The North American British Music Studies Association

Call for Papers

Proposal Deadline: January 20, 2020, 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Conference Dates: July 23–26, 2020
Venue: Illinois State University, Normal, IL

The North American British Music Studies Association invites proposals for the Ninth Biennial NABMSA Conference hosted by Illinois State University from July 23–26, 2020. Presentations on topics related to all aspects of historical and modern British music and musical life throughout Britain, the Empire/Commonwealth, and beyond are welcome. Those that draw upon interdisciplinary or broader cultural contexts are particularly welcome. Presentations may take a variety of formats, including twenty-minute individual papers, workshops involving group participation, roundtable discussions, lecture-recitals, and themed panel sessions. The program committee actively seeks submissions from senior, mid-career, and early-career scholars, those serving within and outside of academia, as well as graduate students. Students selected to present papers are eligible for the Nicholas Temperley Prize and may also apply for the Byron Adams travel grant. Details are outlined below.

Proposal Submission Instructions

Individual papers: On a Word or .pdf document provide

• Title of paper
• An abstract of up to 350 words that grounds the proposed paper in previous scholarship and clearly presents the subject, argument, methodology, and significance of findings. Do not include any identifying personal information.

Themed panel sessions: On a Word or .pdf document(s) provide

• Title of session
• List of session participants, their roles in session, and preferred affiliations or cities
• List of paper titles to be included in the session, with author names
• A rationale of up to 350 words that addresses the topic of the session and the relationships between the papers to be presented
• Also include abstracts for each individual paper, based on the guidelines listed above for Individual Papers.

Workshops, Roundtable Discussions, and other Interactive Formats: On separate Word or .pdf document(s) provide

• Title of presentation
• Format of presentation
• Abstract of up to 350 words, describing the presentation and its significance. Do not include personal information specifics.
• List of any technical or other items needed for presentation
• On a separate document, list all participants with preferred affiliations or cities

Lecture-Recitals: On separate Word or .pdf document(s) provide

• Title of lecture-recital
• Abstract of up to 250 words, discussing lecture-recital theme, content, and significance. Do not include personal information within the abstract.
• List of musical selections to be performed
• Proposed time length of lecture-recital
• List of equipment requested
• On a separate document, provide names, affiliations, and instrument of all performers, AND
• A brief biography of the performer(s) — 250 words maximum
• A digital recording of the performer(s) to demonstrate proficiency is required. Preference will be given to submissions that include the proposer performing the actual work(s) being proposed. Where this is not possible, the submitted example must be of a comparable style, genre, or historical period.

Proposal Transmission

• Proposals should be sent via e-mail attachment to the Program Committee Chair, K. Dawn Grapes (Dawn.Grapes -at- colostate.edu) with the subject-line NABMSA 2020 Proposal.
• Attach your proposal, made up of components listed above, to your e-mail as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or .pdf only. Word documents are preferred. Other formats will not be accepted.
• For all formats: In your submission e-mail text, please include the following
  • Name
  • Address
  • Preferred e-mail address
  • Title of paper, session, or recital
  • List of all participants, with presentation roles, preferred affiliations or cities, and e-mail addresses
  • Audio-visual requirements
• Audio or video recordings supporting proposals for lecture-recitals are required(demo disc, .mp3 files, links to online files, etc.) and should be received (electronically) by the same deadline as the abstract (see below). If files are available via the internet, include a link in your proposal. If not, or if your files are too large to attach or are in a physical format, please contact the Program Chair via email for instructions on how to submit these materials.

Student Considerations

It is a special honor for students to be selected to present at the NABMSA Biennial Conference and several opportunities are available to graduate students.

• Nicholas Temperley Prize: The Nicholas Temperley Prize is awarded during biennial conferences of the North American British Music Studies Association (NABMSA) for a student paper of particular merit or excellence. The Prize consists of a letter from the President of the Association and a check for $100. Students must declare their intention to be considered upon acceptance of conference participation and will be asked to provide a copy of their paper in advance of the July conference.
• Byron Adams Travel Grant: The Byron Adams Travel Grant offers one or more grants of up to $500 each to doctoral-level students who are giving a paper at the biennial NABMSA conference. Students will be notified of grant requirements after acceptance.

The deadline for all submissions is Monday, January 20, 2020, 11:59 pm, Mountain Time.

It is the policy of the Association that all presenters be members in good standing. Participants will be notified of the acceptance on or before March 1, 2020.

2020 Program Committee: K. Dawn Grapes (Colorado State University), chair; Christina Baade (McMaster University); Jennifer Oates (Queens College, CUNY); Joseph M. Ortiz (University of Texas at El Paso)