SEM Sound Studies Section

Dear SEM 2025 attendees and presenters,

The Sound Studies Section thanks all who attended our four events: the Sounding Board exhibition, the keynote by Professor Allie Martin, our sponsored panel, and the business meeting. The Sounding Board had its highest attendance yet. We also appreciate everyone who presented or submitted proposals, and thank you for your ongoing engagement during this challenging time.

We are now accepting submissions for the Section’s annual Student Paper Award. All students who presented papers on sound studies at the 2025 SEM conference are eligible to apply. Please submit your presented paper and CV to [email protected] with the subject line “SEM Sound Studies Section Paper Award 2026” by Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

We invite nominations for Executive Secretary. To contribute, please send a 100-word description explaining your sense of mission and vision as a Section Secretary to the current co-chairs Winnie W. C. Lai ([email protected]) and Ronit Ghosh ([email protected]) with the subject line “SEM Sound Studies Section Secretary Nomination” by Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

We look forward to the next meeting with you in Bloomington, Indiana!

Warmest regards,
Sound Studies Section Executive Committee

Dear SEM attendees,

This year, the Sound Studies Section warmly invites you to join us for our business meeting as well as three exciting events: a keynote lecture, the Sounding Board exhibition, and a sponsored panel. Below are the details:

Thursday, October 23
1:45 - 3:45 p.m., Room M-102: Sponsored panel "03F: The Magnetic Politics of Cassette Archives" (Speakers: Andrea Bohlman, David Novak, Davindar Singh, Fidel Glitch)
8:00 - 9:00 p.m., Room M-103: Keynote Lecture "Gentrification and Black Sound in Washington, DC" (Speaker: Allie Martin)
9:00 - 10:00 p.m., Room M-103: Section business meeting

Saturday, October 25
7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Room M-201 & M-202: Sounding Board Exhibition (Artists: Alexandra Lippman, Arshia Rahmati, Benjamin Fox-Rosen, Colin Tucker, David Novak, Esteban Agosin, Haotian Wang, Jordan Zalis, Julie Zhu and Sunhong Kim, Luigi Monteanni and Teguh Permana, Michael Trommer, Yu-Hsuan Liao)

All events are open to all attendees!

Looking forward to seeing you,
SEM Sound Studies Section Executive Board

SEM Sound Studies Section Sounding Board 2025
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025. 7-9 p.m. (EDT)
Location: M-201 and M-202, Marquis Level, Marriott Marquis Downtown Hotel, Atlanta, GA
Featuring Artists: Alexandra Lippman, Arshia Rahmati, Benjamin Fox-Rosen, Colin Tucker, David Novak, Esteban Agosin, Haotian Wang, Jordan Zalis, Julie Zhu and Sunhong Kim, Luigi Monteanni and Teguh Permana, Michael Trommer, Yu-Hsuan Liao
All are welcome!

Dear fellow members and colleagues,

The SEM Sounding Board, an annual curated collection of field recordings and sound pieces organized by the SEM Sound Studies Section, cordially invites contributions for the 2025 annual meeting. This year’s exhibition will take place in the evening of Saturday, October 25, during the SEM annual conference in Atlanta, with an open theme designed to foster diversity and innovation.

We invite submissions of all forms of sound art, audiovisual installations, and performative or experimental work, particularly those forged from field recordings, audiovisual compositions, and sonic interventions.

To submit, please provide a link along with a 250-word abstract and a 150-word short biography of the creator(s) in the link to the Google Form provided below.

Deadline: Sunday, August 31, 2025, 23:59 (EDT)
More details: https://semsoundstudies.wixsite.com/semsoundstudies/post/cfs-2025-sem-sounding-board
Submit to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZ_mQ3ACKHEy2Dbk0zlBl0NY5TtW4Tjfxir6EvTzYxNFpKeA/viewform?usp=dialog

For questions or further information, please reach out to us at [email protected].

We eagerly anticipate your resonances and contributions.

Warmest regards,
SEM Sound Studies Section

Dear Members of the SEM Sound Studies Community and Enthusiasts,

As we embrace the warmth of summer, we are also excitedly preparing for our upcoming SEM conference. We hope this message finds you well.

In anticipation of the annual meeting, we kindly remind you to select the Sound Studies Section when registering and renewing your membership on SEM's membership page (https://www.ethnomusicology.org/page/Membership_Join). Your membership dues to the Sound Studies Section are vital to our ongoing efforts to foster a vibrant exchange of ideas and to support our existing programming in the area of sound studies. This year, we are particularly enthusiastic about launching the 2025 Sounding Board installation exhibition, a sponsored panel, a keynote lecture, a student paper prize, and a business meeting. Your support is instrumental in shaping the future of our community, and we are eager to collaborate with you to cultivate meaningful dialogues in Sound Studies at SEM.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our field. We look forward to your active participation and support as we build a community together.

Warmest regards,
Sound Studies Section Executive Board

The SEM Sound Studies Section welcomes applications for panel sponsorship for the upcoming 2025 SEM Annual Meeting on October 23–26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Marriott Marquis Downtown Hotel. If you have a sound studies-related panel already formed, or are an individual paper looking to join with others to form a panel, please submit abstracts to the Sound Studies Section co-chairs through email by Friday, February 7, 2025. We will notify selected panels of their status no later than Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

The current co-chairs are Cody Black ([email protected]) and Winnie W. C. Lai ([email protected]). Please direct any questions to us.

These deadlines will allow us to review the proposals and communicate with you prior to the SEM submission deadline of Monday, February 17, 2025, 11:59 p.m. (EST). Sound Studies Section sponsorship does not guarantee the acceptance of proposals in the 2025 SEM Annual Meeting Program. For more information on submission guidelines, see here. All sponsored panels/abstracts must follow SEM submission guidelines, including for length.

Thank you!

Executive Committee
SEM Sound Studies Section

Visit our website: https://semsoundstudies.wixsite.com/semsoundstudies/post/sound-studies-section-sponsorship-for-2025-sem-annual-meeting

Deadline: TODAY!!

The deadline to join our committees has been extended (12/22)! Please visit our newly launched website (link below) for more info. Thank you!
https://semsoundstudies.wixsite.com/semsoundstudies/post/2025-committees-call-for-nomination

The deadline to join our committees has been extended (12/22)! Please visit our newly launched website (link below) for more info. Thank you!
https://semsoundstudies.wixsite.com/semsoundstudies/post/2025-committees-call-for-nomination