2026 Finalists
Ten innovators from six countries have advanced to the competition's final round. They will meet on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Georgia on March 13 and 14, 2026, to compete for $10,000 in prizes. Each finalist and their instrument has a compelling story — these are the world's next generation of musical instruments.
Tickets are now available for the 2026 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition Concert taking place on Saturday, March 14th at 7 PM at Georgia Tech's Ferst Center for the Arts.
Note: If you are a GT student, faculty member, or staff, please log in to use the GT student, faculty, or staff ticket option.
The Amphibian Modules
Eli Rosenkim – United States
The Amphibian Modules are modular synthesizers that communicate through electrodes submerged in lightly salinated deionized water. Electrical connections form dynamically based on proximity, creating complex and shifting networks of modulation that would be difficult to replicate with traditional patching. Each module functions independently, with a single-board design that integrates the faceplate and circuitry, allowing for modular reconfiguration and simplifying construction.
The Demon Box
Alexandra Fierra, Bryn Nieboer, and Jordan Bortner – United States
The Demon Box is an instrument that captures electromagnetic frequencies from everyday electronics and transforms them into audio signals, MIDI data, and control voltage. With a 3-channel inductor layout, it enables both isolated and summed outputs, offering performers multiple ways to process and interact with electromagnetic sources. The system includes 33 inductors and dedicated controls for gain and signal blending, supporting both sonic and visual experimentation through external devices and software.
EV
Brian Lindgren – United States
The EV is a hybrid digital-acoustic bowed string instrument designed to map nuanced string performance gestures to responsive digital synthesis. It uses quad-infrared pickups for discrete per-string sensing and runs low-latency DSP on four embedded Bela Mini boards—one per string. By convolving synthesized sound with the instrument’s own acoustic signal, the EV produces a hybrid timbre that integrates acoustic immediacy with digital control.
Fiddle Henge
Ross Wightman – United States
Fiddle Henge is a robotic sound sculpture featuring four violins mounted on a 26-inch bass drum, bowed by a rotating acrylic disk. Inspired by early mechanical instruments, it uses modern materials and MIDI control to produce sustained tones and dynamic textures. Each violin is mounted on a pan/tilt system powered by servos, enabling precise string targeting and variable bowing speeds.
Gajveena
Debjit Mahalanobis – India
Gajveena is a 6’11” nine-stringed acoustic bass-veena that combines features of the double bass and rudraveena. With a 42” fretted fingerboard, dual resonators, and a mix of bowed and plucked techniques, it offers microtonal control, deep drone textures, and real-time string bending. Its sound travels from the lower body through a hollow neck conduit to an upper tumba resonator near the ear, supporting nuanced articulation across a wide dynamic and frequency range.
Kalíptera
Gabriel Barreto Acosta – Ecuador
Kalíptera is a hybrid electroacoustic instrument combining two resonance boxes, metal keys, sensors, and a gyroscope, with a digital synthesis engine. Its design emphasizes hybridity and multidominance, allowing the instrument to respond semi-autonomously to the performer’s gestures. The wing-like structure opens and closes during performance, translating physical motion into sound processing in real time.
The Lethelium
Lateef Martin – Canada
The Lethelium is a 24-string chromatic instrument built from bicycle and guitar components, featuring a rim-mounted resonator made of overlapping steel cups and a dual-gear tuning system modeled after the piano keyboard layout. Tuned across two octaves, it can be played with sticks, fingers, bows, or picks, and mounted on a cymbal stand for flexible positioning and rotation. Its modular design allows for tuning customization, part replacement, and diverse performance setups.
The Masterpiece
Brian Culligan – United States
The Masterpiece is an open-source electronic instrument developed for accessibility and musical expressivity. Designed in collaboration with Daniel’s Music Foundation, it features nine pressure-sensitive zones on a continuous surface, allowing users to control polyphonic synthesis and looping through varying physical pressure. Its tactile interface includes RFID key cards and textured fabrics instead of screens, enabling interaction through assistive devices and sensory-integrated learning.
Post-Digital Sax
Krzysztof Cybulski – Poland
The Post-Digital Sax is a hybrid instrument that produces sound acoustically through a vibrating reed and wooden horn, while digitally controlling pitch via electromagnetic actuation. It eliminates tone holes and instead uses custom continuous keys, a thumb-operated octave switch, and joystick for real-time manipulation. The instrument supports purely acoustic timbre shaping through interchangeable bells and mutes, alongside digital functions like pitch transposition, looping, and OSC integration.
VERTO
Michael Doron – Germany
VERTO is a fully analog electric instrument made of rotating tonewheels, played by wearing fingertip-mounted pickups that detect electromagnetic signals as the hands move near the wheels. Pitch and volume are shaped by the number of teeth on each wheel, their rotation speed, and the player's proximity. VERTO offers real-time, tactile control, enabling a wide range of expressive gestures and techniques.
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Learn about our Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, the inventors we feature every year, and the music technology research and degree programs at the Georgia Tech School of Music. We will inspire your creativity and expand your perspectives on music!
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