This year’s symposium aims at exploring the complex perceptual and aesthetic boundaries between various modes of musical expression. The questions asked are: What is new? What is authentic? What is classic? It is clear that there can be no absolute answers to any of those interrogations but that we can rather consider all forms of human expression as being inherently tied to the temporal and cultural contexts they evolve in. What was considered ‘popular’ yesterday is labelled ‘classical’ tomorrow and what is new in Singapore might already be out of fashion in St. Petersburg. 

One musician might try to achieve ‘authenticity’ within a musical context that belongs to a time and geographical location that is totally foreign to theirs while ignoring other musical styles that are rooted deeply within the soil of their native land. In the current globalised context, every one of us can choose to explore our own local cultures as well as that of other parts of the world. We can decide to investigate the musical past as well as the music of today. 

We are all, indeed, migrating birds singing in the middle of a very large forest of possible futures. Combining acoustic and electronic music, visuals and rituals, notations and improvisations, this eclectic evening of sound-making will feature contributions by Dieter Mack and the PGVIM students, Peter Edwards & Max Riefer as the duet Zero Crossing, Kim Gnoc Tran, Anant Narkkong, Damrih Banawitayakit, Supreeti Ansvananda, Saowakhon Muangkruan, Watchara Pluemyart and jeanDavid Caillouët.