This is an open call for submissions for a Festschrift honoring David Wessel, which will be released during ICMC BOSTON 2025. (A Festschrift is collection of writings published in honor of a scholar.) David organized the inaugural ICMC in 1974 at Michigan State University, where he was on the faculty at the time. Considering this, along with his research and creative interests, the 50th Anniversary of the ICMC is a fitting venue to celebrate and honor David’s life and work. 

A good number of David’s collaborators, colleagues, and mentees have already been invited to contribute to the Festschrift. Taking into account David’s immense level of activity across a wide range of disciplines, this call is directed towards those whom we may have inadvertently overlooked.

The aim of the Festschrift is to capture the breadth of David’s lifelong interests and contributions at the intersection of music, science, and technology; to highlight and amplify some of the ideas that were David’s lifelong interests; to Illustrate some of David’s character and joie de vivre; and to share many case studies of David’s impact on those of us lucky enough to know and be mentored by him.

The Wessel Festschrift document will debut on June 8, 2025, in coordination with ICMC BOSTON 2025’s Opening Night Tribute and Concert, which will feature in-person and remote presentations. The Wessel Festschrift will initially appear as an online presentation while a print edition will be developed for the future.

Submissions can be in the form of a short or long article, memory, reflection, or other statement, and can include images or recorded media. All submission types – from scholarly to entertaining – are welcome!

Submissions should be made through the Microsoft Conference Management Toolkit (CMT). If you have some new research on ideas that David would have been interested in, we encourage you to submit an official paper via the CMT as well.

The deadline for receiving contributions is March 15, 2025. 

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Chair of ICMC BOSTON 2025 Wessel Festschrift Collective, Ronald Bruce Smith (ro.smith@northeastern.edu).

The Wessel Festschrift Collective
ICMC BOSTON 2025

Richard Andrews
Marc Battier
Anthony Paul De Ritis (Ex officio)
Adrian Freed
Psyche Loui
Miller Puckette
Ronald Bruce Smith, Chair
Matt Wright