Department of Music

Virginia Tech and the Smithsonian Institution present the first ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival on October 13-15, 2017, at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The festival is a celebration of creative exploration and research happening at the nexus of science, engineering, arts and design (SEAD). The 2017 ACCelerate festival is programmed by Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. The festival features performances, conversational talks, and 48 interactive installations from across the 15 ACC schools around seven thematic areas: Civic Engagement, Art and Technology, Sustainability and Environment, Biomimetics, Health and Body, and Making. 

There will be several performers from UVA's Music Department attending this event. EcoSono Ensemble, will perform Matthew Burtner's "The Ceiling Floats Away" collaboration with poet Rita Dove at the Smithsonian's Accelarate Festival. UVA's iconic electronic music ensemble, MICE, will perform at the festival as part of a two-hour concert of laptop orchestras from around the country. Additionally, CCT PhD Fellow Jon Bellona will present his award winning installation, "Aqualitative".