Major international conference on Music and the University hosted at the University of Surrey
Last month, the University of Surrey hosted The Second Biennial International Conference of Music and the University, co-organised by conference co-Chairs Dr Christopher Wiley (Head of Music and Media at the University of Surrey) plus three other academics from the UK, Portugal and the US: Professors Ian Pace, Ângelo Martingo and Alexandra Monchick.
With over 70 delegates from the UK, Continental Europe, North America and Australia, it offered 15 thematic paper sessions, two roundtables, three recitals and lecture-recitals, four teaching demonstrations/workshops, an invited plenary session and two keynote addresses delivered by Professor Peter Tregear (Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne) and Professor Alexandra Wilson (Guildhall School of Music and Drama).
Running on three days from 4–6 July, the conference addressed a wealth of issues relating to music, universities and conservatoires across countries and centuries, encompassing history and analysis, curricula and pedagogy, and ethnomusicology.
Ground covered included the relationship between music scholarship and practice, the discipline of musicology as practised in various different areas of the world, and contemporary issues such as music academia and AI. A focus on musical theatre was facilitated by Guildford School of Acting, while representatives from MusicHE contributed a lively discussion session.
Chris Wiley said: “Hosting a major three-day international conference on Music and the University, and bringing together so many delegates from around the world, places the University of Surrey at the forefront of shaping the agenda on university-level teaching and research in music internationally.
“It was an unexpectedly timely event, enabling immediate reflection on the wide-ranging implications to arts education of the change of UK government following the General Election that took place on the conference’s opening day. We look forward to continuing the conversation on the many contemporary issues faced by music in higher education globally at the next conference in 2026.”
This event followed the inaugural ‘Music and the University’ conference two years ago in Central London, which was attended by representatives from 22 different countries spanning six different continents. The full schedule of events for the 2024 conference may be found at the website here: https://musicandtheuniversity.wordpress.com
