SMA Dublin Music Analysis Conference (DubMAC 2026)
13 – 15 July 2026
The SMA is pleased to confirm dates for the Dublin Music Analysis Conference (DubMAC 2026), which will take place from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 July 2026 in Dublin, Ireland, and will be hosted jointly by Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
The DubMAC 2026 programme committee welcomes submissions in any aspect of music analysis and theory, relating to music of any genre, geographical region, and historical period.
We also particularly welcome proposals on:
- The New Formenlehre
- Practice-As-Research
- Eco-Music Analysis
- Analysis of Non-Western Music
We are delighted to announce the following confirmed keynote speakers:
- SMA Pascall Medal Prize winner, Professor William Caplin (McGill University)
- SMA Pople Medal Prize winner, Dr Anne Hyland (University of Manchester)
The conference will be followed by a student study day organised by the SMA’s Formal Theory Study Group on Thursday 16 July 2025.
Submission deadline for proposals : 13 February 2026, 23.59GMT
Proposal categories :
- Papers (20 minutes, with 10 minutes for discussion)
- Paper sessions (three or four papers, each of 20 minutes maximum, with 10 minutes per paper for discussion)
- Roundtable discussions (up to 5 participants, each giving a short position paper, followed by a general discussion, total running time of 90 minutes)
- Lecture Recitals (30 minutes, with discussion)
Proposal guidelines :
- For individual papers: 250-word (maximum) abstract
- For paper sessions: 250-word (maximum) summary and up to 250 words for each session participant
- For roundtable discussions: 250-word (maximum) summary and up to 150 words for each panel participant
- For lecture recitals: 250-word (maximum) abstract
To aid the process of publishing abstracts, we ask that proposals contain neither footnotes nor lists of references. In-text citations are acceptable. Proposals should not contain any diagrams or musical examples.
The conference is planned as an in-person event. Remote presentations will not be considered.
Submitting a proposal :
To widen participation as much as possible, only one proposal of each type is permitted per applicant. Proposals should be sent by email to DubMAC@sma.ac.uk and should include two separate MS Word documents:
- The abstract(s). This file should be anonymised.
- Speaker biographical notes (max. 150 words for each speaker) including current affiliation, and any special requirements.
Funding opportunities :
A number of SMA bursaries are available to help cover the costs of travel and accommodation. For further details and to check eligibility, see https://www.sma.ac.uk/grants/travel/. [sma.ac.uk]
Delegates are also welcome to apply to our Development Fund Scheme to cover the cost of attending. For further details, see https://www.sma.ac.uk/grants/development/. [sma.ac.uk] There is no deadline for this fund, but retrospective applications will not be considered.
The conference is organised by the following committee members :
Nicole Grimes (Trinity College Dublin), Chair
Adam Behan (Maynooth University)
Blaithín Duggan (Dublin City University)
Julian Horton (Durham University)
Sarah Moynihan (University of Manchester)
Nick Roth (Trinity College Dublin)
Orla Shannon (Royal Irish Academy of Music)
Cheryl Tan (Trinity College Dublin)
Christopher Tarrant (Newcastle University), President, Society for Music Analysis
Yvonne Teo (Durham University), Conference Administrator
Aidan Thomson (University of Galway)
All enquiries should be sent to the organisers at DubMAC@sma.ac.uk.