract

Today’s post-scarcity creative economy is exhilarating and precarious. In this environment, the technical and artistic design of live electronics matters; it shapes trust, access, identity, and authorship. This talk reflects on recent research-creation projects. These integrate orchestral performance, dance, video, and interactive electronics through Indigenous-led collaboration. I will share practical methods, from synchronization systems and orchestration pressures to AI-assisted analysis, and corporate satire, revealing how choices affect rehearsal culture, audience experience, and knowledge translation. The aim is to show how careful design can bridge traditions and advance truth and reconciliation.