About

• David Pirrò
• About
• Works
• Contacts

David Pirrò (*1978 Udine, Italy), is a sound artist and researcher based in Graz, Austria. His works include interactive compositions, sound installations, audiovisual and electroacoustic pieces in which aspects of performance and spatialisation of sound are central. Departing from a radical inclusive point of view, he seeks ways of composing by which the work of art is constructed through mutual interaction of the agents involved in its performance.

David studied piano at the Conservatory "J. Tomadini" in Udine and Physics at the University of Trieste where in 2004 he obtained the Master of Science degree in Theoretical Physics with Prof. R. Resta. From 2005 to 2006 he had a studentship at the CSC, Centre for Computational Sonology at the University of Padua, under Prof. G. De Poli. Starting in 2006 he assisted Maestro P. Pachini in different electroacoustic and video art projects e.g. the Elastic 3 trio, and the video-opera Descrizione del Diluvio (composition M. Lanza). In 2007 he obtained the Master degree at the School of Music and New Technologies at the Conservatory "G. Tartini" in Triest under Maestro R. Doati. In 2017 he obtained a PhD in computer music (tutor Prof. Gerhard Eckel) from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with the dissertation "Composing Interactions".

Since 2007 David works at the IEM (Institute of Electronic Music and Acoustics) in Graz, Austria as lecturer and researcher, since 2019 as Senior Scientist. He has participated in scientific and artistic research projects on sonification ("QCD-audio", "An Acoustic Interface for tremor analysis"), sound spatialisation ("The Choreography of Sound"), interaction design in computer music ("Embodied Generative Music", "Klangräume") and artistic research in computer music ("Transpositions", "Algorithms That Matter"). Since 2022 he leads the artistic research project "Speculative Sound Synthesis" (FWF PEEK), which critically investigates the interplay between technology and artistic practice in sound synthesis.

In his artistic practice, programming and implementation of computational methods are central elements. In this context he has developed the programming language and compiler henri as a result of his PhD work, designed for formulating systems of differential equations that are integrated at audio sample rate and used directly for sound synthesis, sound spatialisation and image synthesis.

His artistic work spans interactive sound installations, audiovisual works, electroacoustic compositions, and performative practices. Starting from his work in the "Embodied Generative Music" research project, he collaborates with dancers and choreographers developing interactive compositions in conjunction with motion tracking technologies as in On Traces performed at the Tanzquartier in Vienna or Bodyscapes with dancer and choreographer Valentina Moar.

He performs in long-standing live-electronic duos: altraconsonanza (with Martin Rumori) and anemone actiniaria (with Hanns Holger Rutz), exploring post-instrumental, experimental approaches to electronic music. Recent projects include the live-electronics for Luigi Nono's "Io, frammento dal Prometeo" with Cantando Admont at the Salzburg Festival 2025.