Innovation in Music 2027

11-13 June 2027
Falmouth University, Falmouth, Cornwall, UK
www.inmusicconference.com

Cornwall lies at the far southwestern edge of the British Isles, a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic. Falmouth (Aberfal), a port town at the mouth of the River Fal, inspires artists yet remains far from the cities usually named as centres of artistic innovation. Being on the edge can bring precariousness and risk, whether geographical, economic or cultural, but also the potential, and need, for innovation.

Edges run through all musical work: the limits of hearing and headroom, restricted budgets, and the limits of bandwidth, processing power, tools, bodies and time. They are also the fringes of disciplines, the boundaries between human, machine, instrument and more-than-human, and the places where we make and listen to music.

‘Cutting edge’ and ‘bleeding edge’ define innovation as the latest stage in the development of a thing, activity or idea. Is this still useful, and what privileges and problematics does it carry? In an era of accelerating global crises, what does it mean to operate on, at or off the edge?

An edge is also a margin and a threshold, where some thrive and others are pushed out; where grassroots venues, DIY artists and scenes run on thin resources, and people burn out. Does ‘edge’ hamper innovation, or fetishise what remains difficult and damaging? Yet, borrowing from ecology, the edge is vital to healthy ecosystems – often where life thrives.

Does innovation come from the edge, and at what cost? Who gets to be called innovative, and how might we question and decolonise that idea? What can be heard at the edge that the centre does not hear? How are edge practices sustained, and how do we learn and teach there?

We welcome critical and creative thinking and practices that engage with the edge in any form.

This theme can be broadly interpreted, and we encourage presentations on all kinds of innovations in music, related to topics such as:

• Approaches to production, recording, mixing and mastering techniques
• Approaches to composition, songwriting, sound art and performance
• Approaches to music business, events, management and enterprise
• Approaches to music technology, music research, learning and co-creation
• Experiments in immersive sound, spatial audio and interactive installations
• Applications of AI or adaptive systems in music
• Approaches to promoting diversity, equality and representation in music
• Approaches to sustainability and sustainable practices in music
• Approaches to listening to the edge of the audible
• Approaches to engaging with life on or off the edge

The core of the conference will be 15-minute presentations. We also have a limited number of slots for alternative formats, such as demos, performances, installations, listening sessions and workshops, and welcome proposals for these.

Key dates

04 January 2027 – Abstracts submission deadline
31 January 2027 – Authors notified of acceptance
16 April 2027 – Earlybird registration discount ends
31 May 2027 – Registration closes
11 June 2027 – Conference opens
13 June 2027 – Conferences closes
26 July 2027 – Deadline for submitting full chapters

How to submit

Abstracts of 300-500 words should be submitted via the InMusic27 EasyChair platform. Presentations are 15 minutes plus 5 minutes of Q&A.

Proposals for demos, performances, installations, listening sessions and workshops should state the format and the space and time needed.

In due course we will announce conference fees, keynotes, and accommodation suggestions, so please check the inmusicconference.com website regularly for updates.

Proceedings

Presenting authors are invited to submit full papers of 4,000-6,000 words after the conference for peer review and inclusion in the book of proceedings, to be published in two volumes by Palgrave.

Organisation

Dr Antti Sakari Saario – Falmouth University, UK
Dr D Ferrett – Falmouth University, UK
James Randell – Falmouth University, UK
Professor Jan-Olof Gullö – Royal College of Music (KMH), Sweden
Professor Justin Paterson – University of West London, UK
Associate Professor Russ Hepworth-Sawyer – MOTTOsound & York St John University, UK
Professor Rob Toulson – RT60 Ltd, UK

We hope to see you in beautiful Cornwall!

For any enquiries, please email [email protected]​