46th National Conference of the Musicological Society of Australia 2023
Open Borders: The Future of Music Research
29th November – 2nd December 2023, Elder Conservatorium, The University of Adelaide

The Musicological Society of Australia (MSA) is committed to advancing academic and public understanding and appreciation of music, an activity and resource that is fundamental to the wellbeing of individuals and communities and reaches into all areas of life. Accordingly, for the 2023 National Conference, musicians of all kinds are invited to reflect on their musical practice, and researchers from all fields of study invited to share their research into any aspect of music. We encourage contributions from musicologists, composers, performers, music theorists, music broadcasters, music critics and anyone else with an informed interest in the creation, practice, theory, reception, and appreciation of music. We also encourage presentation of music-related research in other fields including education, sociology, literature, history, art, film, games, psychology, medicine, Indigenous studies, anthropology, and religion.
Registration Details
Registrations are now open for the 46th MSA conference in Adelaide, 29th November to 2nd December.
Rates are as follows:
- Full conference registration for all four days $300
- Full-time student registration for all four days $180
- MSA Emeritus registration for all four days (requires MSA committee approval) $180
- Single day registration for any day $250 (no concession)
This year’s conference dinner will be held at Madam Hanoi, where attendees will be able to enjoy a Vietnamese Fusion banquet. The conference dinner is $75 per person and must be paid in advance. This includes a 3-course banquet and one beverage. Registration below is essential.
This year, we are also pleased to provide some activities outside of the conference to showcase South Australia. There is an option to do an overnight wine tour in the Barossa Valley staying at the Novotel Barossa Resort. The tour will start directly after the conference. Package rate is $1039. Rates include transfers to and from Adelaide, wine tasting, dinner, accommodation and breakfast. Pre-booking is required, and spots are limited, so get in soon! This is a first-come-first-serve basis tour and once spots are taken up, the activity will be closed off. Registration below is essential.
We will also be co-hosting a Saturday afternoon concert on the 2nd December. More details on this to follow, so watch this space. Again, registration is essential.
- Saturday Concert Registration (link coming soon)
Program & Technical Information
Program outline:
Wednesday 29 November: 9.00am to 6.00pm, including keynote, panel sessions, book launch, and reception.
Thursday 30 November: 9.00am to 6.30, including keynote, panel sessions, lunchtime performances, early evening concert
Friday 1 December: 9.00am to 9.00pm, including keynote, panel sessions, lunchtime performances, early evening concert and conference dinner
Saturday 2 December: 9.00am to 3.30pm: including AGM, panel sessions and special afternoon concert. (Option of winery tour leaving Saturday afternoon)
Accommodation Options
Several ‘best rate of the day’ minus a substantial discount have been negotiated with the following accommodation options to suit all budgets. Please click on the appropriate link to take you to the property’s website to book.
Ibis Grenfel (link coming soon)
Oaks North Terrace (link coming soon)
Technical Documents
Details will be provided soon.
The MSA is committed to ensuring equality of access to all attendees. If you have any access requirements or questions, please contact the MSA’s Access and Equity Officer, Anthea Skinner, by email: anthea.skinner@unimelb.edu.au or the Conference Organiser, Erin Matthews, also by email: msaconference2023adelaide@gmail.com
Keynote Speakers
The Organising Committee is proud to announce that our keynote speakers for this year’s conference will be the following: (details on papers to come soon)
Prof. Marcia Langton AO – Associate Provost, The University of Melbourne; Fellow of the Academy of Social Science in Australia; inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women; recipient of the Nevelle Bonner award for Indigenous Teacher of the Year; Fellow of Trinity College; Honorary Fellow of Emmanual College at the University of Queensland; Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health; member of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians; honorary fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering; officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to tertiary education and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Prof Emeritus Linda Barwick – Sydney Conservatorium of Music; member of the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre; member of the Charles Perkins Centre; fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities; research affiliate of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, the Research Unit for Indigenous Language at the University of Melbourne; member of the Rediscovering the Deep Human Past Laureate Program at Australian National University; Leverhulme Visiting Professor at SOAS, University of London; Adjunct Professor at Kurongkurl Katjin Centre for Indigenous Research and Education at Edith Cowan University.
Ass. Prof. Gavin S. K. Lee – Assistant Professor of Music, Soochow University, China; member of the Indiana Theory Review editorial board, member of the SEM Council and SEM 2023 conference programming committee, member of the Society for Music Theory LGBTQ+ Standing Committee, advisor for the Women in Global Music Network, co-founding chair of the American Musicological Society Global East Asian Music Research study group, member of the Society for Music Theory Task Force on Diversity committee, member of the Society for Music Theory 2018 Meeting Response group; Founding Co-Chair of the Society for Music Theory Global New Music Interest Group; chair of the Society for Music Theory Queer Resource Group; Co-Chair for the Society for Ethnomusicology Gender and Sexualities Task Force; assistant editor of the Analytical Approaches to World Music journal and Student Representative for the American Musicological Society – Southeast Chapter.
Travel Grants and Financial Support
Requests for financial support to present at the conference will be considered by the National Committee of the MSA on a case-by-case basis. Requests for financial support from speakers living in remote regions of Australia who require funding support for travel to Adelaide will be given special consideration. Contact the Awards Committee Chair John Phillips (msaconference2023adelaide@gmail.com) for further information.
Student Prize
The call is now open for submissions for the 2023 MSA Student Prize. Submissions should follow the guidelines available here and be emailed to Acting MSA Awards Committee Chair John Phillips (at msaconference2023adelaide@gmail.com) by 5pm AEDT Monday 20 November 2023
Donations
The MSA is a not-for-profit organisation and is entered onto the Register of Cultural Organisations; you may wish to consider making a donation to the MSA via https://msa.org.au/donate/
Organisers & Committees
Host: Elder Conservatorium and The University of Adelaide in conjunction with the South Australian Chapter of the MSA
Conference Convenor: Jennie Shaw (email: msaconference2023adelaide@gmail.com)
Conference Organiser: Erin Matthews
Conference Organising Committee: Gillian Dooley (chair), Erin Matthews, Steven Knopoff, Tsan-Huang Tsai, Helen Rusak
Program Committee: Jula Szuster (chair), Gillian Dooley, Tsan-Huang Tsai
Annual General Meeting
Details for the Annual General Meeting will be released soon.