Darren Copeland

Canadian electroacoustic composer and sound designer (Bramalea, Ontario, 1968) who has produced work since 1985 for concerts, radio, theatre, dance, and site-specific installation.

After studying theatre sound design at Niagara College, he studied electroacoustic composition with Barry Truax (Simon Fraser University, BC) and Jonty Harrison (University of Birmingham, UK). His concert works have received mentions in international competitions (Vancouver New Music, Luigi Russolo, Hungarian Radio, La Muse en Circuit, and Phonurgia Nova) and appeared on compilation CD releases (Storm of Drones, Radius #3, DISContact I & DISContact II, Lieu - Non Lieu, Soundscape Vancouver, and Radiant Dissonance).

Rendu visible, a CD devoted to his work, is available on the empreintes DIGITALes label.

Some of his works combine his background in theatre and electroacoustic composition, such as his adaptation of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play (first radio drama at CBC conceived for broadcast in 5.1), his soundscape documentaries Life Unseen and The Toronto Sound Mosaic (produced by the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology), his DORA nominated soundtrack for Samuel Beckett’s That Time (produced by Threshold Theater), and his text-sound compositions Lapse in Perception (produced for CBC Out Front), and They’re Trying to Save Themselves (produced for a commemorative broadcast for September 11, 2001 on CBC).

Darren Copeland has composed a number of soundtracks for theatre and dance productions in Toronto, including works by Jessica Runge, Danny Grossman Dance Company, Elizabeth Chitty, Threshold Theater, Platform 9, Puppetmonters, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Factory Theatre, Rumble Theatre, Pink Ink Theatre and many others. Darren Copeland is the Artistic Director of New Adventures in Sound Art, which produces electroacoustic and experimental sound art events in Toronto, Canada using the Richmond Sound Design Audiobox for octaphonic spatialization.

With New Adventures in Sound Art he has also toured Europe and Canada performing concerts, facilitating workshops, and giving lectures with a focus on octaphonic spatialization. He also currently serves on the board of directors for the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology, and previously for the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, Vancouver Pro Musica, and Rumble Theatre.