Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM)

IRCAM, the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music directed by Frank Madlener, is one of the world’s largest public research centres dedicated to both musical expression and scientific research. This unique location where artistic sensibilities collide with scientific and technological innovation brings together over 160 collaborators.

IRCAM’s three principal activities – creation, research, transmission – are visible in IRCAM’s Parisian concert season, in productions throughout France and abroad, and in an annual rendezvous, ManiFeste, that combines an international festival with a multidisciplinary academy.

Founded by Pierre Boulez, IRCAM is associated with the Centre Pompidou, under the tutelage of the French Ministry of Culture. The mixed STMS research lab (Sciences and Technologies for Music and Sound), housed by IRCAM, also benefits from the support of the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and Sorbonne University.

In 2020 IRCAM created Ircam Amplify, a spin-off for the commercialization of the institute’s audio innovations. A true interface between state of the art of audio research and the industrial world on a global scale, Ircam Amplify is a major actor in the sound revolution of the 21st century.