The integration of performance, composition and musicology is a principle of the Department of Music at the University of Bristol, and the Call for Proposals includes calls for acoustic and electroacoustic compositions. The programme committee invites proposals for the following:

• Themed sessions (90 minutes)
• Individual papers (20 minutes)
• Lecture-recitals (30 minutes)
• Display posters (A1 display sheet)
• Compositions (acoustic): read the detailed call for acoustic compositions
• Compositions (electroacoustic): read the detailed call for electroacoustic compositions

The programme committee welcomes proposals from leading scholars and practitioners as well as early-career researchers. The aim of the conference is to represent the entire scope of current scholarly and creative musical research.

All rooms used for conference sessions are equipped with data projectors, CD & DVD players, computers and pianos (in most rooms grand or baby grand pianos). In the case of more complex technical needs, we would ask proposers to get in touch with the conference organisers (email: rma-2018@bristol.ac.uk) to discuss requirements and options.

Submission and selection process

Proposals for themed sessions will, as all other proposals, be selected by the programme committee on the basis of the quality of the proposal, but especially welcome are sessions that:

• are linked thematically to keynote speakers’ areas of expertise;
• represent the range and diversity of current musical research;
• are promoted by the RMA’s study groups and sibling organisations concerned with research in music and related areas. Note: in order to secure a range of speakers with varying academic and professional experience, and especially to encourage the participation of researchers from the conservatoire sector, the programme committee may actively solicit proposals for themed sessions.

Proposals for individual presentations will be selected on the basis of the quality of the proposal (clarity, sense of purpose, methodology, and significance of research findings) and their capacity to fit with other selected individual proposals into thematically coherent conference sessions. If the number of proposals fulfilling all these criteria proves to be very high, the programme committee may favour submissions from those who did not present at the last annual conference.

Proposals for individual papers, display posters and lecture-recitals will be judged anonymously by the programme committee. Acoustic and electroacoustic compositions will be judged anonymously by two separate panels, details of which will be announced in due course.

Submission procedures

• Themed sessions:
  • Proposals must be submitted via the online proposal submission form by Friday 24 November 2017 (5pm)
  • Proposals should contain an outline of the content of the overall session and its parts, and details of the session format, and should be no longer than 600 words.
• Individual papers, lecture-recitals and display posters:
  • Proposals must be submitted via the online proposal submission form by Friday 24 November 2017 (5pm)
  • Proposals should be no longer than 200 words
• Acoustic compositions
• Electroacoustic compositions

The committee aims to notify proposal authors and submitters of compositions of its decision by Friday 26 January 2018. Those selected will be asked to confirm their acceptance and may make revisions to their abstract at this stage.

Programme committee

The committee comprises:

• Christopher Charles, University of Bristol
• Warwick Edwards. University of Glasgow and RMA Conferences Coordinator
• Will Finch, University of Bristol
• Annika Forkert, University of Bristol
• Katy Hamilton, representing the RMA
• Guido Heldt (committee chair), University of Bristol
• Barbara Kelly, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester