Minutes and papers of the Scottish Electroacoustic Music Association (SEMAS)

The Scottish Electroacoustic Music Association, or "SEMAS", was founded after a meeting of professionals in the field of electro-acoustic music and concert promotion was held in the University of Glasgow in October 1987. There, it was agreed that the opportunities to present electro-acoustic music in Scotland was severely limited by the unavailability of suitable equipment. SEMAS's aims was to assist orchestras, chamber groups, opera companies, music theatre groups, dance companies, theatre groups, individual performers, arts centres and art galleries in the technical presentation of artistic works involving electro-acoustic music. Its founding directors were Dr. Stephen Arnold, Dr. Janet Beat, Mr. John Kennedy, Mr. Peter Nelson, Ms. Donna McDonald, and Mr. William Sweeney.

While the first and principal activity of SEMAS was to provide a pool of equipment and expertise for the presentation of eletronic and electro-acoustic music in Scotland, it had other functions of considerable importance such as promoting the dissemination of information pertaining to electro-acoustic msuic by means of lectures, seminars, conferences and short courses; assisting concert pomoters in the planning of effective programmes incorporating electro-acoustic music; and seeking ways of actively encouraging more composers working in Scotland to try their hand at electro-acoutsic works. SEMAS also provided a natural point of contact between the National Studio on the South Bank and those working in the field of EAM in Scotland.