The New Media Art And Sound Summit is a cornerstone of COTFG’s annual calendar, bringing performers, makers, and educators from around the globe to explore the boundaries of audio-visual invention. This year’s program includes the Brooklyn improvisor and conceptual artist C. Spencer Yeh’s debut of a quadraphonic piece that draws on his recordings with the legendary RCA Mark II synthesizer; Yeh’s fellow Brooklyner, the Afrofuturist R&B singer, producer, and instrument builder Rucyl Mills, will make her Texas debut as a solo performer and create an interactive installation to run for the duration of the festival.

COTFG also welcomes two Bay Area artists to Austin for the first time: The bi-coastal bionic chamber flute-and-percussion act A/B Duo and the vibraphone-led “chamber-chip-doom-folk” project Mineral Kingdom. NMASS 2017 also occasions the premiere of Motion Series, a piece commissioned by COTFG for the Austin avant-chamber group the Slant Ensemble. Composed by Austin guitarist Alan Retamozo, Motion Series blends elements of free improvisation, formal notation, and the allegorical possibilities of rhythm. As part of COTFG’s mission to raise the visibility of overlooked artists and thinkers, NMASS welcomes Dr. Amy Cimini to discuss and hear the works of the 20th-century composer, theorist, and installation artist Maryanne Amacher. This year’s NMASS is the first to take place away from the Salvage Vanguard Theater, and so offers the opportunity to activate the acoustic and performative possibilities of a new space.