Erin Demastes

Biography

Erin Demastes is an experimental composer, performer, and sound artist. She uses everyday objects and hacked electronics for her installations and performances and subverts their use and perception with play and experimentation. By placing items in theatrical settings, Erin brings out the character of things we normally may not think twice about. In addition to her interest in physical materials, Erin works with instruction and interaction design in her scores, performances, and installations by balancing structured composition with improvisation and exploration.

Erin has presented her work at many venues including Coaxial Arts Foundation, Human Resources LA, Betalevel, Soundpedro at Angeles Gate Cultural Center, Center for New Music SF, Navel LA, Good Children Gallery New Orleans, Mills College, UC Santa Cruz, Tulane University, Rice University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of South Carolina and has performed at MOCA, Automata, The Women’s Center for Creative Work, Santa Monica Public Library, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and more. In addition to performing and building installations, Erin teaches composition and music technology classes and has taught at Tulane University, Louisiana State University, and California Institute of the Arts. Erin has also taught electronics workshops at Pasadena City College, Coaxial Arts, and the Hackaday Superconference. She often works with organizations such as Indexical and the wulf. and served on the board of the Dog Star Orchestra in Los Angeles from 2019-2025. Erin’s music can be found on record labels such as Public Eyesore, San Francisco and Sawyer Spaces.

Erin received an M.F.A. in Experimental Sound Practices and Integrated Media from California Institute of the Arts, a B.M. in jazz studies and piano performance from Loyola University New Orleans, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University where she worked as an instructor, web developer, fabrication lab manager, and concert technician. Previously, she worked as an audio repair technician, artist, and educator for five years in Los Angeles and as a jazz and classical pianist, composer, and arranger for ten years in the New Orleans area.