Second Biennial Euro-Mediterranean Music Conference
Organized by the Cyprus Music Institute
Hosted by the University of Cyprus and the University of Nicosia
8-10 September 2011

Initiated in 2009 by the Cyprus Music Institute (CMI), the Biennial Euro-Mediterranean Music Conference held its second meeting from 8 to 10 September at the University of Cyprus and the University of Nicosia. The purpose of this conference is to establish a forum for intellectual exchange between academic musicians from across the Mediterranean area, as well as any other scholars with an interest in Mediterranean musical traditions. The principal goals of the conference are to engender sense of shared academic music community, to facilitate the creation of personal and institutional networks, and generally to promote peaceful intercultural dialogue in the region. Because of its wide scope, presentations are not constrained by any particular theme, although the conference is organized around three general categories: Mediterranean Music, Musicology (broadly understood), and Music Education.

The conference invites one keynote speaker to represent each of these categories. This year’s keynote talks were: Alexander Lingas (City University London), “Contesting the Historical and Cultural Locations of Byzantine Chant”, Ruth Davis (University of Cambridge), “Remembering the Jewish-Arab Mediterranean: Songs of Tunis and Beyond”, Pamela Burnard (University of Cambridge), “Rethinking Diversity in Musical Creativities and Education”.

The ordinary sessions of the conference consisted of thirty-seven presentations by scholars who had responded to an open call for papers. The conference concluded with a roundtable discussion given by the three keynote speakers, who were joined by Panagiotis Agapitos (University of Cyprus), on the subject of “Defining the Mediterranean Musically.”

The conference delegates represented over a dozen nationalities and all the academic music disciplines. In this sense, the conference seems to be on track to accomplish its goal of building a sense of a regional, trans-disciplinary community for academic musicians.

For more information about past or upcoming Biennial Euro-Mediterranean Conferences, please contact Kenneth Owen Smith, President of the Cyprus Music Institute and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Nicosia , at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You may also find more information about the Cyprus Music Institute itself at its web site: www.cmi.com.cy.

Kenneth Smith, University of Nicosia