Dates: May 20-23, 2026
We are excited to announce our call for submissions for the 2026 SEAMUS National Conference at UT San Antonio. Submissions open on August 15th, and will close on October 15th, 2025 at midnight (AoE). This year’s theme is Music Collisions, a celebration of hybrid, boundary-crossing practices—where music collides with art, dance, literature, science and more.
Hosted by J. Andrew Wright Smith, a composer and performer, Miles Friday, a composer and sound artist, and Justin Boyd, an artist, we’re seeking to have the UTSA SEAMUS reflect the deep connections between art and music in our community. We especially encourage installations and multimedia pieces that engage deeply with music as well as any piece that engages with multiple disciplines.
Featured Performers
We also welcome submissions for our featured ensemble or our featured performers.
- Submissions for the Amorsima Trio may be for any combination of 1-3 players in the ensemble.
- Submissions for the other featured performers may feature any combination of 1-4 players, not including the Amorsima Trio.
Current and active SEAMUS membership is required to submit. You can renew your membership here https://seamusonline.org/register/?step=register
Featured Ensemble
- Amorsima Trio – Mia Detwiler, violin; Michael Capone, viola; Kourtney Newton, cello
Featured Performers
- Rami El-Farrah – saxophones
- Linda Jenkins – flutes
- Paul Millette – percussion
- Jordan Walsh – percussion
Submissions
Current SEAMUS members are invited to submit to any of the following categories. Strong preference will be given to pieces that are 10 minutes or less in duration. Members may have submissions selected from multiple categories.
- Concert Music submission
- Papers/Workshops/Demos submission
- Installations submission
- Performer-Curated Concert submission
- SEAMUS Student Composer Commissioning Program
SEAMUS Student Composer Commissioning Program
Currently enrolled students of all levels are also invited to submit works for consideration for the SEAMUS Student Award Competition. Undergraduate submissions will also be considered for the Allen Strange Memorial Award. Student finalists will also have their pieces accepted to be performed at the conference.
Works must be submitted separately to the conference and to the competition.
Creative Works
Creative works include fixed media compositions for up to 8 channels, audiovisual works for up to 8 channels of audio, works for performers with live and/or fixed electronic elements, and installations.
Installations
Installations must involve a significant sound component or engage with sound or music topically in some way.
Installations can be either physical, requiring in-person setup; or fully online, interactive multimedia experiences. Individuals are allowed one installation submission to the conference. This includes works by multiple artists. If you are part of a collaboration, you cannot submit an additional work as a solo artist in this category.
Performer-Curated Concert
Performers are welcome to submit a curated concert program for themselves and/or their ensemble. All of the pieces on the program should feature electronics in some way.
To apply, the applicant should submit a program proposal that lists the title, composer, duration, and technical requirements for each piece and audio recordings of three recent performances (one of which must be a live recording (not studio) and one of which must include the use of electro-acoustics). Video recordings are not accepted. Recordings of the proposed program are welcome but not required. This is a double blind, peer reviewed evaluation process, and all submitted materials must be strictly anonymous: the performer(s)’s name(s) must not appear anywhere on the recording, proposal, or on the website from which the recording is accessed.
Proposals will be evaluated upon the strength of the player(s), and the cohesiveness, creativity, and feasibility of the proposed program.
Presentations/Demos/Workshops
Paper presentations and demos relevant to the field of electroacoustic music may be proposed by individuals or groups. Presentations will be limited to 25 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions. Selected presentations associated with a research paper will be included in Journal SEAMUS.
Workshops on topics relevant to the field of electroacoustic music may be proposed by individuals and groups.Workshops can be from 30 minutes to 2 hours in length.
Individuals are allowed one research submission to the conference. This includes works by multiple authors. If you are part of a collaboration, you cannot submit an additional work as a solo presenter in this category.
Featured Ensemble/Performer Bios
Amorsima Trio
Amorsima Trio is a boundary-pushing ensemble that redefines the traditional expectations of a string trio, bringing a fresh and contemporary perspective to the stage. Comprised of violinist Mia Detwiler, violist Michael Capone, and cellist Kourtney Newton, the trio was founded in 2016 through a shared passion for new music. With an unwavering commitment to expanding the string trio repertoire, the Amorsima Trio actively commissions new works, seeking out collaborations with innovative composers. Recent projects include the premiere of 21 miniatures in response to Beethoven’s 250th anniversary and performances as a featured ensemble at the University of Louisville New Music Festival, Mise-en Music Festival, and New Music on the Bayou. The name “Amorsima,” which means “that which does not come from fate” was inspired by the Xenakis work Morsima-Amorsima and symbolizes their pursuit to redefine the traditional expectations of the string trio.
Website: https://www.amorsima.com/home
Rami El-Farrah – Soprano, Alto, and Tenor Saxophones
Dr. Rami El-Farrah is a concert saxophonist known for his solo performances and as a member of both the Bel Cuore Quartet and the Austin Saxophone Ensemble. He is the author of the Dynamic Duos for Saxophone series (published by MusePub) and the etude book 64 Musical Studies (published by Southern Music). As an award-winning soloist and chamber musician, Dr. El-Farrah has performed extensively across the United States and Europe. He has been featured on several musical albums, with recent releases from the Bel Cuore Quartet and the Austin Saxophone Ensemble. In addition to his concert performances, Dr. El-Farrah teaches saxophone at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he also directs the university’s saxophone ensemble and teaches Jazz History. For more, visit https://ramielfarrah.com/
Linda Jenkins – C flute, piccolo, and alto flute
Linda Jenkins is an ardent collaborative musician and teacher based in San Antonio, Texas. She currently serves as Lecturer of Flute at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Instructor of Flute at San Antonio College, as well as privately in the greater metroplex, and can be heard playing with various performing groups and frequently works with local composers as a soloist and chamber musician. Vox Venti, her Denton-based flute quartet, presented programs featuring living women composers at the Texas Flute Society Convention, the Florida Flute Association Convention as well as the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention. Linda can be heard on the 2023 albums ‘Respair’ and ‘Closure’ from GIA WindWorks and ‘In Focus 6’, released in June 2022 by RMN Music. Recently, she was the featured soloist for the Texas premieres of two works for solo flutes and wind ensemble, with the UNT Wind Symphony and UTSA Wind Ensemble. In 2018, she commissioned and premiered a full recital of works for solo flute and piccolo in collaboration with the Oregon Composers Forum.
Linda is currently completing a Doctorate in Music at the University of North Texas, where she earned a Graduate Artist Certificate in 2020 under the guidance of Professor Terri Sundberg. She has a B.M. from Bowling Green State University and a M.M. from the University of Oregon where she studied with Dr. Conor Nelson and Professor Molly Barth respectively. Her other teachers include Dr. Elizabeth McNutt, Amy Taylor, Dr. James Scott, and Natalie Syring. For more information, visit ljenkinsflute.com
Paul Millette – percussion
Paul Millette is a percussionist, composer, and educator based out of San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Practice in Percussion at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he teaches applied percussion, percussion pedagogy, and percussion literature. He has been invited to present clinics and masterclasses at universities throughout the United States and currently works with the percussion program at Harlan High School.
Millette maintains an active performance career as a chamber musician, orchestral performer, and improviser. Recent professional engagements include performances with the San Antonio Philharmonic, United States Air Force Band of the West, Density512 and the Mid-Texas Symphony. As a chamber musician, Paul frequently performs with the free-improvisation groups Noise Floor and Bongo Funhouse, as well as in the Sjel Duo with saxophonist Sarah Hetrick. He has recorded with the Naxos and Summit Records, and Toccata Classics labels.
Paul proudly endorses Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Black Swamp instruments, and Zildjian cymbals. Connect with Paul via Instagram here; https://www.instagram.com/millettepercussion/?hl=en
Jordan Walsh – percussion
Jordan Walsh is a percussionist, audio engineer, and educator based in Austin, Texas. A proponent of electronics and theater, he strives to perform the most absurd music with the most genuine fervor. Jordan frequently commissions and performs new works in both chamber and solo settings, including recent collaborations with composers including Elainie Lillios, Akshaya Avril Tucker, José Martinez, and Sophie Mathieu. Frequently engaged as a solo performer, Jordan has recently appeared as a guest at the SEAMUS conference, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Purdue University, and the Bowling Green State University New Music Festival, with upcoming engagements including Columbus State University and UT San Antonio. He is principal percussionist/personnel manager for the Density512 new music collective, member of minimalist rock group Goliath Was Bigfoot, third part of Line Upon Line Percussion, and is one half of the live-only-nonbroadcast-pirate-radio phenomenon Peach Blossom Highway.
https://www.jordanwalshmusic.com/
Adjudication and Notification
SEAMUS adjudication is conducted through a double-blind peer-review and is designed to ensure anonymity and a lack of bias toward any particular composer or piece. However, the conference host will consider technical and logistical feasibility as they program pieces and installations based on their unique abilities to accommodate specific needs and requests. For a full description of SEAMUS adjudication processes, please visit the link: https://seamusonline.org/national-conference-adjudication-process/
Notifications are made as soon as possible and are typically released in January . Please reach out to J. Andrew Wright Smith, our Director of Communications, at [email protected] with any questions on adjudication or acceptances.
Further information on the conference will be at the conference website, currently in-progress. We will announce the conference website when it is complete.
Non-discrimination
SEAMUS is committed to inclusion, diversity, and non-discrimination. SEAMUS’s statement of non-discrimination is found at: https://seamusonline.org/inclusion-and-diversity/. Any person with concerns, questions, or suggestions related to these issues is encouraged to contact the SEAMUS president at [email protected].
Questions
Questions regarding the SEAMUS 2026 National Conference can be directed to the conference host, or the SEAMUS president:
- Andrew Wright Smith: [email protected]
- Mark Vaughn: [email protected]