LEADERSHIP / ACOUSTIC SPACES
Ivan Salamin
CEO · project lead and architect of acoustic spaces
EDUCATIONThe Bartlett School of Architecture · University College London ↗
A graduate of The Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London (UCL). He has worked on the creation of well-known acoustic spaces: concert and chamber halls, studio complexes, and venues for spatial sound installations. His practice brings architectural composition together with room acoustics—from the geometry of reflections and the distribution of absorption to the way a listener moves within the soundstage.
As CEO, he sets Sagittarius A Studio’s direction and connects research, instrument making, and client work. He leads acoustic-space projects and assembles the sound of studio sessions, treating the instrument, playback system, and room as a coordinated whole.
WITH THE STUDIO SINCE 2019 / CO-FOUNDER
He founded the laboratory with Daria Salamin. Their first experiments explored how a small resonator changes in different rooms and with different recording methods. That practice shaped the studio’s approach: designing the object, performance gesture, and listening conditions together.
He develops spatial scores with Nina Vetrova and instrument placement and transport requirements with Daria Salamin. For each venue, he rechecks the geometry, levels, and stereo version; the speaker layout remains part of a particular work, rather than a universal preset.
“The room is part of the instrument, even when we do not notice it.”
Architectural acoustics · spatial modeling · multichannel sound
MATHEMATICS / MUSICAL SOFTWARE
Denicio Del Mosca
Head of music software development
EDUCATIONMassachusetts Institute of Technology · mathematics ↗
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied mathematics. Numerical methods, probabilistic models, and dynamical systems led him to digital signal processing and electronic composition. He is interested in how a rigorous algorithm becomes an expressive instrument: which parameters musicians can actually hear, and which states they can meaningfully reproduce.
He is responsible for the architecture and development of the studio’s four software systems. In REGOLITH he works with sound’s microstructure, in MODEFIELD with resonance and decay, and in ORBIT SCORE with musical events. Together with Emanuel Galois, he connects sensor-equipped instruments to SOMATIC.
WITH THE STUDIO SINCE 2022
He joined when the studio’s instruments needed a shared software environment. He organizes audio, events, and sensor data so that experiments can be reconstructed from saved projects. For generative composition, he records the source material, engine version, and initial system state.
With Adelheid Von Fliegen, he checks model behavior against measurements; with Emanuel Galois, he defines sensor mappings; and with Nina Vetrova, he tests the expressiveness of the controls. He compares new versions using the same passages at matched loudness. Algorithmic stability and musical value are assessed separately.
“Mathematical precision matters where it expands musical freedom.”
Numerical methods · C++ / DSP · spectral analysis · generative systems
SCIENCE / MEASUREMENT
Adelheid Von Fliegen
CSO · Chief Science Officer
EDUCATIONTechnische Universität München · PhD in quantum physics ↗
A graduate of Technische Universität München (TUM) with a PhD in quantum physics. She has worked in major laboratories developing quantum computers and holds patents. Her experience spans precision measurement, experimental calibration, noise analysis, and reliable control procedures.
As Chief Science Officer, she shapes the studio’s research program and checks the relationship between model, measurement, and audible result. She leads research into NACRE’s active excitation, HALO’s acoustics, and the validation of MODEFIELD’s modal profiles. Her quantum-research background informs experimental discipline and the treatment of uncertainty.
WITH THE STUDIO SINCE 2020
She joined when individual successful experiments needed a common language of measurement. For each study, she defines a testable question, the conditions for comparison, and the limits of the model’s applicability. She records not only the parameters of a successful experiment, but also the operating conditions in which its explanation no longer holds.
With Daria Salamin, she studies supports, mountings, and resonances; with Denicio Del Mosca, digital models and feedback stability. She defines calibration procedures and reference studies for NACRE and HALO. To her, accuracy includes estimating uncertainty, not merely displaying more digits.
“An elegant explanation must stand up to repeated measurement.”
Measurement theory · noise analysis · system identification · experimental physics
INSTRUMENT DESIGN / PRODUCTION
Daria Salamin
Head of physical instrument development
EDUCATIONLondon School of Economics and Political Science ↗
A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), she developed her interest in production through practical work in instrument workshops. There she learned prototyping, technical drawing, woodworking, and metal assembly. At the studio, she combines instrument design with small-batch production planning, from material selection to assembly and servicing.
She leads the studio’s physical instruments from initial layouts and playable mock-ups through assembly, calibration, and servicing. Her work covers TESSERA and SEREIN’s mechanisms, NACRE’s body, and the transition of mature designs into small batches. She aligns acoustic requirements with ergonomics, manufacturing, and repairability.
WITH THE STUDIO SINCE 2019 / CO-FOUNDER
Co-founder of the laboratory and head of the instrument workshop. She combines work with craftspeople and suppliers with hands-on making: checking component availability, assembly sequence, and whether the setup can be reproduced on the next instrument. Assemblies that can be taken apart and removable sensor overlays have become part of the studio’s visual language.
She shares responsibility for acoustic criteria with Adelheid Von Fliegen, electronics with Emanuel Galois, and playing ergonomics with Nina Vetrova. Before releasing a batch, she checks transport, setup, and the replacement of parts subject to wear. If servicing requires a complete teardown, the design returns to the workbench.
“An instrument is ready when it feels right to play and can be maintained.”
Prototyping · CAD · mechanical assemblies · small-batch production planning
SENSORS / EMBEDDED
Emanuel Galois
Embedded electronics
An electronic-systems engineer with experience in low-noise measurement circuits and standalone data loggers. He is responsible for sensor signal quality, power systems, and reliable operation on stage, testing interference, drift, and device behavior when connections fail.
Designs sensor modules for GRAIN and AER, and actuator-limiting circuits.
WITH THE STUDIO SINCE 2021
He came to the studio from measurement electronics. For each sensor, he defines the working range, sources of error, and calibration conditions. With musicians, he explores how those measurements can become playable controls: where precision matters and where smoothing helps.
He leads GRAIN, AER, and the hardware side of SOMATIC. Together with Denicio Del Mosca, he defines behavior when data is interrupted or the power source changes. He keeps local current and mechanical limits on the device, so the computer session is not the only layer of control.
“Reliability is part of the instrument, too.”
Analog circuits · microcontrollers · PCB prototyping
GESTURE / PERFORMANCE
Nina Vetrova
Performance interfaces
A musician and researcher of human–instrument interaction. She combines training in music education with interface-design practice. She studies playing techniques on frame drums and lamellophones, consulting performers from the relevant traditions.
Tests the comfort of playing movements and develops studies and a learning sequence for each instrument.
WITH THE STUDIO SINCE 2021
She joined to test instruments in performance and gradually became a co-author of their gestures. Her basic study consists of three actions: change smoothly, hold, return. If these cannot be repeated calmly, a complex composition will only hide the problem.
She develops performance maps for AER, GRAIN, and HALO, and studies the onset of motion in SEREIN. She studies each acoustic predecessor’s technique separately from the new interface. Session notes cover sound, fatigue, grip, and the ability to make a clear pause.
“Complex sound should still feel comfortable to play.”
Performance testing · ergonomics · gesture notation