Conference: ‘Shifting Terrain’ The ‘50^th Anniversary’ National Conference of the Musicological Society of Australia

Date: 7-9th December 2026

Location: City Campus, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University

Convenor: Jonathan Paget

The twenty-first century is a period of rapid change across the spectrum of political, social, technological, and environmental landscapes. How can musicology respond to these challenges, adapting to the shifting sands and expanding terrain? This event marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Musicological Society of Australia and represents an opportune moment to reflect on the state, foci, and methodologies of the discipline. Reviewing the preoccupations of the early issues of Musicology Australia (first published in 1964 prior to the inauguration of the society) topics ranged from colonial-era brass bands, Beethoven, to Indigenous music. Much has changed in the intervening fifty years, while many of the same challenges remain. Musicology can also arguably play a vital role as a custodian of cultural knowledge. With these issues in mind, it is useful to reconsider where the discipline has been, what it has achieved, and how it can remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Potential responses might include:

• The past, present, and future of musicology in Australia and internationally, including the changing nature of the discipline
• Disciplinary challenges and emerging methodologies (eg. Artistic research, shifting paradigms of ethnomusicology, and First Nations approaches)
• Decolonising music history and music theory in a rapidly evolving global culture
• The changing landscapes of government policy and the modern university
• New perspectives on the role of musicology as a cultural custodian
• The complexities of interdisciplinary collaboration and the growing imperative to address issues with tangible real-world relevance and impact
• The emergency of digital musicology and the impact of technology and AI on music research
• The changing face of music education
• Musical and musicological responses to environment, climate change, and sustainability

The Musicological Society of Australia also invites contributions on any aspect of musicology or musical research. Note, contributors to the 50^th anniversary special edition of the society’s journal Musicology Australia (whose theme runs in parallel to the conference) are also invited to consider participating.

All presenters must be current financial members of the MSA at the time of registering for the conference (https://msa.org.au/). For those who may be unable to travel to the conference in person, the option of presenting online is available by request (though online presenters should note that the entire conference will not be streamed). Australian and New Zealand students are also eligible to apply for travel grants covering a portion of their return airfares to assist them in attending the conference. Students outside Australia are also invited to apply, though preference may need to be given to Australian and New Zealand residents. As usual, cash prizes will be awarded for best student papers presented by Australian or New Zealand students. For enquiries contact John Phillips on [email protected].

Deadline for Proposals: Friday 05 June 2026

Submissions: Email to [email protected]

Proposal Outcome: Early August

Further Information: https://msa.org.au/50th-national-conference-of-the-musicological-society-of-australia-2026/

Types of Presentations:

• Standard conference paper (20 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions and discussion)
• Lecture-recital (30 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions and discussion)
• Panel session (90 minutes, up to three participants)
• Roundtable (90 minutes, three to seven participants)
• Please be sure to indicate what type of presentation is intended

What to Provide:

• Submit the title and abstract (of up to 250 words) in Microsoft Word format, with the filenames being the title of the paper only (e.g., Title of Submission.docx)
• In a separate word document, include supporting information outlining the full names of contributors, contact details and affiliations, plus short biographies of no more than 100 words.
• For panel sessions, please provide an over-arching abstract and a separate abstract for each presenter (plus supporting information in a separate document)
• For round tables, please provide one over-arching abstract (plus supporting information in a separate document)