NWEAMO Festival

NWEAMO, short for New West Evolving Arts and Music Organism, is a two-day festival of new and experimental music held in February at Smith Recital Hall, San Diego State University. Founded in 1998 by SDSU music professor Joseph Martin Waters, it is run by an all-volunteer nonprofit and embraces electronic, acoustic and hybrid works, often alongside other arts. The festival has also travelled to Portland, New York, Boulder, Mexico City, Berlin and Venice. The 2027 edition, billed as Pulsing Otherworldliness, runs February 27 and 28 and presents five composers, among them Dojin Jang, Maile Pacumio and Seoyun Yeo, with cellist Daniel Grab and conductor Michael Gerdes among the performers.

The festival is two days of concerts in the recital hall at 5500 Campanile Drive on the San Diego State campus, on Saturday February 27 and Sunday February 28. Each day carries its own program. In 2026 the concerts began at 7pm and admission was a $25 suggested donation, or whatever attendees could afford. Programmes mix a student symphony orchestra, solo recitals, world premieres and multimedia electroacoustic works.

This suits listeners curious about contemporary classical, electronic and cross-arts music rather than anyone after a conventional concert. The pay-what-you-can approach keeps it open to students and first-time listeners, and the programs draw on Korean and other international composers. The organizer's stated aim is to build inclusive communities of artists, scientists and children of all ages, so younger audience members are within its remit.