Sampo & Modalio Academy 2026
Augmented music summer course
Performance – Composition – Improvisation
5th edition
23 – 28 August 2026
Alpe d’Huez, France
This international academy is aimed at performers and composers who wish to broaden the sound palette of their instrument and open up new artistic horizons. During six days of intensive training, participants will explore live-electronics, improvisation, performance and mixed music composition thanks to the Sampo and the Modalio.
Designed for intuitive use, the Sampo and the Modalio allow you to augment an acoustic instrument entirely on your own, without requiring any prior experience in electroacoustic or mixed music.
The 2026 edition will take place in the stunning setting of the French Alps, offering an environment ideal for concentration, experimentation, and creativity.
For willing participants, the course will conclude with a public concert, providing a valuable opportunity to showcase the work developed during the week.
Unique in its kind, this academy provides musicians with the practical means to integrate sound augmentation into their artistic practice in complete independence.
Sampo
Intended for performers and composers of any acoustic instrument, the Sampo is a portable and universal extension that can be played in any place and in complete autonomy.
www.sampo.fr
Modalio
The Modalio is an extension dedicated to the augmentation of pipe organs. It lets you expand the organ's sonorities by adding new timbres played in real time.
www.modalio.fr
Program
The Academy allows participants to discover different aspects of augmented instruments while working on performance, improvisation and composition. The Academy takes place in a friendly environment that encourages encounters with other musicians. It is open to professional and amateur musicians of all backgrounds and nationalities.
The program combines:
- Masterclasses
- Individual sessions
- Collective workshops
- Technical and artistic coaching
Objectives
- Acquire practical mastery of augmented instruments
- Understand the specificities of performance, improvisation, and composition in mixed music
- Develop autonomy in working with electronics
- Present your work at a public concert with video recording
A comprehensive and intensive program
The Academy program will cover the following themes:
- Instrumental performance with electronics
- Improvising with real-time sound processing
- Electroacoustic composition
- Study and performance of mixed music works
- Working with sound files
- A concert experience
Each participant will be offered one or more scores to prepare in advance, in order to better focus on the artistic and technical realisation of the electronics during the Academy.
During the Academy, each participant will have access to a Sampo and/or a Modalio to prepare the suggested works, improvise, or work on their own creations.
Team
Arturo Gervasoni
Performance, improvisation and composition
A composer and improviser with an international career, Arturo Gervasoni has been exploring the Sampo since its origins. Winner of the first Sampo composition contest in 2014, he wrote Écart à l’Equilibre for violin and Sampo, then, a few years laterat the occasion of a "carte blanche" concert with Utopik ensemble, Mechanical Area, including a custom interface coupled to the Sampo.
biography
Arturo Gervasoni studied at the National University of Córdoba (Argentina). He took lessons with Helmut Lachenmann, Luigi Nono, Tristan Murail, Philippe Manoury (IRCAM) and Peter Eötvös in France. He did a Masters (2004) and a Doctorate in Musicology (2007) at the University of Rennes.
His music could be understood as a search for “sound stimuli” through energy and character. His works, of a sequential type, are at times discursive. Many of his pieces are of literary and philosophical inspiration through authors such as Jorge Luis Borges, Alberto Manguel, Arthur Danto. Works by other composers can also inspire him, as well as moments of recent or past history, suggesting to him works which he describes as “derivative”.
His work has been performed and broadcast in different countries such as the United States, Mexico, Argentina, France, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Russia. His production includes chamber music, music for orchestra, vocal music, electroacoustics, as well as music for theater and dance.
Website: agervasoni.wixsite.com/portfolio
Alexander Mihalič
Technical aspects and working methodology
A composer and PhD in musicology, Alexander Mihalič is a specialist in the field of augmented instruments. Following his experiences with musicians during his work at IRCAM and with the aim of facilitating access to sound transformation technologies, he created the Sampo in 2014, then the Modalio in 2023.
biography
In 1992 Alexander Mihalič began working at IRCAM in the pedagogy department, where he assisted composers and performers with their live-electronic projects. He subsequently developed software for ‘Cyber’ instruments at IMEB and worked on data sonification at IMéRA in Marseille.
Passionate about the link between science and the arts, he created in 2014 the Art & Science Days festival and an electroacoustic composition competition.
He is particularly interested in gestural interfaces. His career in various musical research centres has led him to work with numerous composers and performers in the field of mixed and electroacoustic music, and to observe the difficulties often encountered in this area. These experiences prompted him to look for a portable and autonomous means of working with mixed works - research that led to the creation of the Sampo and, subsequently, the Modalio.
Today, Alexander Mihalič is dedicated to developing these two interfaces within Alter Instruments, a company of which he is chairman.
Teresa Rosenberg
Coordination
Co-creator of the Sampo and the Modalio, Teresa Rosenberg has been involved in organising cultural and educational projects and artistic residencies around these two instrumental extensions for the past ten years.
biography
After studying literature and accounting and management, Teresa Rosenberg specialised in the coordination of cultural projects, artistic communication and administrative management within the Musinfo association. She co-organises the Journées Art & Science festival and is involved in the management of various cultural projects and artistic residencies, as well as the Sampo Academy.
Her varied career has enabled her to develop skills in complementary areas, with a predilection for creative tasks.
In 2022, together with Alexander Mihalič, she founded Alter Instruments, a company specialising in the creation of augmented musical instruments such as the Sampo and Modalio, which marry instrumental tradition with contemporary technology. As Managing Director of the company, she devotes herself to the development and manufacture of Sampos and Modalios, from design to product finishing, including communication and day-to-day management.
Practical information
| Dates | |
| ____ | courses from 23 to 28 August 2026 inclusive • arrivals 22 August • departures 29 August |
| Location | |
| Notre-Dame des Neiges Church Chemin de la Chapelle, 38750 Alpe D’Huez, France • Collective workshops • Individual study rooms • Concert | |
| The organ | |
| • mecanical action • 24 stops • two manuals of 61 notes • pedalboard of 32 notes • equipped with an electronic combinator https://www.orguesetmontagnes.com/orgue.htm | |
| Accommodation | |
| A la charge des stagiaires. Various options available. See for instance Booking or Airbnb. | |
| Access | |
| Plane, Train Grenoble | |
| Bus From Grenoble https://www.alpedhuez.com/fr/infos-pratiques/acces-et-transports/acces-station/ | |
Alpe d’Huez
Nestled in the heart of the Grandes Rousses mountain range, the resort boasts exceptional sunshine, with over 300 days of sunshine per year. Here, the light enhances every panorama, from sunrise to sunset, creating a unique atmosphere between snow-capped peaks and green mountain pastures.
https://www.alpedhuez.com
The Notre-Dame Des Neiges center
The Notre-Dame des Neiges church is a modern and bright place. Built in preparation for the 1968 Olympic Games at the instigation of Dutch priest Jaap Reuten and designed by architect Jean Marol, it stands out for its circular shape, warm acoustics, and organ. The magnificent stained glass windows by Arcabas bathe the interior in changing colors, creating an atmosphere conducive to music listening and practice.
https://www.notredamedesneiges-alpedhuez.asso.fr/
The organ
Inaugurated in 1978 and designed by organist and composer Jean Guillou, the organ at Notre Dame des Neiges church was built by German organ builder Detlef Kleuker. The hand-shaped case was designed by the church's architect, Jean Marol. The 24-stop mechanical instrument is visible from the congregation and offers a rich variety of sounds for solo and chamber music repertoire.
Registration
For whom
The Academy is open to musicians of all nationalities and backgrounds. No previous experience of electroacoustic or mixed music is necessary.
Number of places
In order to guarantee optimum working conditions, the organisation of the course prefers to limit the number of participants to 12 persons.
Registration deadline
The deadline for registration is 31 July 2026.
Registration fees
Pedagogical fees: 200 €
Special rate for registration and payment of fees before 30 April: 180 €
Your registration becomes definitive once we have received the registration fee. The fee must be paid in full at latest on 31 July.
Registration fees must be paid by bank transfer to:
| Beneficiary | Alter Instruments |
| IBAN | FR76 1741 8000 0100 0078 1851 562 |
| BIC | SNNNFR22XXX |
| Bank | Shine |
| Address of the bank | 122 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, France |
| (BIC of the partner bank for SWIFT transfers: TRWIBEB3) | |
The registration fee is not refundable in the event of cancellation by the participant.
Costs of stay
The participants are to cover their own costs of:
- travel
- accommodation
- meals
It is highly recommended to anticipate the search for an accommodation.
Registrations are accepted by order of arrival.
To register for the 2026 Academy, please fill in the form below and send us the following documents :
- a photo
- a short biography
- proof of transfer to secure your place on the course
by e-mail to contact@sampo.fr
Partners
The 2026 Sampo & Modalio Academy is organized by Alter Instruments in collaboration with L’association Notre-Dame des Neiges Orgues et Montagnes.
Contact
E-mail: contact@sampo.fr
Phone: +33 (0)7 49 14 08 60