In the world of new musical instrument design the name Guthman has become synonymous with innovation.  With this annual competition, Georgia Tech offers Atlanta a rare opportunity to come and experience the advancements in musical instrument design, engineering, and performance. The Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, which is open to the public and will be held February 20-21, 2014, brings entrants from all over the world to Georgia Tech to compete for $10,000 in prizes.

Twenty-two inventors, composers and designers representing 14 nations were selected to present their new instruments at this year’s competition. They were selected from a pool of over 80 applicants from 20 countries — the most competitive pool in the history of the competition. Instruments will be judged on their musicality, design, and engineering by an expert panel comprised of David Zicarelli (founder and CEO of Cycling ’74), Chris Moore (composer, performer and Georgia Tech professor), and Young Guru (Grammy-nominated engineer to Jay-Z).

The instruments featured in the 2014 competition range from cutting edge to bizarre, and all expand the notion of what a musical instrument can be. This year’s competitors have presented us with interactive musical spheres, compositional cyborgian appendages, and a chorus of bubbles, to mention just a few. A comprehensive list of this year’s semi-finalists is located here.

“This competition has become one of the premier events that showcase the future of music,” said Gil Weinberg, director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology. “We are pleased that it continues to grow, each year bringing more and more innovative and creative inventors from all over the world together to have their ideas evaluated by our expert panel.”

Wired.com has called it the “X-Prize for music,” and contestants have likened it to a TED Conference for new musical instrument designers. Peter Kirn of Create Digital Music observed that in “the crowded world of new instrument design, the Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition has emerged as a key prize for the best work, with creations battling fiercely for attention.”

The 2014 Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, now in its sixth year, will be held February 20th and 21st, 2014 at the Klaus Advanced Computing Building, 266 Ferst Drive on the Georgia Tech campus. The competition is sponsored by the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology, the School of Music, and the College of Architecture. The finals are Friday, February 21st, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm and are free and open to the public. Parking and detailed directions are available here.

Full details available at http://guthman.gatech.edu.