Rob Canning
Musician, intermedia artist and educator
Biography
Rob Canning is an Irish musician, intermedia artist and educator. He has produced music for the concert hall, theatre, screen and dance productions as well as working in a range of site-specific and improvisational contexts. His compositions have been performed internationally and presented at conferences including ICMC (International Computer Music Conference), LAC (Linux Audio Conference) and NIME (New Interfaces for Musical Expression).
Since the late 90s, his work has relied solely on FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) for the realisation and implementation of projects. As a free culture advocate and educator he has worked closely with the GOTO10 media art collective, Openlab, London Hackspace and SPC medialab, as well as working for many years as a senior lecturer in Networked Digital Media in UK universities.
He holds a PhD in music composition from Goldsmiths University, London. He now lives and works in Slovenia, developing a rural art program at Rizoma, operating at the intersection of technology, permaculture and performing arts.
News
Performance: A Walk in Polygon Field — Ligeti Center, Hamburg
World premiere of work for interactive score, 2 to 4 musicians, live electronics and 8.1 sound diffusion. Performed by Ensemble 404 at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) 2026.
Workshop: Executable Scores — ICMC 2026, Hamburg
Executable Scores: Embedded Cue Semantics and Animated SVG Notation with Oscilla — International Computer Music Conference, Ligeti Center.
Paper: Scores That Run — ICMC 2026, Hamburg
Scores That Run: Graphic Notation with Embedded Performance Semantics — International Computer Music Conference, Ligeti Center.
Performance: What You Heard — mdw Vienna
What You Heard for one or more performers and electronics at the International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation (TENOR) 2026, 21–24 May. Built from textual prompts, sonic memory, and replayed recordings, realised using the Oscilla score environment.
Workshop: Oscilla — International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation
Evaluating Oscilla as a Performable Sound Score System — hands-on workshop exploring sound scores, listening-led notation, and executable graphic scores. TENOR 2026, mdw Vienna, 21–24 May.
Commission: Jasmina Križaj
New collaboration with dancer and choreographer Jasmina Križaj. Supported by NAGIB via the Slovenian Ministry of Culture.
Workshop: Beat by Byte — TOPLAP Live-Coding Lab
Mentor for live-coding workshop series with high school students from design and computer science programs. Collaboration between Zavod Polagoma, Zavod Rizoma, and Narodni dom. Supported by Mestna občina Maribor.
Paper: OscillaScore — International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation
R. Canning, OscillaScore: A Modular Platform for Graphic Notation in Networked Music Performance, Proceedings of TENOR 2025, Beijing.
Music
Full releases on Bandcamp · Archive.org
Software
Oscilla
Browser-based framework for animated, cue-driven graphic scores
gtr+
Augmented guitar with ESP32 and MPU6050
Parallaxis (legacy)
Scrolling score server with websockets and OSC (2010–14, superseded by Oscilla)
Nodescore (legacy)
Networked browser-based score for composition and improvisation (2010–14, superseded by Oscilla)
Dislocated Spaces
Site-specific score generation using acoustical analysis
Ophiuchus
SuperCollider performance instrument
Streamscapes
Urban drift performance with synchronised live audio streams
UHO
Database management and podcast automation scripts in Python
Recent Performances
Music Current Festival — Dublin
24.04.25 — 1:10,560 (6 inches to the Mile), intermedia score for electric guitar, synthesiser and e-drums (20–40'). Performed by Pony Says. Commissioned by Pony Says with funds from Irish Arts Council. Project Arts Centre.
VAKUM @ KIBLA
23.11.24 — Solo Performance (Electronics)
DISKOlektiv @ MKC Maribor
14.11.24 — Koreografija: Oblačila, collaboration with Barbara Kukovec
Better Live @ GT22
24.10.24 — Free improvisation with Hans Kjorstad, Sigrid Aftret, Christian Meaas Svendsen, Patrycja Wybrańczyk, Aphra Tesla
Sound Explicit @ Cukrarna
16.9.24 — Clockwork Voltage Improvising Sextet
FriForma #13 @ Gromka
28.2.24 — CANNING KIKIRIKI duo
Festival MFRU
13.10.23 — Solo closing concert, Gong Feedback and Tactus
Festival IZIS
12.10.23 — Ensemble with Vid Drašler, Samo Kutin, Lina Rica
Festival INDIGO
04.10.23 — Live Coding Supercollider, Mother32s, NeoPixels
Kamizdat RENTGEN
21.09.23 — Album release: Five Scenes for Symphonic Gong
Fold Yer Loops @ Klub CD
15.09.22 — Solo, Augmented Guitar, Quadraphonic Sound (FARM Workshop)
Gallery SKUC, Ljubljana
22.11.21 — Symphonic Gong with Subwoofer & Electronics
IFCA/MFRU Maribor
15.10.21 — Heklab Intermedia Noise Ensemble
Ljub1mte Installation
08-15.10.21 — Collaboration with Monika Pocrnjić
Algopolis @ Ljudmila Lab
14.5.21 — Live Coding Supercollider & Amplified Gong
Neposlušno @ Stara Elektrarna
01.04.21 — Large ensemble improvisation, 20+ musicians
Razsrediščenja #4 @ GT22
15.9.21 — Trio with Beno Soršak, Damir Mazrek
Zveze @ GT22
10.6.20 — Duo with Tomaž Grom