CfP: Symposium "Come Together" Fifty Years of Abbey Road, Rochester, NY

Come Together: Fifty Years of Abbey Road
A Symposium Hosted by the University of Rochester Institute for Popular Music and the Eastman School of Music, September 27-29, 2019

Deadline: 17.05.2019 4

September 26, 2019, will mark the 50th anniversary of the worldwide release of the Beatles' Abbey Road. While Let It Be was released in 1970, most of the tracks on that album were recorded earlier, making Abbey Road the band’s last album project. Coming as the last installment in a series of very successful Beatles albums spanning the years since 1963, it is tempting to view Abbey Road as a culmination of the band’s career. Our interdisciplinary symposium will commemorate the anniversary with scholarly presentations, interviews, poster sessions and other special events open to the public.

We welcome proposals for presentations on Abbey Road and its immediate context (e.g., analyses of individual songs; information on how songs were composed and recorded; the album's reception; Abbey Road in relation to other important albums of 1969; works by others that inspired and were inspired by Abbey Road; the album's impact on record production).

Featured speakers include John Kurlander (engineer on Abbey Road), Andy Babiuk (author, Beatles Gear), Walter Everett (author, The Beatles as Musicians), Kenneth Womack (author, Maximum Volume: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin), Kristine Stiles, Nicole Biamonte, Mark Spicer, Katie Kapurch, Andrew Flory, Victor Coelho, and Robert Fink.

Proposals of work not already published, for 30-minute deliveries or poster presentations, should be no longer than 500 words plus a maximum of three pages of diagrams or illustrative examples. The proposal must include a short bio of the author, not exceeding 150 words. A list of all required equipment (e.g., piano, sound system, LCD projector) must be included. Bio and equipment information are not included in the word count for the main proposal. Proposals are to be formatted as Word, text, or .pdf files and should be sent to PopMusic@ur.rochester.edu. Proposals must be received by 5 P.M. EDT, Friday, May 17, 2019. Those submitting proposals will be notified as to acceptance by June 3, 2019.

The Program Committee consists of John Covach (chair), Katie Kapurch, and Walter Everett.

More information here.