24th Annual EMM Festival - Call for Works

Call for Submissions

Lewis University and Kansas City Kansas Community College are pleased to announce an international call for submissions for the 24th Annual Electronic Music Midwest Festival, featuring guest performer Mary Hubbell, to be held March 13-14, 2026 at Lewis University.

Each concert will feature an 8.1.4 immersive speaker diffusion system, with a lower/main ring of 8 channels (with front and rear centers) and 4 height channels. Acclaimed soprano, Mary Hubbell will be the featured performer and composers are encouraged to submit works for her consideration.

EMM is only able to consider works less than 20 minutes in length. Please note that works longer than 12 minutes are rarely programmed.

EMM welcomes and programs all types of EA music, but we are especially interested in programming works that fall within one of the following categories:

1) Composition for our guest performer, Mary Hubbell (soprano), with fixed media and/or live electronics

2) Works for fixed media and/or live electronics up to 8.1.4

3) Instrument(s)/Voice(s) and fixed media or live electronics (composer must provide performers and electronics)

4) Works that include video

5) Sound Installations and Interactive Media (composer provides all non-standard equipment)

6) Live Laptop works

Submission Deadline: November 14, 2025

Guest Performer

Mary Hubbell, described in the New York Times as "a soprano with a sweetly focused tone," excels in a wide range of styles. Composers are invited to visit Ms. Hubbell's website to view previous performances.

• Vocal range: A3-C6
• Singer preferred range: C4-Bb6
• Octave of best resonance, flexibility of tone, and expressiveness: G4-G5

Submission Guidelines:

1) Creators may submit one work for consideration.

2) For consideration, applicants must register and complete an online submission form available at newmusicengine.org. Complete submission information and guidelines are also available on the EMM website.

3) For adjudication purposes, multi-channel works must be submitted as a stereo mix and uploaded at New Music Engine. These audio files are only for adjudication. Selected participants will bring performance files of accepted works to the festival.

4) For video submissions, please provide a link to a streaming service such as Vimeo.com or Youtube.com. Note: The video field is for video submissions only. Using this field for external links to audio files will disqualify your submission.

Registration Information

There is no fee to submit work for consideration. Those whose works are selected through peer-review for this festival will be required to submit a $75 registration fee at the festival and must agree to attend the festival.

Only one registration fee is collected for works by more than one composer or collaborations. Upon arrival at EMM, composers will check-in with the registration desk to pay the registration fee and collect a festival information packet. EMM will provide a receipt at that time for those who need documentation for reimbursement.

Regrettably, EMM is unable to offer travel stipends or honorariums to festival participants at this time; however, we do have a limited number of registration waivers available to composers who are able to demonstrate financial hardship.

EMM is unable to consider works that do not conform to these guidelines.

A Note About Registration Fee

There is no cost to submit works for consideration to EMM; however, composers who by juried process are selected to participate must register for EMM and pay a registration fee at the festival. In the future, EMM hopes to eliminate the registration fee altogether and offer a stipend to composers for their creative work. Due to a shoe-string budget at the moment, this registration fee helps defray the cost of hosting EMM. Without it, the EMM Festival simply could not exist.

In support of EMM's mission statement, all events are free and open to the public. Audience members are not required to register; however, donations are always welcome. We do not collect donations at the concert, therefore, if you would like to make a financial gift to EMM, please contact Mike McFerron.

Some participants also gift a registration fee to another participant, such as a student or participant traveling a long distance. This can be done anonymously or with recognition. If you would like to gift a registration fee to another participant, please contact Mike McFerron.

As stated in the call for submissions, each composer selected to present at EMM is required to remit a $75 registration fee. Note that only one registration fee is collected for works by more than one composer or collaborations. Upon arrival at EMM, composers should check-in with the registration desk to pay the registration fee and collect a festival information packet. EMM will provide a receipt at that time for those who need documentation for reimbursement.