Open mic night aims to inspire synthesizer-centred music scene in Waterloo Region

An inaugural event in downtown Kitchener, by the Tri-City Synthesizer Society, aims to renew interest in the synthesizer locally.

The synthesizer, an electronic music instrument, is seeing a resurgence after first changing music in the 1960s.

The Tri-City Synthesizer Society said while Sunday’s event was Kitchener’s first electronic music open mic, it first started in England in 2017.

“This is part of the new Tri-City Synthesizer Society, which is an organization that we’ve created to encourage synthesizers and the exploration of electronic music in this community,” said event organizer Andreas Kitzmann.

For the competition, ten performers had 20 minutes each to show off their synth skills in a freestyle format at AOK Craft Beer and Arcade.

The sound was produced in many different ways – from the tap of a key to a laptop touchpad. There was even a performer who was live coding and turning it into music.

“Synthesizers are interesting because they bring together the arts and technology and math around a sort of creative endeavour,” said Kitzmann. “I think this town is good for that kind of thing. It’s a tech town and lots of creative people are here and synths are a part of that.”

The audience also had the chance to make some electronic music of their own.

Whether it’s a band, independent producer or a DJ, people are applauding the first important step in growing Waterloo Region’s synthesizer-centred music scene.

Electronic Music Open Mic Night in Kitchener on Sept. 24, 2023. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener)