Log In
Sign Up
The Fourteenth Biennial International Conference on Music Since 1900 will take place at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Southbank, Victoria, Australia), 7-9 July 2027. The conference will be held in-person, but there will be provision for limited online participation. Recognising the cost of travel to Australia from much of the world, the conference organisers are working to ensure conference fees are as low as possible and to arrange reduced price accommodation in Melbourne.
The theme of the biennial conference is music since 1900 in its broadest sense, and the programming policy is to reflect music produced during the 20th and 21st centuries in all its diversity. Proposals are warmly invited on any genre, repertoire or discipline of music since 1900, including, but not limited to:
- Popular traditions
- Jazz and other improvised musics
- Global musics
- Concert-hall repertoire
- Experimental and avant-garde musical practice
- Music on stage and screen
- Performance and reception studies
- Music and technology
- Composition research and Performance-led research
Proposals are welcome drawing upon any scholarly approach, including interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary perspectives. The conference will include two keynote presentations and a programme of concerts and activities featuring a diverse range of music created since 1900.
Proposals are accepted for the following presentation formats:
1. Individual papers (20-minute papers plus 10-minute questions)
Please send an abstract of up to 250 words, including paper title, name of author and email contact address. Please make your surname the first word of the document filename (e.g. Smith-paper.doc).
2. Posters (A1 format)
The conference will also include a display of research posters and a session of 5-minute lightning talks to introduce them. Please send a proposal of up to 200 words. Brief visual sketches may also be submitted, but are not absolutely required. All materials should be included in a single document, with your surname as the first word of the filename followed by the title of the piece (e.g. Smith-poster.pdf).
3. Panels (three or four papers, each 20 minutes maximum with 10 minutes discussion).
Please send a panel description of 100-150 words plus abstracts of up to 250 words for each paper, including panel title and paper titles, names of authors of each paper, and name and email contact address of panel convenor. Please make your surname the first word of the document filename (e.g. Smith-panel.doc).
4. Practice-based research presentations including Performance or Improvisation (45 minutes* including questions)
These should take the form of a research presentation with a significant live performance component, and may be presented by one or more people.. Please send a session proposal of 300-400 words, including session title, name of participant(s) and repertoire, and articulation of the research, along with name and email contact address of session convenor, as an attachment. Please make your surname the first word of the document filename (e.g. Smith-performance.doc). N.B. the conference is not in a position to pay performance fees to presenters or additional performers for these sessions.
5. Practice-based research presentation including Self-Presented/Self-Performed Composition(s) (up to 20 minutes* plus discussion)
Composers are invited to submit proposals for self-presented/performed works, whether score-based or other formats, including projects and electro-acoustic composition. Works should normally be no more than 20 minutes in duration, and can be significantly shorter.. Scores, etc. should be submitted electronically as a pdf document with your surname as the first word of the filename followed by the title of the piece (e.g. Smith-Etude.pdf). A second document should be submitted with a 250- word articulation of the research residing within the work, as well as your name and contact email address and any particular technical requirements/resources.
Proposals should be sent to melbourne.ms1900@gmail.com by 4 October 2026. Please indicate in your proposal if you anticipate that you may not be able to attend the conference in-person, or if you expect that you would only be able to participate virtually. This is not a firm commitment, but it will assist us in planning.
Program Committee:
- John Gabriel, chair
- Rachel Campbell
- Michael Christoforidis
- Carla Blackwood
- Gavin Lee
- Chris Stover
