SEAMUS

Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States

SEAMUS Elections 2026 Candidates’ Statements and Bios

Below are the positions up for election and their relevant candidates for SEAMUS in 2026.

To vote, please go to this form.

Position descriptions are sourced from the SEAMUS By-Laws.

President

Position Description

The President is the chief operating officer of the Society and is responsible for calling board meetings, carrying out the mission of the organization, representing the Society at meetings of other societies or organizations, and for administering the SEAMUS Award. The President is ultimately responsible for all operations and programs affiliated with SEAMUS, including the supervision of the other elected officers. The President channels discussion amongst the Board of Directors on annual issues and choices related to the annual national conference. The President thus initiates and manages searches for conference hosts and reviews the suitability of proposed conference sites (both in-person and remote) prior to final selection by the Board. The President advises conference hosts through the preliminary stages of conference preparations, and serves as liaison between conference hosts and the Board. The President also works with the Director of Communications and the Member(s)-at-Large and the Technology Director and any supporting technical staff to review and shape the proposed design for a given conference’s submissions services.

Candidates:

J. Andrew Wright Smith

Statement of Purpose

I’m passionate about making SEAMUS a vibrant and accessible community that celebrates aesthetic, economic, and cultural diversity among its members. This stems in large part from my experience teaching students from both R1 universities, private colleges, and community colleges and seeing the wide range of strengths and needs for musicians from a variety of backgrounds. One of the reasons I wanted to host the 2026 national conference at UTSA was to make an accessible and inclusive conference environment focused on intentional community building and mutual support, and I intend to continue that project in earnest if elected to serve as SEAMUS president.

My primary first steps as SEAMUS president would be to hold listening sessions with interested SEAMUS members or potential members to get feedback on ways to improve the SEAMUS experience and membership for everyone. I think it is important for the SEAMUS board to get more direct feedback from members on the ways that our community can be more meaningful.

While we have taken steps as a board to offer more services and make our organization more valuable to members, I’m interested in the ways that we can do more for our community and expand that community to include more performers, sound artists, engineers, and others interested in electroacoustic music. For example, expanding our micro-grants would be a great way to support SEAMUS members more directly as they engage in artistic and community building activities. Additionally, it would be a good idea to reach out to other professional organizations such as the Audio Engineering Society to find ways to engage a wider musical community, allowing us to highlight and promote electroacoustic music on a wider scale.

It is important to me that SEAMUS serves and supports its community well. I am running for president in hopes of both continuing the work that we have been doing and expanding the scope and reach of that work to build a more vibrant, sustainable, and supportive artistic community for all members.

Bio

Andrew Wright Smith (b. 1992), an educator, composer, electronic musician, and vocalist from Atlanta, GA, is zealous about the intersections between acousmatic sound, live performers, and improvisation. His works often delve into personal narratives and how they can inform and enrich abstract media. As a vocalist, he maintains a passion for visceral, guttural, strange, and electrifying sounds.

A graduate of the University of North Texas’s PhD program in Music Composition, Andrew’s teachers have included Joseph Klein, Panayiotis Kokoras, Andrew May, Jon Nelson, Elainie Lillios, Mikel Kuehn, Christopher Dietz, Fred Cohen, and Matthew McCabe. Additionally, he has collaborated with artists and performers such as Line Upon Line, Jordan Walsh, Diana Rojas, Sean Lopez, Lisa Kaplan, Matthew Duvall, Conner Simmons, and Caleb Burkhardt. To learn more about his work, visit jasmithcomposer.com.

Andrew serves on the board of directors of the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States as the Director of Communications and as the 2026 SEAMUS National Convention Host.

Andrew is currently Assistant Professor of Practice in Music Technology at the University of Texas San Antonio, where he lives with his dog, Ruby; his cats, George and Mox; his loving wife, Anna; and later this spring, his son, Nate.

Adam Vidiksis

Statement of Purpose

I am honored to be nominated for President of SEAMUS. This organization has been a central part of my professional and artistic life for many years, but more importantly, it has been a community where I have grown, found collaborators, and built lasting friendships. The opportunity to serve this community—and to give back to an organization that has shaped my work and career—means a great deal to me.

My involvement with SEAMUS spans many years, including prior service on the board. From 2013 to 2021, I served as Technical Director, working closely to plan and realize the annual conferences. I oversaw all adjudication, rebuilt the SEAMUS website, led the design team that developed the current branding and logo, and helped launch initiatives that expanded membership value beyond the conference, including the Electroacoustic Repertoire Database. I also contributed to the introduction of the performer-curated concert, creating expanded opportunities for performers. These experiences gave me a detailed understanding of both the strengths of SEAMUS and the areas with opportunity for growth.

At the center of my vision is a strong, engaged, and welcoming community. While the conference and CD remain vital, I believe SEAMUS can continue to expand its year-round value by fostering ongoing connection, exchange, and support and by providing recognition for members at all stages of their career.

I bring a clear track record of building such initiatives. As a founding member of SPLICE, for over ten years I have helped develop a thriving international community through a week-long institute and seven annual festivals. I served as SPLICE’s first President for five years, leading the organization through incorporation and its early transition to a non-profit. In addition, my volunteer work with Wildflower Composers (formerly Young Women’s Composer Camp) and years of service as Student Chapters Coordinator for SCI reflects a long-standing commitment to cultivating inclusive and supportive spaces for emerging artists.

In my current role directing a music technology and composition program, and as an active composer, performer, and multimedia artist—with years of experience as both a freelancer and across multiple stages of academic employment—I understand the challenges of serving a diverse membership with different needs and resources. I also recognize SEAMUS’s important role within academia and its opportunity to support a field that is rapidly evolving—embracing diverse new practices while honoring our traditions.

My connection to SEAMUS is deeply personal. Some of my closest colleagues and dear friends are people I first met through this organization, including my collaborators in SPLICE Ensemble. SEAMUS has been a space of artistic discovery, professional development, and lasting relationships. It is precisely because of this that I feel a strong sense of responsibility to give back.

As President, I would focus on strengthening community and expanding membership value, while supporting diverse constituencies and artistic practices across the field. I am grateful to Mark and the board for sustaining the organization through challenging times. I would be honored to help guide SEAMUS into its next phase.

Bio

Adam Vidiksis is an American drummer, composer, and technologist whose work explores social structures, science, and the entanglement of humankind with the machines we build. Based in Philadelphia and Delaware, he serves as Associate Professor and Director of Music Technology & Composition and Director of the new-founded Center for Music Innovation & Creativity at Temple University. His compositions have been performed around the world at major festivals and conferences, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, the Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission, and the American Composers Forum. The 2025 Established Artist Fellow in Music Composition for the Delaware Division of the Arts, Vidiksis projects have been presented internationally at the Tokyo Tokyo Festival, Centre d’Art Santa Mònica in Barcelona, Pontificio Collegio Gallio in Como, the Andy Warhol Exhibition in Beijing, and the Accademia Filarmonica Romana in Rome. A founding director of SPLICE Music, he performs with SPLICE Ensemble, Aeroidio, and the Miller–Vidiksis–Wells trio, and serves as conductor for Philadelphia’s Network for New Music. A dedicated champion of new work, he has premiered hundreds of compositions by artists from around the world, continually seeking meaning through sound, technology, and human connection. [www.vidiksis.com]

 

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Position Description

The Diversity officer is responsible for ensuring EQUITY within the organization by identifying and eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of interested persons in the programs and opportunities offered by the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS).

They must propose and facilitate ways to create a CLIMATE that will positively impact membership engagement and success while achieving INCLUSION which does not sacrifice EXCELLENCE but does guarantee fair treatment, access, and advancement for all while celebrating DIVERSITY and recognizing the multiple identities around which people differ.

Impacts for inclusion that have been identified and fall under the jurisdiction of this office are:

    • Gender Identity
    • Racial Identity
    • Professional Identity
    • Religious Identity
    • Neurodivergence
    • Age
    • Sexual Orientation
    • Economic Status and Means (including parental status)
    • Aesthetic and Creative Motivations and Interests
    • Geographical Location

Candidates:

Nick Hwang

Statement of Purpose

Communities like ours are shaped by access: by who has resources, mentorship, institutional support, and cultural familiarity to engage and stay involved.

As a first-generation immigrant born in Taiwan and raised in the United States, I learned through trial and error how to navigate academic and professional spaces that didn’t always feel designed with people like me in mind. That experience has influenced my approach to teaching, mentoring, and participating in the field. It also informs my views on diversity, equity, and inclusivity. For me, this isn’t separate from the artistic mission of organizations like SEAMUS. It’s intertwined with how we define excellence, build community, and decide whose work is visible, supported, and valued.

I’m grateful for what this role has already built: normalizing pronouns on nametags, creating more intentional social structures at conferences, advocating for adjunct and non-tenure-track colleagues, considering affordability, and expanding modes of conferencing—all of which influence both culture and policy, and  I would continue and expand that work.

There are three key areas I’d like to focus on.

First, I want to help broaden our understanding of who SEAMUS is for. Our field has long been influenced by academic pipelines, but many talented artists, musicians, and practitioners operate outside tenure-track roles. Independent artists, contingent faculty, community college educators, interdisciplinary makers, and many others whose titles may not even include the word “music” do not always see themselves reflected in organizations like ours. I want to support outreach and messaging that more clearly show SEAMUS can be a home for them, too.

Second, I believe that conference culture matters. I recently attended a festival where the collaborative vibe and sense of artistic connection lasted in my mind weeks after the final concert. The formats we prioritize shape what feels recognizable and valued in our field. Besides papers and multi-modal concerts, I want to promote presentation formats that accommodate a broader range of practices, participation, and access: workshops, artist conversations, listening sessions, mentoring spaces, and other models that invite diverse ways of engaging with the community.

Third, I care deeply about economic access. For many members, conference participation is a major personal expense rather than an institutionally supported one. I would want to continue efforts to better understand our members’ financial realities and advocate for policies, fee structures, and programming that prioritize affordability as a core part of inclusion.

I care deeply about SEAMUS and would be honored to help it become even more reflective, welcoming, and inclusive of the many people doing meaningful work in electroacoustic music today.

Bio

Nick Hwang is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where he teaches, composes, performs, and builds tools at the intersection of music technology and live performance. Much of his work is interactive, participatory, and collaborative, with projects such as Collab-Hub designed to reduce friction and help more people engage in creative musical exchange. Born in Taiwan and raised in the United States, he brings the perspective of a first-generation immigrant whose experiences continue to shape his thinking about access, belonging, and participation in electroacoustic music communities. His work has been presented nationally and internationally, and he has been an active SEAMUS member and conference participant for over a decade.

Teerath Majumder

Statement of Purpose

We are living through a period of regress in social justice. The white supremacy, racism, ableism, classism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia of the ruling class are no longer behind the curtain but on public display. It is inspiring, however, to see many Americans rising up against the dehumanization of people based on social and cultural differences. This is the time to assert that we are stronger when we celebrate and actively embrace those differences. To that end, I believe SEAMUS needs to proactively ensure representation and visibility for those people and perspectives currently under attack.

DEI too often gets oversimplified as “equal opportunities.” But the three pillars—diversity, equity, and inclusion—mean different things and require distinct actions to foster. It is not enough to encourage people of all identities to participate because communities face unique challenges that deter their members from entering certain fields. Growing up in Bangladesh, I had little to no incentive to pursue a career in the arts because of the devaluation of artistic practices by religious-fundamentalist and global-capitalist forces. Fostering diversity requires us to incentivize participation through affirmative action.

Equity is not a natural byproduct of diversity. And it is not the same as equality. Equity requires acknowledging that the ground is not level and that some of us need to be elevated to reach the same goal. This means going beyond representation and spotlighting those whose experiences and just views have been marginalized.

Inclusion requires us to truly attempt to understand the experiences and perspectives of diverse people navigating an ableist-white-cis-male world. As a South Asian person, I often look for someone who can relate to the socio-political realities of building a career in a field where there are so few of us. As a partially deaf person, I seek a presentation on spatialization that considers the experience of someone with compromised binaural localization. While diverse representation can lead to a level of inclusion, enthusiastic acknowledgement of the diversity and creating a welcoming environment where people feel cared for go much further.

As the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I will strive to incentivize the participation of marginalized people through scholarships, fellowships, and outreach. To ensure equity, I will advocate for prioritizing underrepresented voices in the SEAMUS conference, journal, CD, and all other public-facing aspects. To create an inclusive environment, I will push for honest conversations about the experiences of people of color, those with non-binary gender identities, the disabled, and all other groups who may have felt forgotten by the wider community of electroacoustic music-makers and researchers. I expect these conversations to lead to inclusive practices in conference organization as well as other areas. I will rely on my experience as an Academic Access and Excellence (formerly DEI) Fellow at Columbia College Chicago and my collaboration with people from diverse backgrounds to achieve these goals.

Bio

Teerath Majumder is a Bangladeshi composer, sound artist, and technologist whose interdisciplinary work focuses on socio-sonic relationships mediated by technology. With a background in North Indian traditional musics, chamber music composition, and film scoring, he has focused his efforts on technologically mediated music/sound art in the last eight years. In his interactive and immersive works, such as Space Within (2022) and Do Not Feed the Robots (2025), he attempts to create micro-communities in increasingly atomized social environments. He has designed sound and software for immersive installations and multimedia shows, such as A Shot in the Dark (2023) and Mothership Calling (2021), where he uses multichannel spatial audio to tell stories about race, racism, and imperialism. His latest studio project Dust to Dust (2026) has been described as “overflowing with sound and ideas [and] full of surprises.” (The Quietus) His pieces have been performed by renowned ensembles such as Hub New Music, Transient Canvas, and London Firebird Orchestra.

Majumder holds a PhD in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology from the University of California, Irvine and serves as an Assistant Professor of Sound Design at Columbia College Chicago.

 

VP for Membership

Position Description

The VP for Membership is responsible for recruiting and maintaining membership within the Society. The VP is also responsible for maintaining the membership database and disseminating the membership mailing list as appropriate. In this last capacity the VP for Membership works closely with the Technical Director. Since 2023 the VP for Membership has also overseen the SEAMUS mentor-mentee initiative.

Candidate:

Isaac Smith

Statement of Purpose

It has been both a pleasure and a learning experience to serve as Vice President of Membership for SEAMUS this past year, and I would like nothing more than to continue serving and growing into the role during my next term. 

I have been an active member of SEAMUS since 2022, where I presented at the New York conference and immediately felt welcomed and supported by the computer music community. I knew I wanted to make it a priority to help sustain and grow that community, so I ran for Board Member-at-Large for Adjudication in 2024. Although I was not elected for that position – and Sam Wells has been doing a phenomenal job in that role – I continued to look for ways I could help improve the community with my skills and labor. When an opportunity arose to step in for Abby Aresty as Vice President for Membership, I happily accepted. I knew I would have to learn a lot to be successful in the role, but I had confidence that my fellow board members and the membership of SEAMUS more broadly supported me in that process.

In that role, I have sought to maintain our membership databases and keep them as clean and current as possible. I have served on the CREATE Grants committee, as well as an adjudicating member of our yearly awards. In discussions about decisions that could impact the way members interact with SEAMUS and the resources it provides, I advocated for our members in a way that I feel promotes not only the longevity of SEAMUS as an organization, but also in a way that most benefits those who make, study, and contribute to the field of computer music.

If elected for my first full term, I will commit to continuing that advocacy and service, and to specifically digging into how SEAMUS and the board can better serve membership in the time between our yearly conferences. To that end, I will be reviving the mentorship program that yielded such successful partnerships and works during the rhizomatic conference year. In addition, I will be working with other board members to create digital workshops that focus on skill-building and professional development, drawing on topic experts in our incredible community to share their knowledge with those seeking to learn more.

The greatest thing about the electro-acoustic music community is how diverse our interests and skillsets are, but it can also be a challenge. I promise to continue facing that challenge with enthusiasm, a willingness to listen, and a desire to serve and advocate for the SEAMUS community that has given me so much. Thank you for your consideration.

Bio

Isaac Smith is a composer of bright, engaging new music that explores the fusion of organic and technological creativity. He earned his doctorate in composition from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2025. He co-directs the AlgoRhythms Music in AI Summit, an international conference dedicated to exploring and discussing the advancements of AI and its ethical and technological implications in the performing arts. His work has been featured in the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, the SPLICE Festival and twice at the SEAMUS National Conference. He is the recipient of the Morris and Sheila Hass Award in Computer Music, and his composition Canetis Cathedrali, commissioned by the Balourdet Quartet, will appear in their upcoming album Strange Machines. In addition to being a reviewer for the International Computer Music Conference for the past several years, Isaac has served as the SEAMUS Vice President of Membership since August 2025. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife, several well-loved house plants, and a sourdough starter named Franz.

MEMBER AT LARGE for Adjudication

Position Description

Each Member-At-Large is responsible for providing insight and input to the Board from the membership as a whole, and for taking on responsibilities within the activities of the Society as needed and deemed necessary by the Board. The member-at-large elected for Adjudication serves specifically to manage the adjudication process for the SEAMUS Conferences, including soliciting nominations for adjudicators.

Candidate:

Sam Wells

Statement of Purpose

I am honored to be considered for reelection as Member-at-Large for Adjudication, having worked in my first term to strengthen transparency, streamline adjudication workflows, and broaden engagement with our adjudicator pool. I have been a member of SEAMUS for over a decade and deeply value the community, artistic engagement, and continued evolution of the organization. Reflecting on my first term, I have seen the membership’s eagerness and dedication to supporting our community through adjudication processes. I remain committed to supporting and strengthening these processes in ways that serve both our community and the field.

By bridging the board and the membership, the Member-at-Large for Adjudication plays a critical role in ensuring that the voices and needs of our community are heard and addressed. This position is central to managing adjudication for conferences and student awards, requiring a process that is fair, transparent, and inclusive.

SEAMUS is strongest when it reflects the full diversity and dynamism of our field, and adjudication is one of the primary ways that this reflection takes shape. To support this, I will:

    • Actively solicit input from members to align adjudication practices with the evolving priorities of the community
    • Continue to broaden and diversify the pool of adjudicators while supporting work that reflects a wide range of perspectives and voices
    • Strengthen transparency so that adjudication processes are clearly understood and trusted by members
    • Support innovative and experimental work in electroacoustic music, recognizing both artistic and scholarly contributions
    • Improve the clarity and efficiency of adjudication workflows in order to respect the time and service of adjudicators

In addition to my work within SEAMUS, my experience as an electroacoustic composer and performer, multimedia artist, Vice President of SPLICE, and adjudicator for national and international conferences informs my approach to this role.

I remain committed to supporting SEAMUS and its mission to promote and advance electroacoustic music. I would be grateful for the opportunity to continue this work, with a focus on maintaining a process that is equitable, transparent, and responsive to our community.

Bio

Sam Wells is a musician and artist in Philadelphia whose work often invokes a heightened sense of the entanglements of space, air, breath, and body. His work is rooted in the humanity of breath, and highlights our interrelations with the cosmic, terrestrial, social, and internal spaces that surround us.

Sam is a trumpeter and improvisor who has performed around the world and is a member of Aeroidio, the Miller/Vidiksis/Wells trio, SPLICE Ensemble. 

As a composer, Sam creates acoustic, electroacoustic, and electronic works often incorporating multimedia elements. His works have been performed throughout the United States and internationally. As an avid collaborator, Sam has written for theater and dance productions, as well as many notable performers of contemporary music.

Sam is a Cycling ’74 Max Certified Trainer and organizes the Max Meetup Philadelphia event series. He runs Scarp Records, a record label dedicated to highlighting the experimental and improvisational practices of performer/composers.

Sam holds performance and composition degrees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, graduate degrees in Trumpet Performance and Computer Music Composition at Indiana University, and a doctoral degree at the California Institute of the Arts. Sam is an Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Composition at Temple University. [https://sllewm.as]