The 10th SIMM-posium will again be hosted at the Brussels based cultural centre Bozar, this time in a close collaboration with the academic Chair Jonet of the University of Ghent.
CLICK HERE to FIND THE PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME.
AND CLICK HERE to find ALL ABSTRACTS of the papers presented in Brussels.
AND CLICK HERE to REGISTER.
Building on the previous SIMM-posia in Ghent, London, Porto, Bogota, Brussels, Paris, London, Brisbane and Copenhagen, the 2025 Brussels SIMM-posium will feature presentations, thematic panels and a keynote, exploring the social impact of participatory music-making across a wide range of cultural contexts and countries.
Presentations of research papers will at this SIMM-posium be presented on social and community music projects from all over the world: UK, Australia, Spain, Croatia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Belgium, USA, Hong Kong, Norway, France, Greece, South Africa, Philippines, Cyprus, Netherlands, China, Israël, Portugal, Austria, Germany, Finland and Sweden!
Delegates are warmly encouraged to join in person in Brussels, even though online presentations will also be accommodated where necessary, and the event will be live-streamed.
This year there is provision in the programme for up to 45 brief (max. 10 minutes) presentations of academic as well as artistic research, research-related work in progress or critical reflections on research, which are curated into thematic panels and followed by plenary discussions.
Keynote speaker will be Professor Lee Higgins, director of the International Centre for Community Music, York St John University.
Presentations of research are welcomed which try to help us come to a better understanding of the possible role of the practice of music-making within social and community music projects and programmes. Specific topics of interest of this conference will be communicated later on.
The scientific committee of this conference is composed of: Brydie-Leigh Bartleet (president SIMM / Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre / Griffith University), An De bisschop (Chair Jonet, University of Ghent), Luc Nijs (Chair Jonet / University of Luxemburg), Lukas Pairon (SIMM / Chair Jonet), Hidde Van Schie (Bozar), and Filip Verneert (Chair Jonet, University of Ghent).
About SIMM: SIMM is the international network of researchers and organisations examining possible social impacts of music-making across a wide range of cultural contexts. Founded in 2015 it has grown to encompass a number of events, including research conferences, research seminars, international comparative research projects, podcasts and publications.
This will be the second time a SIMM-posium will be organised in the city of Brussels, because the 5th SIMM-posium was also held there at Bozar in 2021 (but then only online because of the Covid pandemic).
Statement concerning Gaza & West Bank:
As the 10th SIMM-posium meets, many delegates have extreme and growing concerns about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. Many of us are from countries whose governments are involved in executing or supporting the killing, starving, and displacement of Palestinians. While deploring the breaches of international humaniitarian and human rights law which these countries are committing or supporting, SIMM remains committed to providing a welcoming space to scholars and artists from those countries. Individual scholars should not be presumed to be in support of their governments’ positions and actions, even if they may not be free to say so in public. We therefore reject any attempt to ostracise or confront scholars from these countries that are attending the SIMM-posium, and would ask all delegates to treat each other with courtesy and mutual respect in these difficult times.
