2025. november 17-18. │From Periphery to Centre – International Conference on Contemporary Symphonic Music and Orchestral Traditions in Central and Eastern Europe Since 1990 │konferencia
On behalf of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, Research Institute of Art Theory and Methodology, we are pleased to welcome you to Miskolc for this international conference exploring the transformation of symphonic music in Eastern and Central Europe since 1990.
On behalf of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, Research Institute of Art Theory and Methodology, we are pleased to welcome you to Miskolc for this international conference exploring the transformation of symphonic music in Eastern and Central Europe since 1990.
The collapse of the socialist system and the subsequent emergence of globalized musical cultures have profoundly reshaped orchestral life across our region. However, these changes remain underexplored in international musicological discourse, which has traditionally focused on the dominant European orchestral centres of Vienna, Berlin, and London. This conference aims to address this imbalance by bringing the orchestral traditions of formerly peripheral regions into academic focus.
Our gathering addresses critical questions facing contemporary symphonic music: How have national orchestral traditions adapted to radical political, economic, and cultural shifts? What new operational models and institutional frameworks have emerged? How do compositional paradigms reflect changing aesthetic priorities? And how are orchestras engaging with increasingly diverse and digitally connected audiences?
The thematic scope encompasses regional orchestral cultures and identity formation, institutional innovation, contemporary compositional practices, audience development strategies, and the broader social contexts shaping musical life. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates musicological, sociological, cultural-anthropological, and institutional-historical perspectives, we aim to provide comprehensive insights into how orchestral cultures are evolving in the 21st century.
This conference represents a unique opportunity to examine real and perceived differences between centre and periphery, to identify emerging practices and interpretive frameworks, and to foster dialogue across disciplinary and geographic boundaries. We hope these three days will generate productive conversations that advance our understanding of symphonic music's contemporary global landscape.
The collapse of the socialist system and the subsequent emergence of globalized musical cultures have profoundly reshaped orchestral life across our region. However, these changes remain underexplored in international musicological discourse, which has traditionally focused on the dominant European orchestral centres of Vienna, Berlin, and London. This conference aims to address this imbalance by bringing the orchestral traditions of formerly peripheral regions into academic focus.
Our gathering addresses critical questions facing contemporary symphonic music: How have national orchestral traditions adapted to radical political, economic, and cultural shifts? What new operational models and institutional frameworks have emerged? How do compositional paradigms reflect changing aesthetic priorities? And how are orchestras engaging with increasingly diverse and digitally connected audiences?
The thematic scope encompasses regional orchestral cultures and identity formation, institutional innovation, contemporary compositional practices, audience development strategies, and the broader social contexts shaping musical life. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach that integrates musicological, sociological, cultural-anthropological, and institutional-historical perspectives, we aim to provide comprehensive insights into how orchestral cultures are evolving in the 21st century.
This conference represents a unique opportunity to examine real and perceived differences between centre and periphery, to identify emerging practices and interpretive frameworks, and to foster dialogue across disciplinary and geographic boundaries. We hope these three days will generate productive conversations that advance our understanding of symphonic music's contemporary global landscape.
