This is the archived website for the First Biennial International Conference of Music and the University, which took place in July 2022. The website for The Second Biennial International Conference of Music and the University, which will take place at the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK from Thursday 4 – Saturday 6 July 2024, is here.
The First Biennial International Conference of Music and the University
City, University of London, UK
Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 July 2022
The conference includes speakers from 22 different countries spanning 6 different continents, arranged in 19 thematic sessions, three keynote addresses, and three special roundtable events. The full schedule of events is available here.
Music has been present in European universities from the thirteenth century, with degrees being granted as of the fifteenth century, and the professionalization of musicology taking place in the nineteenth century. However, the double nature of music as art and science has granted it a specificity that not only historically marked its singularity within the organization of knowledge but also challenges its position within the mission of the university in a changing world.
The institutional integration of music in higher education varies across the globe, as does the nature of the degrees offered, and the field uniquely defies established models of researching, assessing merit, and structuring careers. Furthermore, transformations in the ways in which technology and globalization have changed music creation, performance, and reception call for innovative university practices and curricula, as do societal challenges regarding issues of cultural diversity, identity, inequality, and empowerment.
Within this context, the conference is aimed at extending and advancing knowledge on music in the history of universities, contributing to current issues and debates, and to prospectively theorizing its transformation and social impact.
This conference is organised in association with the Universidade do Minho; City, University of London; and the University of Surrey. We gratefully acknowledge financial assistance from these institutions. We are delighted to be presenting this conference in association with the Royal Musical Association, Society for Music Analysis, and MusicHE, each of which are presenting special events within the conference.
The First Biennial International Conference of Music and the University 