Online Conference on Music Festivals Will Bring Together International Artistic Directors, Scholars, Non-Profits, and Artists

On October 14 and 15, 2022, the Department of History at Queen’s University will host the second of a two-part conference, Curating for Change: The Work That Music Festivals Do in the World, focused on addressing the histories of music festivals with an ear to the present. Attendance is free, and anyone interested can register online through Eventbrite here. “Through keynote addresses, panels, workshops, film screenings, and musical performances, this conference will explore music festivals as resonant—even if at times contested—sites of activism, equity, environmental stewardship, and community-building,” the organizers stated in a joint media release. “It will bring together scholars, practitioners, artists, organizers, and patrons in the realm of music-making to reflect on the work that independent, artist-run, or boutique music festivals do in promoting vital forms of activist arts-based practices and pedagogies.” The Queen's-hosted conference will take place via Zoom over two days and will be ASL interpreted. Conference highlights include:
  • A keynote address by George McKay (University of East Anglia);
  • a panel on the histories and futures of music festivals with Anaïs Fléchet (Université Paris-Saclay), Steve Waksman (Smith College), and Katharine White (J & M Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies);
  • a conversation between signed music theorist Jody Cripps (Clemson University) and artistic director Chris Dodd (Sound Off, Canada’s national festival devoted to Deaf performance);
  • a presentation on archives and digital history by Michael Kramer (State University of New York-Brockport);
  • a presentation by Ian Garrett and Devon Hardy (Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts) on Creative Green Tools Canada;
  • panels on topics such as “Festivals as Community-Making” and “Enacting Local Forms of Sustainability.”
  • a short film on “Book of Rules,” a recognizable staple in reggae music’s formidable canon,
  • the launch of a new Cuban Serenade podcast episode titled “‘The Cubans Are Coming!’: ¡Afrocubanismo! and the ‘Artistic Coup’ of Banff.”
For more information and the full conference schedule, visit the conference website or contact festival organizers by email. The first part of the conference—facilitated by the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) at the University of Guelph—took place on August 26 and 28, and explored the current state of music festivals to imagine their future. The conference is supported by sponsors IICSI, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Queen’s University, the University of Guelph, the Bookshelf, CFRC 101.9fm, CFRU 93.3fm, and Tenzier. Posted: May 3, 2023 Originally Published: Oct 5, 2022