The Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic (MTSMA) extends a call for papers for its 25th annual meeting, which will take place on February 19–20, 2027, at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. All papers and addresses for this conference will be presented in a live, in-person format. We are thrilled that Dr. Richard Desinord (Georgetown University) will give the keynote address and lead a professional development workshop. All conference attendees (students and faculty) are encouraged to attend these events, and no application is necessary for workshop participation beyond conference registration.
We welcome proposals on any topic related to music theory, and anonymous proposals (500 words max) should be submitted online via the online portal.
The submission form asks for:
Author information—your name (as you’d like to appear on the program), email address, institutional affiliation (if applicable)
Paper title
Whether you propose a long presentation (twenty-minute talk) or a short presentation (ten-minute talk), or either.
Whether you have student status and should be considered for the Dorothy Payne Award for best student paper.
For the purposes of this award, student status ends with the receipt of a terminal degree or employment in a full-time position. Previous winners of the Dorothy Payne Award are not eligible. Papers co-authored with a faculty member are not eligible.
Deadline: 11:59 PM on October 31, 2026.
Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by January 3, 2027.
Full guidelines and rules for proposal submissions are available via the Call for Papers on the MTSMA website.
Questions should be addressed to Jennifer Campbell, Program Committee Chair.