Every year since 2009, a handful of artists, engineers, musicians, and hobbyists from around the world arrive in Atlanta, Georgia, with one-of-a-kind instruments in tow. Sitars made from golf clubs, pianos generating otherworldly tones from electromagnets, and infinitely customizable miniature synthesizers—all have taken home prizes at Georgia Tech’s Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. As university gears up to showcase 2024’s ten finalists, Jason Freeman is excited, to say the least. “It’s one of the favorite parts of my job,” he tells PopSci.
Although the School of Music has been a part of the university since its marching band formed in 1908, the world of instrumentation has changed dramatically over the ensuing century. Freeman, professor and chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Music and the competition’s director, as well as his fellow organizers saw an opportunity to draw attention to the ever-evolving world of music technology, as well as human beings’ immense creative capacities using increasingly accessible tools.
Freeman says they receive between 50 and 100 open call submissions each year from creators residing everywhere from Turkey, to Germany, to Spain, to California. Ten finalists converge on campus in the spring to demonstrate their inventions in front of a panel of judges, as well as a packed house. One of the school’s most public activities, the Guthman Competition hosts as many as 1,500 visitors during the two-day event, including K-12 students and industry professionals alike.
In early March, attendees will be able to see (and hear) finalist entries such as Jean-François Laporte’s Babel Table, an instrument created for a children’s project utilizing multiple arrays of latex membranes…
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