2023 Annual Meeting of the New Zealand Musicological Society

Music and Liveness
16–18 June, 2023
University of Otago School of Performing Arts

Deadline for proposals: 22 February, 2023

In his 1999 book Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture, Philip Auslander deconstructed the binary of live vs. mediatised musicking. As we emerge from the Covid-inflicted doldrums, it seems appropriate to re-examine the concept of liveness in the creative arts, in music in all its forms, and of the NZ Musicological Society itself. Has the mediatisation of Zoom and other synchronous platforms changed our relationship to both live and recorded performance? What does liveness mean now in a pedagogical context?

Topics related to the conference theme might include:

• The various ways in which musical works and practices can be enlivened.
• The role of live performance in music-making.
• How musicology brings new life to the past: including past performances and past art-works.
• The pedagogy of music in the live synchronous space.
• A consideration of old theories and writings as dynamic, live texts (as opposed to dusty historical documents).
• Studies—such as performance studies, embodiment studies and phenomenology—that explore how things and events are made to feel live.
• Live recordings as opposed to studio recordings, live performances as opposed to recorded performances.

Abstracts for papers will be considered on all aspects of music studies (not limited to the conference theme), including music history, music theory and analysis, ethnomusicology, composition, performance, popular music studies, sound studies, music technology and production, and music education. In addition, we welcome abstracts from other academic disciplines where there is a music focus.

Conference presentations may take the following forms:

• Formal conference papers (20 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions and discussion)
• Interactive workshops (30 minutes)
• Lecture recitals and demonstrations (20 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions and discussion)
• Panel sessions (90 minutes, up to three participants)

This year’s conference will be live and in-person.

Abstracts of no more than 250 words should be sent in PDF format to [email protected]

Proposals for panel sessions should include abstracts for individual papers (where applicable) as well as a proposal for the overall session.
The submitted file should have a filename as follows: LASTNAME_first_few_words_of_title.pdf
You should include a title and up to five keywords beneath your abstract. As abstracts will be screened anonymously by the selection committee, please omit your name from the text of your document. In the body of the email, you should include your full name, status (academic staff, postgraduate student, independent scholar, etc.) and institutional affiliation where appropriate, and your home town and country.
Further information can be located at: https://www.nzmusicology.org/otago-2023.html