Upcoming ASA Chicago Events
Virtual Presentation – May 2, 2023
Valeriy Shafiro, PhD
Professor, Communication Disorders & Sciences Department, Rush University Medical Center
Professor, Communication Disorders & Sciences Department, Rush University Medical Center
Upcoming Meetings
Stay tuned for additional ASA Chicago Regional Chapter meetings and events.
Upcoming Executive Board Meeting:
TBD
Past Meetings & Events
ASA Presentations & Happy hour – December 12th, 2019
ASA Presentations & Happy Hour
Threshold Acoustics Office
141 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 2080, Chicago IL, 60604
DESCRIPTION:
This was a local session of several presentations that were given at ASA San Diego coupled with a happy hour and meet and greet. This event provided a great opportunity for the local acoustics community (ASA members and non-members) to get together and share the latest research and happenings in acoustics.
The Violin and its Discontents – April 9th, 2019
“The Violin and its Discontents: Common Structural and Tonal Problems in Orchestral String Instruments and their Remedy” Co-Sponsored (Chicago ASA and AES) Event
Stage Two at Columbia College
618 S Michigan Ave, Chicago IL, 60605
DESCRIPTION:
Professional luthier Sanford Field will explain the basic structure and acoustics of the violin family of instruments, as well as the technical difficulties frequently experienced by string players and their instruments. He will then explore and explain the tools and techniques used to diagnose and correct these problems. Examples of malfunctioning instruments will be daringly explored (and in some cases corrected) live on stage, tools will be displayed and demonstrated, and violins will be played, both as objects of critical listening, and to demonstrate the tangible effects of successful and unsuccessful repair outcomes. After the talk, questions will be answered and discussed, and the tools and instruments covered in the talk will be available for examination by attendees.
THE PRESENTER:
Sanford Field is a professional luthier and owner/partner at Top Notch Violins, a full-service string instrument shop in Saint Louis, MO. Sanford attended the Red Wing School of Instrument Repair, where he studied violin construction and repair under Lisbeth Butler and John Reed. After completing his training, he worked at Nashville Violins and Saint Louis Strings where his clients included Charlie Daniels, Arvel Bird, and Yonder Mountain String Band’s Allie Kral, as well as countless professional musicians, teachers, and students. Prior to his career as a luthier, Sanford received a BFA in painting from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana in 2004, and an MFA in Studio Practice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In his free time, Sanford also enjoys building furniture, studying HEMA (historic European martial arts), playing violin, banjo, and guitar and spending time with his wife Annie-Rose, and their two rescue dogs, Tallulah and Rowan.
The Department of Communication Disorders & Sciences Rush University and the Acoustical Society of America Chicago Regional Chapter hosted Ear Day, 2019 on February 1st.
Ear Day is a one-day annual symposium that brings together auditory researchers from around Chicago and the Midwest regions. From recognized experts to beginning students, Ear Day is a forum for presenting and discussing current research, exchanging ideas, and facilitating learning.
EAR Day – February 1, 2019
EAR Day 2019
Co-Sponsored (Chicago ASA and Rush University) Event
Armour Academic Building, Lecture Hall 976
600 S Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60612
Event Website (click to access)
Event Schedule (click to access)
The Department of Communication Disorders & Sciences Rush University and the Acoustical Society of America Chicago Regional Chapter hosted Ear Day, 2019 on February 1st.
Ear Day is a one-day annual symposium that brings together auditory researchers from around Chicago and the Midwest regions. From recognized experts to beginning students, Ear Day is a forum for presenting and discussing current research, exchanging ideas, and facilitating learning.
See Event Website or Event Schedule for more details. Sign up next year in January to participate in EAR Day 2020.
Lyric Opera Tour – February 7, 2018

On February 7, 2018, the ASA Chicago Regional Chapter co-sponsored with the Chicago Lyric Opera a behind-the-scenes tour, a pre-opera lecture and the Puritani performance.
On January 27, 2017, the ASA Chicago Regional Chapter co-sponsored with the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences at Rush University:
Annual Ear Day at Rush University
On January 27, 2017, the ASA Chicago Regional Chapter co-sponsored with the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences at Rush University:
Annual Ear Day at Rush University
The Department of Communication Disorders & Sciences at Rush University Medical Center and the ASA Chicago Regional Chapter held the annual Ear Day event at Rush University on January 27, 2017. Ear Day is a one-day symposium that brings together auditory researchers from around Chicago and the Midwest regions. From recognized experts to beginning students, Ear Day is a forum for presenting and discussing current research, exchanging ideas, and facilitating learning.
40 attendees, including students, faculty, and industry professionals interested in auditory research attended the event. The program featured researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, Ohio State University Medical Center, Boys Town National Research Hospital, University of Iowa, Boston University and Rush University Medical Center. The event included a dynamic and lively discussion of current issues and research in auditory science focusing on a variety of topics, such as auditory and speech perception with cochlear implants, human auditory cortical processing, and the effects of aging on perceptual and cognitive functioning.



On October 20th, 2015, the ASA Chicago Regional Chapter co-sponsored with Columbia College Chicago Audio Arts & Acoustics Department and AES Chicago:
Architecture and Acoustics of Recording Studios – The Science that Guides the Studio Design Process
John Storyk, Principal, Walters-Storyk Design Group
ASA Chicago and AES Chicago jointly presented John Storyk, Co-Founder and Principal of Walters-Storyk Design Group and designer of over 3000 media facilities. After informal discussion over hors d’oeuvres to begin the event, John lectured to 70 attendees regarding technical guidelines for creating an acoustically optimal recording studio environment. The science that guides the recording studio design process was discussed, highlighting design examples from successful spaces.
Abstract: The recording studio has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Both business models and studio design/equipment configurations are markedly different, with new ideas emerging virtually every week. The shift from large “all at once” sessions to file-based “in the box” production has ushered in a new era of small, yet extremely powerful and highly flexible audio content creation environments. These ‘next generation’ rooms continue to depend on pristine acoustics, and the aesthetic and comfort factors remain high priorities. The success of these rooms depends on the architect/acoustician’s ability to create or ‘tune’ the environment to maximize their acoustic potential. This talk will examine technical guidelines for creating an acoustically optimal recording studio environment. The science that guides the recording studio design process will be discussed, highlighting design examples from successful spaces.
About the speaker: John Storyk, Co Founder and Principal of Walters-Storyk Design Group has been responsible for designing over 3000 media and content creation facilities worldwide. Credits include Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios (1969); NYC’s Jazz At Lincoln Center and Le Poisson Rouge; broadcast facilities for The Food Network, ESPN, and WNET; major education complexes for NYU and Berklee College of Music, Boston (2015 TEC winner) and Valencia, Spain; and media rooms for such corporate clients as Hoffman La Roche. Recent projects include NYC’s Jungle City Studios and private studios for Green Day, Jay-Z, Timbaland’s Tim Mosley, film composers Carter Burwell and A.R. Rahman, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, Owl City, Harry Connick Jr., and Grammy winning producer Paul Epworth. WSDG has collaborated with such noted architects as Frank Gehry, Rafael Vinoly, Norman Foster, Oscar Niemeyer, Phillipe Stark and Nicholas Grimshaw. WSDG is a nine-time winner of the prestigious NAMM TEC Award for outstanding achievement in Acoustics/Facility Design. The firm maintains offices and representation in NY, SF, LA, Miami, Buenos Aires, Belo Horizonte, Basel, Beijing, Barcelona, Mexico City, St. Petersburg and Mumbai.



