The ISM continues to work in partnership with the biannual International Conference on Women’s Work in Music, hosted by the School of Music at Bangor University. The fourth International Conference of Women's Work in Music will take place on 4 – 6 September this year and will be offered as a hybrid event with participants able to attend either in person or online.

Groups, communities and networks

This year’s conference theme is women musicians’ groups, communities and networks, and ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts will chair a panel of experts from the music industry who will discuss important topics, including gender inequalities and discrimination in the music sector. Professor Laurie Stras will give a keynote presentation on early modern women’s religious and musical networks, and the conference concert will feature music by the Welsh composer Grace Williams.

Tell us about your work in music

Proposals for 20-minute papers from ISM members are warmly welcomed. If you are a music professional with an interest in the area of women in music, this is an opportunity for you to tell us about your work and to contribute to the debate. Proposals are encouraged on women’s work in music in any musical genre, period or practice, which can include, but are not limited to:

• Composition and/or performance in and beyond the Western and Eastern traditions – historical, contemporary and future
• Women as conductors
• Women in popular music and/or film music
• Women and music technology
• Women in the music industries: Management, agency and administration
• Women and music education (all levels)
• LGBTQ+ perspectives
• Women and activism in music
• Women, music and disability
• Women in music and climate change

Dates and deadlines for proposals

Please send your proposal as a Word document to [email protected] no later than Friday 5 May 2023. The following format should be used, and it would be helpful for our planning purposes if you could please tell us whether you will be attending in person or online:

1. Name, affiliation (if applicable) and contact details (postal address, email and phone)
2. Conference attendance: in person or online
3. Title of paper/presentation
4. Abstract
5. Audio-visual and other requirements: Please indicate whether your presentation will include PowerPoint slides, audio examples etc
6. Brief biography (150 words)

ISM members will receive a 15% discount on conference registration fees and free tickets to the conference concert.

Further information about registration and the programme will be posted in due course on the conference website

If you have any questions, please contact Conference Director, Dr Rhiannon Mathias: [email protected].