Sean Kiley
Position
Contact
Credentials
BS (DePaul University), BM (DePaul University), MM (UVic), PhD Candidate (UVic)
Area of expertise
Computer music
Brief biography
In pursuit of his PhD in Music Composition and Psychology through the interdisciplinary program at the University of Victoria, Sean Kiley explores the elements of sound and music that are most conducive to states of trance or altered states of awareness. By examining musical loops, he studies the nature of time perception from a neurological and musical standpoint. His compositions are deeply informed by research in music cognition and often incorporate findings from neurological studies using EEG and fNIRS.
As a performer of ambient music, Sean is deeply interested in improvisational heuristics as well as sonic evocations of transpersonal psychology. He also performs as a classical guitarist in a variety of musical groups traversing classical, Celtic, folk, and traditional music. Sean is the founder of record label and music collective ‘RGMS’ and an active recording engineer in Victoria, BC.
Recently, Sean was named the 2024 CSRS Graduate Fellow and is also a frequent performer and participant at the Ostrava Days Institute.
Courses taught at UVic
- MUS 307 Intro to Computer Music
Selected writings and compositions
- Identifying Sonic Elements with the Ability to Influence Working Memory: Experimental Designs for fNIRS and EEG (2023)
- The Appearance of Now: A Dynamic Perception of the Present (2022)
- Ritual Engagement with Music (2021)
- The Garden Beyond the Perceptual Veil: Open Score for performers and electronics (2022)
- Altered States: Vedic Somatic Breathwork and Sound Bath (2023)