CfP: Multispecies Music and Sound Study Group "Why More-Than-Human Musicking Now?"

Call for Proposals: Why More-Than-Human Musicking Now?
A Symposium of the Proposed Study-Group-in-the-Making on Multispecies Music and Sound
Nuremberg University of Music, Germany (hybrid format)
October 24-25, 2024

Deadline: July 19, 2024
More information here.

We are pleased to announce our Inaugural Symposium entitled “Why More-Than-Human Musicking Now?” This symposium, which is organized in a hybrid format, aims to establish a study-group-in-the-making on Multispecies Music and Sound within the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD), pending approval by the executive board. The conference seeks to highlight the integration of other-than-human voices and sonic ecologies into our academic, artistic, and performance research, as well as interactions on a shared planet.

Scope:

In an era marked by ecological challenges, cultural shifts, and technological advancements, it is important to (re)consider our understandings of music and sound within multispecies contexts. From indigenous communities to urban settings, from natural habitats to digital realms, the ways in which humans engage with other species through music and sound offer ground for exploration and dialogue. We invite scholars and artists from diverse disciplines to contribute to our symposium. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • Critical perspectives on terms, theories, and methods used in more-than-human research

  • Research on multispecies musicking and sound-making in ethno/musicology, soundstudies, and other disciplines

  • Sensory ecologies and their biological and social significance

  • Animal and plant communication systems and their parallels with human sound-making and language practices

  • Technological mediation and use of AI in researching interspecies interactions

  • Methodologies for working with soundscapes in field research, scholarship, and art

  • Indigenous knowledge systems and their implications for multispecies research

  • Ethical and political considerations in engaging with non-human agents

Submission Guidelines:

We welcome proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, workshops, sound art, installations, films, multimedia works, or performances. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and should clearly outline the aims, methods, and potential contributions of the proposed presentation. The symposium language will be English. Please submit your abstract along with a brief bio (100 words) by July 19, 2024. Please submit your proposals using the following online form. Any questions or comments should be addressed to Mitra Jahandideh (Mitra.Jahandideh[at]anu.edu[dot]au) with the subject heading ‘Why More-Than-Human Musicking Now?’ You will be notified of the acceptance of your submission by mid-August.

The maximum presentation time for individual papers is 20 minutes, including audio and audiovisual examples. Alternative formats can be proposed in the submission form. Each presentation will be followed by a discussion period of 10 minutes. You are also welcome to submit a proposal for a panel or roundtable, with a duration of one and a half/two hours for three/four presentations including discussion time for a panel; for a one and a half hour roundtable, for example, approx. five presentations of 10 minutes each plus discussion time.

We are planning to publish selected contributions from the Inaugural Symposium as a special issue of the journal AAWM Music and Nature.

Important Dates:

  • Deadline for abstract submission: July 19, 2024

  • Notification of acceptance: mid-August, 2024

  • Symposium dates: October 24-25, 2024

Join Us:

Our study group aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, advance scholarly research, and promote dialogue among scholars working at the intersections of music, ecology, and interspecies studies. We invite all interested scholars, artists, and practitioners to join us for this inaugural symposium and contribute to the establishment of the Multispecies Music and Sound study group. Together, let us explore why more-than-human musicking matters now more than ever and envision new avenues for engaging with multispecies research and building communities.

Academic and Artistic Committee:

  • Dr. Robert O. Beahrs (Center for Advanced Studies in Music / MIAM, Istanbul Technical University)

  • Dr. Christian Ferlaino (Università della Calabria, Italy)

  • Dr. Lea Hagmann (University of Bern, Switzerland)

  • Dr. Lisa Herrmann-Fertig (Nuremberg University of Music; Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg)

  • Mitra Jahandideh, PhD Candidate (ANU School of Music, Australian National University)

  • Prof. Dr. Martin Ullrich (Nuremberg University of Music)

Local Arrangements Committee

You will be informed as soon as possible about accommodation options in Nuremberg, Nuremberg University of Music, local transport, the program of the Inaugural Symposium, and information about online participation (via Zoom). We would also like to inform you that the annual conference of the ICTMD National Committee for Germany will take place in a hybrid format at the Nuremberg University of Music from October 25-26, 2024. A CfP is sent out separately.

Conference registration and participation is free! We look forward to your participation in this exciting inaugural event.

Sincerely, Lisa Herrmann-Fertig, Robert O. Beahrs, Mitra Jahandideh (Organizing Committee)

CFP, NewsHelene Heuser