En 2002, Momilani Ramstrum a composé la musique et a produit un DVD pour une adaptation multimedia de "l'Idylle avec une contrebasse." de Chekhov. Cet oeuvre combine la musique acoustique, la narration, et l'animation et a été exécutée en collaboration avec le contrebassiste Bert Turetzky et l'artiste visuel, Lori Gordon. Il sera présenté en janvier 2003 à l'Université de Californie, San Diego.

En septembre de 2002, l'article de Momilani Ramstrum "Hegel, Heidegger et Borgmann: d'Implications de la Philosophie de la Technologie pour la Musique" a été publié dans les proceedings du ICMC 2002, Goteborg, Suède, Voices of Nature.

Momilani Ramstrum est bénéficiaire de deux bourses (une bourse de Chateaubriand du gouvernement français et une bourse de Centre d'Humanités de UCSD) pour soutenir sa recherche sur l'opéra électronique de Philippe Manoury, .... Elle sera à Ircam pendant 9 mois pour travailler sur la documentation de cet opéra.

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Momilani Ramstrum, BS, MA, Ph.D.

Extensive teaching experience, published works, grants from international institutions, and varied sustained musical endeavors for over fifteen years constitute her musical activities. Other work includes research in contemporary electronic opera, composing, recording, and multimedia authoring.

As a lecturer at Southwestern College, Mesa College, San Diego City College, San Diego State University, and University of California, San Diego, she was responsible for course content in classes of theory, aural skills, music appreciation, music for elementary school educators, world music, and piano. Her engagement with the students and the development of innovative programs such as online testing and new study methods for aural skills resulted in superior student reviews and facilitated students in consistently passing out of departmental exit exams. In a music appreciation class at Mesa College, she integrated a survey of the history of western music with world music and jazz. In a class of world music at UCSD, she examined history, culture, politics, theory, music, and identity, as related to specific communities. The students explored how music defines community and were given analytical tools to help define their own identity through musical and cultural practices. she also introduced the almost 200 students to guest artists performing Cajun music, African drumming, Hiphop, Native American music, shakuhachi, Klezmer, Mariachi, and Persian music.

After four years, Dr. Ramstrum's dissertation research culminated in a DVD-ROM published by IRCAM entitled From Kafka to K.... In the DVD-ROM she documents and analyzes Philippe Manoury's electronic opera K.., investigating the impact of technology and asking if the opera could have been staged successfully without technology. The research involved an historical-cultural approach exploring the links between Kafka and Jewish mysticism, examining the impact of technology using semiotics and affordances, and an analysis of motivic, structural, dramatic and symbolic elements. I concluded that the electronics were essential for an effective staging of Kafka's ambiguous novel. The use of spatialized sound and samples challenge the reality of the staging, create shifting signs, and cause the listener to be dislocated and off-balance. Her responsibilities in creating the DVD-ROM included research, writing all articles, undertaking the musical analysis, conducting interviews, design, filming, editing, and the general coordination of resources at IRCAM in Paris. Excerpts from the DVD-ROM will form a chapter of Mary Simoni's Analyzing Electroacoustic Music, published by Routledge in 2005. Dr. Ramstrum has presented and published aspects of the DVD-ROM at Résonances 2004 (IRCAM, Paris), the International Festival/Symposium of Sound and Experimental Music in 2003 (Leeds, UK), Scarborough Electroacoustics in 2003 (Scarborough, UK), and at the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in 2003 (Singapore), and 2004 (Miami).

In 2002, Dr. Ramstrum composed music and produced a DVD for a multimedia adaptation of Chekhov’s comic short story "Romance with a Double Bass." This piece combines live music, narration, and animation and was carried out in collaboration with bassist Bert Turetzky and visual artist Lori Gordon. It has had performances in Canebrake, CA (2005), University of California, Berkeley (2004), University of California, Santa Barbara (2004), University of Richmond, Virginia (International Society of Bassists Convention, 2003), and UCSD (2003).

Dr. Ramstrum's research interests include investigating the impact of technology on music, semiotics, and electronic music culture and aesthetics. The study of technology and culture is germane - it has the potential to effectively reach students by addressing issues of concern in their realm. The study of the impact of technology on musical culture and society can give insights to students into the complexities of their world.