The dominant narratives of electronic music tend to centre around institutions including the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, radio studios such as WDR (Germany), INA-GRM (France), PRES (Poland), and NHK (Japan) as well as Universities including Princeton and Columbia, and the activity of composers associated with them. While their contribution to electronic music culture and history cannot be denied, the shadow of these institutions looms large enough that it can obscure those who did not benefit from such institutional support.
The University of Huddersfield and the Centre for Research in New Music (CeReNeM), as part of the AHRC-funded Ernest Berk: An Expressionist Outsider project, are hosting a symposium to discuss alternative or competing narratives in historical electronic music, with an intention to showcase lost, marginalised, or unexplored voices, from 1945-1990.
This is a call for participants interested in contributing chapters for an edited collection. As a part of this publication, the project team will host a two-day symposium to create a space for authors to gather to discuss their chapter drafts and the direction of the book. Participants will be selected based upon their proposal for a 6,000-8,000 word book chapter.
Submissions must be made via the online form and should include your name, affiliation (if applicable), email, country of residence, proposed chapter title, chapter proposal (500 words), and a short biography (150 words).
The symposium will take place in-person at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Accommodations for virtual participation can be made for international participants who are unable to travel.
Thematic Areas:
Suggested areas of discussion include, but are not limited to:
Forgotten or unrecognised individuals or groups in electronic music history
The experiences of social or racial groups within electronic music cultures
How institutions shape a dominant culture to the exclusion of others
Unrecognised events or concert series’ that platformed electronic music
The influence of amateur or DIY cultures on electronic music practice
Changing cultural or social attitudes towards electronic music history
The influence of institutional bias in shaping electronic music culture
Timeline:
Proposal deadline: 28 February 2025
Notification: 14 March 2025
Symposium: 3-4 July 2025
Chapter drafts due: October 2025
Peer review deadline: December 2025
Final chapters due: March 2026
Submission of manuscript: May 2026
Registration and Fee:
There is no registration fee. The organisers will cover the costs of presenters accommodation for one night and a collective evening meal. No costs will be covered for non-presenters. Travel and any additional costs will need to be covered by participants.
Committee:
Prof. Monty Adkins
Dr Sam Gillies
If you have any questions please contact Dr Sam Gillies on s.gillies@hud.ac.uk with LVEMH in the subject line.
Website:
https://ernestberk.com/call-for-proposals/