Society for Music Theory
40th Annual Meeting


Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel
Arlington, VA
November 2–5

Download Final Program

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

These photos were taken at the plenary session of the 40th annual meeting of the Society Music Theory, on Saturday, November 4.

All photos © Geoff Sheil, used by permission.

   Conference Information
   Business meeting
   Livestreamed Sessions

Tonality in Rock (9:00am—12:00pm)

Nicole Biamonte (McGill University), Chair

Special Invited Session: Models in Improvisation, Performance, and Composition (2:00–5:00pm)

Daphne Leong (University of Colorado-Boulder), Chair

This session consisted of three short position papers, followed by a panel discussion.


The Music of Chen Yi (7:30–10:30pm)

Sponsored by the Committee on the Status of Women Jennifer Bain (Dalhousie University), Chair Chen Yi (University of Missouri-Kansas City), Respondent

This session consisted of three short analyses and group discussion: Video, part one Video, part two

  • John Roeder (University of British Columbia) Interactions of Folk Melody and Transformational (Dis)continuities in Chen Yi’s Ba Ban
  • Marianne Kielian-Gilbert (Indiana University) Experiencing Chen Yi’s Music // Alternate Lines of Connection, Aesthetic Practice, and Sexual Difference
  • Nancy Rao (Rutgers University) “Shi” and Temporality: A Reading of Gestures in Happy Rain on A Spring Night