CEMI - Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia

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CEMI - Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia

CEMI provides an environment for research, education, and performance.

The Center for Experimental Music & Intermedia (CEMI) is an interdisciplinary center focused on music and arts technologies, housed within the Division of Composition Studies. Internationally renowned for its long history of innovation, CEMI provides a fertile environment for the creation of experimental music and intermedia by students, guests, and faculty. CEMI's six state-of-the-art studios and Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater nurture the development of dozens of works each year, including music for live performance with interactive computer systems, multichannel surround audio compositions, film and video works, dance pieces with live video, and intermedia theatrical performances. Students working in CEMI take classes and private lessons in the Division of Composition Studies, which offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Faculty teaching in CEMI share their unique expertise with experimental music and intermedia in classes ranging from introductory surveys to advanced seminars. CEMI's staff of teaching assistants prepare themselves for professional work as teachers and technologists as they help CEMI students and guests to make optimal use of CEMI resources. CEMI - Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia provides important links between disciplines at UNT and beyond. Each semester the Performance Art/Multimedia class produces two concerts of works by students from all areas of the UNT campus, including COVAD, RTVF, and Dance & Theater. CEMI researchers also collaborate with their counterparts in the media industry to develop new technologies; current projects include networked performance and 3-D sound diffusion. CEMI showcases the latest experimental music and intermedia from UNT and around the world in its annual series of concerts in the Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater. Visiting composers-in-residence have studio access and technical assistance; CEMI regularly hosts internationally renowned artists and researchers in residencies that include public lectures, masterclasses, and concerts. CEMI has hosted the International Computer Music Conference, the SEAMUS National Conference, and the Electric LaTex Festival, among others. Recent publications and performances by CEMI researchers encompass software synthesis, gestural control with tactile feedback, audio diffusion control, gestural controller applications, and interactive computer music with video tracking. Works created at CEMI push the envelope of existing technologies and point the way to new research opportunities.

09/22/2026

We were thrilled to welcome composer/tenor Omar Najmi to the MEIT yesterday for an inspiring presentation. Omar shared his experiences working in opera and writing for singers, offering valuable insights into the creative process and the unique relationship between composition and performance. We also had the opportunity to hear him perform some of his own works, making for an engaging and memorable morning of music and conversation.

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Grammy-nominated artist Omar Najmi splits his time between composition and performance, maintaining a busy schedule as an operatic tenor. Najmi began his composition career with the production of his first opera, En la ardiente oscuridad, in 2019. After a run of sold-out performances, he was invited to serve as the first ever Emerging Composer in residence with Boston Lyric Opera, where he worked with Boston Youth Poet Laureate Alondra Bobadilla in the creation of the song cycle my name is Alondra. The piece received its live premiere on BLO’s Street Stage in 2021. In 2022, his motet The Last Invocation was premiered by Emmanuel Music. His second opera This Is Not That Dawn was premiered in concert by Catalyst New Music in 2022, and his song cycle More Than Our Own Caves received its premiere with Juventas New Music Ensemble in 2023. Najmi was a 2023 finalist in Atlanta Opera’s 96-Hour Opera Project, and his recent opera Jo Dooba So Paar was presented by White Snake Projects as part of their “Let’s Celebrate” initiative. He was a member of Washington National Opera’s 2025 American Opera Initiative, which commissioned and premiered his and Christine Evans’ opera Mud Girl.

09/16/2026

We had the pleasure of a visit from Douglas Knehans this past Monday at the MEIT. He talked about his love for nature and forms derived from there, his passion for poetry and setting language to music, and how his compositional process has developed through the years. It was a fantastic talk and provided great insights into different mediums of music creation.

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Douglas Knehans is an American-Australian composer whose music has been performed, recorded, and broadcast worldwide by leading orchestras, opera companies, chamber ensembles, and distinguished soloists. He is the founder and Artistic Director of ABLAZE Records, and his music is distinguished by dramatic intensity, architectural clarity, expressive immediacy, and exceptional orchestral craftsmanship.

05/26/2026

SAN ANTONIO HOSTS NATIONAL SEAMUS CONFERENCE: Just this past week, University of North Texas was robustly represented at the four-day national SEAMUS conference themed, “Music Collisions, celebrates hybrid and boundary-crossing practices—where music intersects with art, dance, literature, science, and more.”

The UNT Division of Composition Studies celebrates two student achievements. Doctoral composition student, Shahrzad Talebi, was selected as First Prize for the SEAMUS 2026 Student Commissioning Competition Award for her piece “A Detour, Invalid Light by Mistake.” Doctoral composition student, Connor Scroggins, received the premiere of his work, “fleeting facades, ephemerally forever,” commissioned as the 2025 SEAMUS Student Award Commissioning Competition Second Prize.

Thirty-two UNT participants were included—pictured (front row, l-r): Sungji Hong, Nolen Liu, JD Fuller, Panayiotis Kokoras, Elizabeth McNutt, Elainie Lillios, Colin Stokes, Sampson Li, David Stout; (standing, l-r): Kevin Salfen, Shahrzad Talebi, Benjamin Shirey, Victoria Donaldson, Ben Damann, Anne Maker, Connor Scroggins, Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner, Eli Fieldsteel, Christopher Poovey, Mark Vaughn, Kory Reeder, Michael Thompson, Qi Shen, Joseph Klein. Not pictured: Lisa Bost-Sandberg, Mike Capone, Yoonjae Choi, Mia Detwiler, I-Jen Fang, Linda Jenkins, Kourtney Newton, and J. Andrew Wright Smith.

Check out the full conference at:
https://colfa.utsa.edu/music/seamus-conference/

04/23/2026

Three week recap at CEMI:

We had visits from Chinary Ung and Lisa DeSpain. Chinary Ung presented on his multimedia piece incorporating visuals, electronics and live instruments. The flute was performed by our very own Elizabeth McNutt. Lisa DeSpain visited the following week and presented on her new Opera work. This included an informative section on collaboration with a librettist, and the process that goes into that.

Up Next: Our final spectrum concert of the semester, tomorrow Friday April 24th, celebrating our retiring faculty Dr. Jon Nelson!

03/23/2026

Over the past two weeks, we’ve had an exciting lineup of Music Now events featuring guest artists and composers.

On March 2, we welcomed Kory Reeder, a UNT alumnus and lecturer in the UNT Composition Department, who presented “What Is Really Going On? Music as an Existential Exercise” and shared insights into his compositional approach.

On March 16, we hosted Drew Schnurr, Associate Professor of Composition and Media Arts at UNT, who offered insights into AI and music through his creative practice.

These events provided valuable perspectives on contemporary composition and emerging directions in the field.

Stay tuned for more upcoming events at CEMI!

03/01/2026

Two week recap at CEMI: we had two of our graduating students give lectures for music now. Reagan Maginn & Ben Damann both presented on their masters and doctoral work respectively, providing a fascinating insight into their composition process.
More recently this past week we had a visit from Sarah Ruth Alexander, presented on her recent work in parts of Texas exploring natural & environmental impact of rural landscapes.

Event tonight: our own staff member Noah Salem presents his masters recital in Voertman Hall at 8pm. Hope to see you all there!

02/22/2026

TONIGHT! 24 | 24 presented by Composers Forum will take place at 8pm in the MEIT. Our composers had 24 hours to write a piece, and then performers had 24 hours to learn it. The timer ends tonight… Join us for a fun evening of some experimental and time-pressured cooked works!

Poster made by

02/10/2026

Join us tonight for our very own, Dr. Joseph Klein’s recital at 8pm in Voertman Hall.

Yesterday he presented on his works from his series: Canetti-menagerie. These are works for solo instruments and ensemble that are based on characters from Elias Canetti’s book ‘Earwitness.’ Discussing artistic inspiration, along with technical aspects of his work.

It will be a special show this evening, featuring UNT Faculty and other performers on the concert.

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Joseph Klein is a composer of instrumental, vocal, electroacoustic, and intermedia works, whose music has been described as “a dizzying euphoria… like a sonic tickling with counterpoint gone awry” (NewMusicBox), exhibiting a “confident polyvalence [that] heightens its very real excitement” (The Wire). His work reflects an ongoing interest in processes inspired by natural phenomena, often drawing upon literary sources and incorporating theatrical elements as part of the overall musical narrative. Klein holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of California, San Diego, and currently serves as Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair of Composition Studies at the University of North Texas.

02/03/2026

Dave Hall gave us a fantastic presentation this morning, exploring writing for percussion as both a composer and a performer.

Providing valuable insights on accessibility, writing intuitively and engaging with meaningful topics, this was a wonderful morning of music and learning.

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Dave Hall is Associate Professor of Percussion at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he directs the UNT Percussion Ensemble and teaches applied lessons and courses on percussion literature, history, and pedagogy. Before his appointment at UNT, he was Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Under his direction, the University of Nebraska Percussion Ensemble was selected to perform a showcase concert at PASIC in both 2019 and 2016 as winners of the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition (IPEC) and also founded Nebraska Steel, the first university steel band in the state. Under his direction, the Univeristy of North Texas Percussion Ensemble was also selected as an IPEC Winner in 2025.

01/12/2026

Well back Composers! This morning Professor Stephanie Rhodes Russell joined Music Now to give us a valuable talk on the power of collaboration between composers and choreographers. Focusing on operatic works, Prof. Rhodes emphasised the importance of building lasting connections, taking advantage of opportunities and the best way to have fruitful collaborative processes with conductors. It was a pleasure to have her visit us this morning!

Address

415 Avenue C
Denton, TX
76201

Website

http://cemi.music.unt.edu/

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