43rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ICEM
Hangzhou, China
Friday 26 September 2025, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (local time)
Saturday 27 September 2025, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (local time)
Hybrid meeting at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and via Zoom
MINUTES
Friday 26 September 2025
Board of Directors | 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
1. Welcome
Panayiotis Kokoras, President of CIME–ICEM, opened the meeting of the Board of Directors and welcomed the representatives attending in Hangzhou and online. The Board thanked Xiaofu Zhang, EMAC, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, and the Musicacoustica Festival for hosting the 43rd CIME–ICEM General Assembly and its associated concerts and activities.
2. Validation of voting members
The delegates, online participants, and proxies were reviewed. The meeting recorded 23 voting members present or represented: five onsite delegates, three online participants, and fifteen proxies. With 32 voting National Federation and Organization/Institution members, the statutory quorum of at least 16 was met.
Onsite delegates
- AMEE — Adolfo Núñez
- FeBeME–BeFEM — Todor Todoroff
- EMAC — Xiaofu Zhang
- PSeME — Edward Sielicki
- KEAMS — Yemin Oh
Online participants
- CEMI/UNT — Panayiotis Kokoras
- PSeME — Marek Chołoniewski
- SEAMUS — Mark Vaughn
Proxies received
- BEAN — British ElectroAcoustic Network (United Kingdom)
- HCMF — Hungarian Computer Music Foundation (Hungary)
- HELMCA — Hellenic Electroacoustic Music Composers’ Association (Greece)
- SPECTRO — Spectro Center for New Music (Iran)
- Tempo Reale (Italy)
- Institute of Sonology, Royal Conservatoire, The Hague (Netherlands)
- Miso Music Portugal — Miguel Azguime
- ICST, Zürich University of the Arts (Switzerland)
- UAEM — Alla Zagaykevych
- AARSOM — Manuel Rocha Iturbide
- GrupLAC, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá — Catalina Leonor Peralta Cáceres
- CMMAS, Morelia — Rodrigo Sigal
- MEMLab, UiTM (Malaysia) — Ainolnaim Azizol
- FARME — Gonzalo Biffarella
- CECH — Marcelo Espíndola S.
3. Approval of the agenda
The Board of Directors unanimously approved the agenda for the 2025 General Assembly.
4. Approval of the 2024 minutes
The minutes of the 42nd General Assembly in Montpellier had been circulated to members and were displayed during the meeting. No corrections were requested. The Board of Directors unanimously approved the 2024 minutes.
5. Executive Committee reports
Moral report
President Panayiotis Kokoras recalled the values and international mission of CIME–ICEM. He emphasized the importance of extending the network to countries and institutions not yet represented, supporting exchanges and opportunities for electroacoustic composers, and ensuring that members remain active and in good standing through participation in the Confederation’s projects and payment of annual dues.
Financial report 2025
The Treasurer and President presented the financial report. The consolidation of the Confederation’s funds was completed by transferring the remaining Muzyka Centrum Art Society balance to the BNP Paribas account on 21 December 2024. CIME–ICEM now maintains the BNP Paribas account and the PayPal account. Outstanding and irregular membership payments were discussed because they affect both annual income and the calculation of active voting membership.
| Item | Amount / status |
| Membership fees received in 2025 | €1,712.67 |
| International Music Council fee | €383.00 |
| PayPal CIME account | €6,871.16 |
| Muzyka Centrum Art Society account | €0.00 — cleared |
| BNP Paribas account | €7,851.33 |
| Total funds as of September 2025 | €14,722.49 |
The Board of Directors unanimously approved the financial report.
Activities report 2025
The President reported approximately 62 performances of works by composers represented through CIME–ICEM members. Activities included the Audio Art Festival and Electroacoustic Marathon in Kraków, concerts of the 2024 General Assembly in Montpellier, the Autumn Waves Festival in Brussels, CIME–ICEM album and dissemination projects, Electroacoustic Spring 2025 in Rethymno, and the Hellenic Electroacoustic Music Days. Members organizing festivals and concert series were encouraged to include works by CIME–ICEM members and Prix CIME laureates whenever possible. The Board unanimously approved the activities report.
6. Executive Committee proposals and prospects
Prix CIME 2025
The results of Prix CIME 2025 were presented. Nearly 600 submissions were received, approximately 70 more than in the previous edition. Eight partner studios offered residencies—the largest number secured for the competition to date. The jury, residency partners, and dissemination partners were acknowledged. The selected composers would be contacted according to their ranking and the conditions offered by each studio, and the results and poster would be published and circulated.
Study for One Stroke in the Water
Marek Chołoniewski reported on the third edition of the biennial competition inspired by Włodzimierz Kotoński’s Study for One Cymbal Stroke. Sixty-two submissions were received, and the jury selected eleven works by ten composers. The results were published, and an album containing the selected works was printed.
Activities and provisional budget for 2026
The Board discussed the continuation of the Confederation’s concerts, calls, competitions, publications, member exchanges, and the 2026 General Assembly. A principal governance project for 2026 will be the revision of the statutes. The present statutes date from 2008 and require review for compatibility with current French law and for greater clarity concerning membership categories, voting rights, proxies, quorum, elections, term lengths, fees, suspended membership, remote participation, and electronic voting. The Board supported obtaining legal advice in France and meeting reasonable legal or filing costs. A proposed revision will be circulated to members and submitted to a future General Assembly before any formal filing.
7. Admission of new members
The following applications were presented through letters and audiovisual presentations. The Board approved each application unanimously for a one-year provisional period:
- Anton Bruckner Private University, Institute of Composition, Conducting and Computer Music (IKD), Linz, Austria — Organization/Institution Member.
- Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC), Canada — National Federation Member.
- Digital Media & Arts Research Centre (DMARC), University of Limerick, Ireland — Organization/Institution Member.
The Japanese Society for Sonic Arts and Studio PANaroma were mentioned as possible future candidates; no admission decision was taken.
8. Confirmation and status of provisional members
Following completion of their provisional periods, the Board unanimously confirmed KEAMS (Korea Electro-Acoustic Music Society) and MEMLab (Malaysia Electroacoustic Music Lab Society) as full members.
The Board unanimously extended the provisional status of FeFraME, the French federation, for one year, pending clearer confirmation of its legal and operational status and the realization of its announced activities. NOTAM’s provisional period was also extended for one year while the Board seeks a clear response regarding its continued participation.
9. Inactive memberships and members facing constraints
After reviewing prior correspondence and prolonged inactivity, the Board unanimously decided to recommend cancellation of ACMA (Australia), AMEG (Switzerland), and Charm of Sound (Finland). These decisions were to be submitted to the General Assembly for confirmation.
The Board also reviewed the circumstances of members affected by political, economic, banking, or infrastructure difficulties, including organizations in Cuba, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, and Argentina. Members stressed the value of direct communication and substantive participation. The possibility of introducing a non-voting suspended status in a future revision of the statutes was discussed so that temporarily inactive members would not count toward quorum but could return without repeating the full admission procedure.
10. Close of the Board session
The President thanked the participants and closed the Board of Directors session. The decisions and recommendations of the Board were referred to the General Assembly on the following day.
Saturday 27 September 2025
General Assembly | 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
1. Tribute to Dieter Kaufmann
Before beginning the statutory business, the Assembly paid tribute to the Austrian composer Dieter Kaufmann, who died on 23 September 2025. His contribution to electroacoustic music and to the international community was recalled, and one minute of silence was observed in his memory.
2. Approval of the 2024 minutes
The 2024 minutes, previously reviewed by the Board of Directors, were presented again to the General Assembly. The General Assembly unanimously approved the minutes.
3. Examination and approval of the Board’s proposals
The General Assembly examined the proposals and reports approved by the Board of Directors. The Assembly unanimously approved:
- the 2025 balance sheet and financial report;
- the 2025 activities report;
- the project of activities for 2026 and the provisional budget for 2026; and
- the initiation of a multi-year revision of the statutes, including reasonable expenses for French legal advice and required filing procedures.
The Assembly agreed that the Board and advisers would prepare and circulate proposed statutory amendments before seeking approval at a future General Assembly. The formal French approval process will begin only after the membership has approved a final text.
Bourges 2028
Todor Todoroff reported on exploratory contacts concerning a possible General Assembly or CIME–ICEM activity in Bourges during the 2028 European Capital of Culture. Members recognized the historical significance of Bourges to CIME–ICEM but noted the absence of a firm local production partner or financial commitment. The Assembly supported continued discussions with the conservatory, local cultural organizations, FeFraME, and other possible partners. No commitment was made to finance the event from CIME–ICEM resources; the project should proceed only if adequate local and external support can be secured.
4. Final discharge of the Board of Directors
A motion was made to grant final discharge to the Board of Directors for its service during 2024–2025. The General Assembly unanimously approved the motion.
5. Reports of National Federations and member organizations
Representatives presented concise reports of their organizations’ activities. Written reports and relevant links were requested for the CIME–ICEM archive.
AMEE — Spain
Adolfo Núñez reported on the Spanish association’s work to broaden membership and document the history of electroacoustic music in Spain. Projects included memorial and archival publications, a vinyl release and concerts devoted to historical repertoire, the consolidation of archival materials in a dedicated location, regional festivals and concert activity, and multichannel work at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
CEMI/UNT — United States
Panayiotis Kokoras presented the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia at the University of North Texas, including its studios, multichannel and immersive production facilities, student-run technical operations, and more than 80 annual events. He also described UNT’s research access to the IMEB/Bourges electroacoustic archive and invited scholars and students interested in consulting the collection to contact CEMI.
EMAC — China
Xiaofu Zhang reported that EMAC, founded in 2003 and a CIME–ICEM member since 2004, connects a large community of composers, educators, scholars, and students across Chinese universities and conservatories. Activities include concerts, lectures, competitions, multimedia and interactive music, publications, and Musicacoustica–Hangzhou. The 2025 festival included concerts, lectures, competition categories, and new works, with particular attention to emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. The Assembly thanked EMAC and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music for hosting the meeting.
FeBeME–BeFEM — Belgium
Todor Todoroff reported approximately 60 members, a trilingual website, and a transition to structural funding for three years. The federation organizes approximately 15 concerts annually, including multichannel presentations, international exchanges, and the Autumn Waves Festival in Brussels. A new call for works would be circulated to CIME–ICEM members.
KEAMS — South Korea
Yemin Oh reported that KEAMS was founded in 1993 and has organized the Seoul International Computer Music Festival for 32 years. The society also publishes an indexed computer-music journal, supports student concerts and calls for works, and has launched a computer-music camp with government support. The society has approximately 100 members, with a smaller active core participating regularly.
MEMLab — Malaysia
Ainolnaim Azizol reported on the renewed activity of MEMLab, including the annual Spectra electroacoustic music festival and the smaller Sound Bites series for postgraduate projects. International guests and partnerships were being developed, together with efforts to obtain funding, equipment, and a dedicated multichannel space. Exchanges with Birmingham and other international partners were under discussion.
PSeME — Poland
Edward Sielicki and Marek Chołoniewski reported an extensive program of concerts, improvisation series, publications, broadcasts, recordings, and educational activity. Major initiatives included the Audio Art Festival and CIME–ICEM Electroacoustic Marathon in Kraków, the Audiomat distribution project, and the Study for One Stroke in the Water competition and printed album.
SEAMUS — United States
Mark Vaughn reported on the SEAMUS national conference at Purdue University, which presented thirteen concerts over approximately three and a half days. The next national conference was planned for San Antonio. SEAMUS continued its awards, commissions, grants, elections, and online directory of electroacoustic music opportunities. The organization received 277 conference submissions and maintains a broad national and international community.
6. Membership decisions
The General Assembly reviewed and unanimously confirmed the membership recommendations of the Board of Directors:
| Organization | Category | Decision |
| Anton Bruckner Private University — IKD (Austria) | Organization/Institution | Admitted provisionally for one year |
| Canadian Electroacoustic Community — CEC | National Federation | Admitted provisionally for one year |
| DMARC, University of Limerick (Ireland) | Organization/Institution | Admitted provisionally for one year |
| KEAMS (South Korea) | National Federation | Full membership confirmed |
| MEMLab (Malaysia) | Organization/Institution | Full membership confirmed |
| FeFraME (France) | National Federation | Provisional period extended one year |
| NOTAM (Norway) | Organization/Institution | Provisional period extended one year |
| ACMA (Australia) | National Federation | Membership cancelled |
| AMEG (Switzerland) | National Federation | Membership cancelled |
| Charm of Sound (Finland) | National Federation | Membership cancelled |
7. Election of a new Honorary Member
No new Honorary Member was elected.
8. Attribution and use of the CIME–ICEM logo
Members were encouraged to display the CIME–ICEM logo on eligible concerts, festivals, calls, and other activities involving CIME–ICEM members. The logo is available through the Confederation’s website and communications.
9. Future General Assemblies
ICST — Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology at Zürich University of the Arts — was unanimously approved as host of the 44th CIME–ICEM General Assembly in 2026. The exact dates and production framework remained to be determined by ICST and the Board. Members were invited to continue identifying possible hosts for 2027, 2028, and 2029. Bourges remained an exploratory possibility for 2028 under the conditions recorded above.
10. Statutes amendments and fundraising
The Assembly confirmed the authority given to the Main Board to initiate the statutes-revision process. The work should seek simplicity, flexibility, clarity, and compliance with French law, while addressing governance, elections, membership, fees, quorum, proxies, remote participation, and electronic voting. The need for external fundraising and partnerships was acknowledged, particularly for projects requiring travel, legal support, publication, or local production resources.
11. Miscellaneous items and close
No additional resolutions were proposed. President Panayiotis Kokoras thanked the delegates, the online participants, EMAC, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, the Musicacoustica Festival, and the technical and organizational teams. He closed the 43rd General Assembly, after which the participants gathered for a group photograph.
Action items
- Notify and onboard IKD, CEC, and DMARC; update the mailing list, website, and membership records.
- Send formal extension notices to FeFraME and NOTAM, clarifying the information required before the 2026 Assembly.
- Remove ACMA, AMEG, and Charm of Sound from the active membership records.
- Publish and circulate the Prix CIME 2025 results and poster; coordinate the eight residencies with the selected composers and studios.
- Prepare the album of the selected Study for One Stroke in the Water works.
- Obtain French legal advice, prepare draft statutory amendments, circulate them to members, and present them at a future General Assembly.
- Continue exploratory discussions for Bourges 2028 without committing CIME–ICEM to self-finance the event.
- ICST and the Main Board will determine and announce the dates and production framework for Zürich 2026 and continue seeking hosts for the 2027–2029 General Assemblies.
- Member organizations will submit written activity reports and relevant links for the archive, use the CIME–ICEM logo on eligible activities, and seek external support for international projects.