Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association to Meet in Chicago, July 25-27

The Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA) will hold its 11th annual membership meeting, July 25-27, at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. The event will include three days of public panels and discussions regarding sound design and composition for theatre. All are open to TSDCA members and the general public. (Non-member cost is $25 per person.) All events will also be available to stream online by registering at www.tsdca.org.

In its programming, TSDCA continues to explore many topics currently at the forefront of the theatre sound community. Highlights include a two-part seminar on system tuning led by Stephanie Farina (The Theatre School at DePaul University), Costa Daros (Meyer Sound), and GW Rodriguez (Arena Stage). Other events include a panel on health insurance with Sid Solomon (United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829), Jim Bracchitta (Entertainment Community Fund), BJ Levy (Chicago Federation of Musicians), and a class on Demystifying Compositional Modes with acclaimed composer Andrew Lynch.

Plus, TSDCA will be presenting two special interactive touring events: a backstage tour of Theatre of the Mind created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar, and a tour of the quality control and testing facilities for Shure Inc.

The event will also feature training sessions from TSDCA Annual Meeting sponsors Meyer Sound, Yamaha, Point Source Audio, KV2 Audio, DiGiCo, and panLab (The Focusrite Group).

To register for any event, please visit: tsdca.org/annual-meeting-2026-schedule.

The schedule of events for the eleventh annual TSDCA membership meeting is as follows (all times in CDT):

Saturday, July 25
12pm - 1:30pm: Welcome and Early Career Roundtable led by Josh McCammon (Court Theatre), organized by freelance sound designer Newton (Newt) Schottelkotte.

2pm - 3:30pm: System Tuning/Meyer Galaxy Walkthrough, with Stephanie Farina (DePaul University) and Costa Daros (Meyer Sound). The session will explore how to tune a theatrical sound system, using Meyer Galaxy and Compass software. 3:45pm - 5:15pm

Yamaha DM7 Workshop - presented by Andy Leviss of Yamaha.

5:25pm - 6pm: Point Source Presentation, presented by James Lamb, Point Source Audio 8:30 pm - 8:45pm: Theatre of the Mind at the Reid Murdoch Building at 333 North LaSalle Street in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Co-created by Academy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, this new theatrical experience is inspired by both historical and current neuroscience research. Follow your Guide as they revisit key moments in their life in a surreal, 15,000-sq.-ft. installation with a group of just 16 audience members.

There is a limited TSDCA block available at 8:30pm and 8:45pm. A donation of $82 to TSDCA will reserve your seat if available; donate here and indicate "ticket for Theatre of the Mind". Partners welcome. Financial support available; write to info@tsdca.org.

Post-show meetup with associate sound designer and programmer Forrest Gregor, PM Matt Marsden, and representatives of Clear-Com.

Sunday, July 26
10am - 11:30am: (Coffee provided): Health Insurance Roundtable, organized by composer Michael Roth, featuring Sid Solomon (United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829), Jim Bracchitta (Entertainment Community Fund), and BJ Levy (Chicago Federation of Musicians)

12pm - 1:30 PM: Demystifying Modes. Presenter: composer Andrew Lynch. What are musical modes, and how can we use them as designers and storytellers? An exploration of modes from their harmonic foundations, to their unique characteristics, and how they might be applied to expand and enrich design choices.

1:30pm - 2:30pm: Lunch provided.

2:30pm - 3:15pm: DiGiCo and Sound Devices, presented by Matt Larson of DiGiCo

3:30pm - 4 m: KV2 Audio Introduction, presented by Max Clixby of KV2 Audio

Monday, July 27
10am - 11:30am: System Design Choices and Deployment, presented by GW Rodriguez (Arena Stage).

12pm - 1pm: TiMax panLabl, led by Brad Berridge and Nat Houle of Focusrite. TiMax panLab democratizes access to spatial audio in theatrical environments for both designers and composers. In this session, Brad Berridge and Nat Houle will demonstrate the three major use cases of panLab with an emphasis on console integrations. As a gift for attending this session, all TSDCA members will be given first access to a panLab OSC template for quick show control integration with QLab.

3pm - 5pm: Shure Inc. Factory Tour/Walkthrough

Other TSDCA members-only events will include the members-only meeting and member feedback. For more information on TSDCA membership, go tsdca.org/membership/.

Special sponsors for the meeting are Meyer Sound, Yamaha, Point Source Audio, KV2 Audio, DiGiCo, Focusrite, Martin Audio, and TiMax Spatial, with special audio support by PRG.

TSDCA Corporate Members include: d&b audiotechnik, Clear-Com, Sennheiser, DPA Microphones, Figure 53, EAW, Focusrite, Meyer Sound, Autograph A2D, DiGiCo, Martin Audio, L-Acoustics, Alcons, Full Compass, TiMax Spatial, Yamaha, Shure Inc., PRG, KV2 Audio, Allen & Heath, Rational Acoustics, Point Source Audio, Reidel, Diversified, Coda Audio, and Lighting&Sound America.