Call for Proposals

The first-ever Symposium for Laptop Ensembles and Orchestras (SLEO) will be held in Baton Rouge, LA, USA from 15-17 April 2012 on the campus of Louisiana State University.  SLEO will gather current and future practitioners for a Workshop and symposium exclusively dedicated to the topic of laptop ensembles and orchestras.  The symposium will address the use of all types of mobile devices, including laptops, tablets, and handheld devices, along with other relevant hardware and software for live group performances.

SLEO will feature presentations, workshops and performances with the goal of making it an important venue to both capture and exchange best practices in this rapidly evolving area of music technology.  We have assembled an impressive program committee that includes leading figures in this area of study who will peer-review all submissions for inclusion in SLEO.

SPECIAL EVENTS: The symposium will also feature a keynote address by Dr. Ge Wang, director of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra and co-founder of Smule. Performances will be presented by the Mobile Performance Group (Stetson University), Sideband (Princeton University) and the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LSU). There will also be an attempt to set the record for the world’s largest laptop orchestra with the participation of all SLEO attendees.

SUBMISSIONS:
We encourage proposals for the following types of presentations:

• workshops (2 or 4 hours in length)
• papers (15 mins presentations)
• panel discussions (30 – 60 minutes)
• posters & demonstrations
• music compositions for LEOs (Laptop/Mobile Ensemble/Orchestras)
• SLEO video archive

Suggested topics for presentations include, but are not limited to:

• Best practices in composition, rehearsal, performance
• Techniques used in composing for LEOs
• Software & network management
• History & aesthetic theory of LEOs
• Teaching & pedagogical strategies
• Hardware (audio, interface, computers, loudspeakers)
• Software environments & frameworks
• Composers’ perspectives on their own music compositions

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
All submissions (except for music compositions) must include an extended abstract (between 500 – 1000 words in length) in PDF format.  Abstracts should be submitted anonymously, fully referenced where appropriate, and may contain links to supporting materials.  Accepted abstracts will be published on the conference website. Materials should be entered in the SLEO Submission site at EasyChair.

SUBMISSIONS FOR PERFORMANCE:
Music submissions must, in addition to , include a zipped directory with the following items:

• A 250-word abstract which describes the work (in PDF)
• A zipped directory with the following items:
  • A score or performance instructions, including hardware/software system specifications & requirements
  • All required software, scripts or Max patches (not including frameworks or middleware)
  • A recording (audio or video) or a link to a recording of the work. NOTE: audio/video files over 20 MB must be stored in an accessible web storage site (i.e., Dropbox). The correct URL for these files must be included in the abstract

Music submissions will also be reviewed by the directors of the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana, the Mobile Performance Group, and Sideband who will have final discretion for acceptance.  Works not accepted for live performance may be selected for inclusion in the SLEO Video Archive. Works accepted for live performance may or may not result in an oral presentation opportunity. But composers interested in speaking about their composition are invited to separately submit an extended abstract (see requirements above).

SUBMISSIONS FOR VIDEO ARCHIVE:
The SLEO Video Archive will be a peer-reviewed, publicly-accessible archive of performance videos of works for mobile and laptop ensembles. We will be accepting videos of performances for inclusion in this important resource. Submissions for the video archive should include:

• A PDF document which contains:
  • A 250-word abstract which describes the work
  • A description of the performance itself (composer, performers, venue)
  • A link to an on-line web storage site (i.e. Dropbox) or on-line video site (i.e., YouTube, Vimeo) which contains the video recording

DEADLINE:
All submissions must be entered at the SLEO Submission site. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 7 November 2011.  Our goal is to review submissions and announce the program by 15 December 2011 in order to provide ample time for travel arrangements.