Ater a BMus in Composition (Electroacoustics) from the Université Laval (Québec City, 1984) Robert Normandeau moved to Montréal and completed an MMus in Composition (1988) and the first PhDMus in Electroacoustic Composition (1992), under Marcelle Deschênes and Francis Dhomont. He is a founding member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC, 1987). From 1986 to ’93, he was an active member of the Association pour la création et la recherche électroacoustiques du Québec (ACREQ), where he produced the Clair de terre concert series at the Planétarium de Montréal. In 1991, he co-founded Réseaux, an organization for the presentation of media arts events, notably the acousmatic concert series Rien à voir and Akousma.
After a certain interest in instrumental and mixed works, his current endeavours are focused on acousmatic music. More specifically, his compositions employ esthetical criteria whereby he creates a ‘cinema for the ear’ in which ‘meaning’ as well as ‘sound’ become the elements that elaborate his works. Along with concert music he now writes incidental music, especially for the theatre.
He is Professor in electroacoustic music composition at Université de Montréal since 1999. He received two Prix Opus from the Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM) in 1999: “Composer of the Year” and “Record of the Year — Contemporary Music” for Figures (IMED 0944). The Académie québécoise du théâtre (AQT) has given him two Masque Awards (“Best Music for Theatre”): one in 2002 for the play Malina and the second in 2005 for the play La cloche de verre.
Robert Normandeau is an award winner of numerous international competitions, including Ars Electronica, Linz (Austria, 1993, Golden Nica in 1996), Bourges (France, 1986, ’88, ’93), Fribourg (Switzerland, 2002), Luigi Russolo, Varese (Italy, 1989, ’90), Métamorphoses, Brussels (Belgium, 2002, 04), Musica Nova, Prague (Czech Republic, 1994, ’95, ’98), Noroit-Léonce Petitot, Arras (France, 1991, ’93), Phonurgia-Nova, Arles (France, 1987, ’88), and Stockholm (Sweden, 1992) and Giga-Hertz (Karlsruhe, 2010).
He received commissions from The Banff Centre for the Arts, BBC, CKUT-FM, Codes d’accès / Musiques & Recherches, Jacques Drouin, Les événements du neuf, Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM), Groupe de musique expérimentale de Marseille (GMEM), Terri Hron, Claire Marchand, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Open Space Gallery, Arturo Parra, Société Radio-Canada, Réseaux, Sonorities Festival, Vancouver New Music Society, and Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM).
He was composer in residence in Banff (Canada, 1989, ’92, ’93), Bangor (Wales, UK, 2008), Belfast (Northern Ireland, RU, 1997), Bourges (France, 1988, ’99, 2005), Mons (Belgique, 1996), Paris (France, 1990, ’94), Ohain (Belgique, 1987, 2007), and Karlsruhe (Allemagne, 2004, ’05, ’10).
Musica Kaleidoskopea 