This page provides information on the various committees within the ACTOR Project. There are four committees: Executive Committee, Training and Mentoring Committee, Knowledge Mobilization Committee, and International Advisory Board. Each committee serves a distinct role in supporting and guiding the project’s goals and initiatives.

Executive Committee

Makes key policy decisions concerning the intellectual direction of the project. Helps to ensure integration of research objectives. Provides advice on major decisions. Helps to provide coordination among the Partner institutions and research axes. Prepares annual reports documenting overall project results and spending. During annual in-person meetings, it will participate in budget planning and fund allocation, and implement planning of project activities. The EC will communicate by group email, supplemented as needed by telephone or video conference.

Executive Committee Members

Stephen McAdams
Project Director | Axis 1 Lead (ex officio) | Chair
McGill University

Bob Hasegawa
Associate Project Director | Axis 3 Leader (ex officio)
McGill University

Philippe Esling
Axis 2 Leader (ex officio)
IRCAM

Malte Kob
Academic Representative (elected, 2022–2024)
Detmold University of Music

Nicole Biamonte
Academic Representative (elected, 2022–2024)
McGill University

Félix Baril
Private/Cultural Sector Representative (elected, 2022–2024)
OrchPlay

Jimmie LeBlanc, TMC coordinator (ex officio)

Eliot Britton, KMC coordinator (ex officio)

Ben Duinker, ACTOR post-doc (ex officio)

Rebecca Moranis, student representative (elected, 2023–2024)

André Martins de Oliveira, project coordinator (ex-officio), secretary

Training and Mentoring Committee

Coordinates the training opportunities for new students and mentor students on research methods, collaboration ethics, and research dissemination methods. Coordinates student workshops, track student research output, and connect students with Partners and other institutions for potential internships or job/career opportunities. Evaluates student applications to present at yearly workshops (X students/year). Evaluates student applications for exchange visits to other partner institutions. Provides mentoring for emerging scholars and students and post-docs moving toward tenure-track academic positions. TMC coordinators report to the PD, and the CA serves on the Executive Committee. TMC meets as necessary with a minimum of twice yearly in person or by videoconference.

For more info, see the TMC page here.

TMC Members

Jimmie LeBlanc
Coordinator and co-chair (elected, 2022–2024) 

Ben Duinker
ACTOR post-doc and co-chair (ex officio)

Lindsey Reymore
ACTOR member (elected, 2022–2024)

Asterios Zacharakis
ACTOR member (elected, 2022–2024)

Francesco Maccarini
Student representative (elected, 2023–2024)

Kit Soden
ACTOR Webmaster, TOR Editor (ex officio)

Knowledge Mobilization Committee

Seeks mobilization opportunities in traditional, popular, and social media, including conferences, journals, magazines, digital tools, exhibitions, lecture-concerts, and pedagogical animations for school children and young adults. Also consults on the development of the ACTOR Timbre and Orchestration Resource. The KMC coordinator is responsible for the success of the mobilization activities, tracking key performance indicators, and reports to the EC, on which they will serve. KMC meets as necessary with a minimum of twice yearly in person or by videoconference.

For more info, see the KMC page here.

KMC Members

Eliot Britton
Coordinator and co-chair (elected, 2022–2024)

Simon Jacobsen
Student representative and co-chair (elected, 2023–2024)

Leigh Van Handel
ACTOR member (elected, 2022–2024)

Catherine Guastavino
ACTOR member (elected, 2022–2024) 

Andrés Gutiérrez Martínez
ACTOR Postdoc, Newsletter editor (ex-officio)

Kit Soden
ACTOR Webmaster, TOR Editor (ex officio)

International Advisory Board (IAB)

The IAB reflects international, multidisciplinary expertise in composition, conducting, music studies, cognitive psychology, and computer science. The IAB will be consulted for: 1) overall wisdom, guidance and counsel, 2) specific advice on issues such as methodology, changes in the field, and conflicts of interest, and 3) feedback on annual reports and progress of ACTOR. The IAB will also be called upon to champion the Partnership and its outcomes.

For more info, see the IAB page here.

IAB Members

Jonathan Darlington
Conductor, Music Director, Vancouver Opera | Vancouver, BC, Canada

Rebecca Leydon
Music theorist, Oberlin Conservatory of Music | Oberlin, OH, USA

Carol Lynne Krumhansl
Psychologist, Cornell University | Ithica, NY, USA

Roger Dannenberg
Computer scientist, Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA, USA