The Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA) has announced their eighth annual membership meeting to be held on June 24 - 26, 2023. TSDCA will hold three days of public panels and discussions regarding sound design and composition for theatre at the Mandell Theater on the campus of Drexel University. All events are free and open to TSDCA members as well as the general public. All events will also be available to stream online by registering at www.tsdca.org.
In its programming, TSDCA continues to explore many topics that are currently at the forefront of the theatre sound community with a special emphasis this year on topics that are prominent in the Philadelphia theatre sound community. Highlights include a Microphone Shootout led by Tony Award and Grammy Award winning sound designer Scott Lehrer, a seminar on field recording to create sound effects libraries with field recordist Thomas Rex Beverly and legendary British sound designer John Leonard, and a discussion about sound design for museum installation with sound designer Katherine Gonzalez, Tony Award winning sound designer Rob Kaplowitz, and Jeremy Lee, senior design consultant for Electrosonic.
Plus, in its continuing commitment to creating opportunities for youths from under-represented communities, TSDCA will be offering special beat-making intensive with Broadway actor/beatboxer/recording artist Chesney Snow and composer AJ Khaw for multiple high school groups including We Embrace Fatherhood, a Philadelphia-based collective committed to the intentional transformation of families.
The event will feature an L-ISA sound system provided by L-Acoustics and Bauder Sound Systems, with hands-on training during the weekend.
All events are free and open to the public. To register for any event, please visit: https://tsdca.org/events/annual-meeting-2023/
The schedule of events for the seventh annual TSDCA membership meeting is as follows (all times are EDT):
Saturday, June 24:
4pm – Session #1 – “Quiet System Tuning?!” – Low-key intro to the L-Acoustics L-ISA system we’ll be exploring during the conference.
5:00pm – Session #2 – “Mentorship Meetup” – Welcome! Musical chairs style meet and greet where participants can meet folks from Philadelphia and out of town, freelancers, sound system manufacturers, and other members of our greater sound community.
Sunday, June 25:
10:00am – Session #3 – “State of the Industry”. A frank discussion about how we are all doing in 2023 – from challenges in the supply chain to labor shortages. We will address our changing expectations with regard to work, art, and life, with Five OHM founder Graham Johnson, Tony nominated composer/sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, composer/sound designer Sharath Patel, composer/sound designer Elizabeth Atkinson, and more guests to be announced. Moderated by Meghan Roche.
11:30 am – Session #4 – “Sound Effects Libraries” – John Leonard and Thomas Rex Beverly in a discussion about everything from recording techniques to gear to inspiration in creating sound effects libraries.
2:00 pm – Session #5 – “L-ISA Demo” – L-Acoustics. Continuing our exploration of surround systems and object mixing techniques with the L-ISA system.
4:30 pm – Session #6 – “Beat Making Intensive” with Chesney Snow and AJ Khaw. This event will include multiple groups of high school students for mentorship and inspiration.
Monday, June 26:
10:00am – Session #7 – “Microphone Shoot-out” – hosted by Scott Lehrer and sound designer/educator Matt Marcus, featuring composer Michael Roth and percussionist Jordan McCree.
12 pm – Session #8 – “Sound Systems for Art Installation” – from Chaos to Order” – A conversation with Jeremy Lee, Rob Kaplowitz, and Katherine Gonzalez.
Other TSDCA members-only events will include the Members-Only Meeting and Member Feedback. For more information on TSDCA membership, please head to https://tsdca.org/membership/.
TSDCA is a professional membership organization of sound designers and composers for the performing arts working in the United States.
Special sponsor for TSDCA’s Annual Meeting 2023 is L-Acoustics, with special audio support by Bauder Audio Systems.
TSDCA Corporate Members include: d&b audiotechnik, Clear-Com, Sennheiser, DPA Microphones, Shure Inc., Figure 53, Holoplot, Meyer Sound, Autograph A2D, Innovate Audio Ltd, Digico, Spatial, Yamaha, Avid, Røde, PRG, Lectrosonics, Wavetool, Rational Acoustics, Point Source Audio, Five OHM, TiMax/1602 Group and Lighting & Sound America Magazine.
Please visit www.tsdca.org for more information on TSDCA initiatives.