Committees

ACTOR Committees

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

Executive Committee

Made key policy decisions concerning the intellectual direction of the project. Helped to ensure integration of research objectives. Provided advice on major decisions. Helped to provide coordination among the Partner institutions and research axes. Prepared annual reports documenting overall project results and spending. During annual in-person meetings, it participated in budget planning and fund allocation, and implemented planning of project activities. The EC communicated by group email, supplemented as needed by telephone or video conference.

ACTOR Central

The ACTOR central team consisted of the project directors, project coordinator, McGill postdoctoral fellows, a PhD student, as well as the website coordinator and content strategist. ACTOR central met monthly to take care of logistical concerns and to help keep ACTOR’s many diverse projects organized.

Training and Mentoring Committee

Coordinated the training opportunities for new students and mentor students on research methods, collaboration ethics, and research dissemination methods. Coordinated student workshops, tracked student research output, and connected students with Partners and other institutions for potential internships or job/career opportunities. Evaluated student applications to present at yearly workshops (5 students/year). Evaluated student applications for exchange visits to other partner institutions. Provided mentoring for emerging scholars and students and post-docs moving toward tenure-track academic positions. TMC coordinators reported to the PD, and the CA served on the Executive Committee. TMC met as necessary with a minimum of twice yearly in person or by videoconference. 

For more info, see the TMC page.

Knowledge Mobilization Committee

Sought 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 consulted on the development of the ACTOR Timbre and Orchestration Resource. The KMC coordinator was responsible for the success of the mobilization activities, tracking key performance indicators, and reported to the EC, on which they served. KMC met as necessary with a minimum of twice yearly in person or by videoconference.

For more info, see the KMC page.

Diversity Committee 

The Diversity Committee (DC) in the ACTOR project aimed to promote inclusivity and diversity in timbre and orchestration research. Its key activities included: encouraging participation of diverse groups of researchers, repertoires, and research approaches; exploring non-Western contexts of orchestration and timbre; addressing structural changes in how timbre and orchestration research is conducted; organizing subgroups focused on specific cultural areas (e.g., Sub-Saharan African and Afro-Diasporic music); planning educational sessions on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in research design; working to integrate non-Western researchers, practices, and repertoires into ACTOR's future projects and grant proposals.

Ben Duinker, ACTOR Postdoc, co-ordinator and co-chair

Robert Hasegawa, Associate Project Director, co-ordinator and co-chair

As this committee was ad-hoc, its members comprised those who attended meetings, whether regularly or only once. 

International Advisory Board (IAB)

The IAB reflected international, multidisciplinary expertise in composition, conducting, music studies, cognitive psychology, and computer science. The IAB was 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 was called upon to champion the Partnership and its outcomes.

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

Kaija Saariaho
Composer | Paris, France