Fifth International Conference on Women’s Work in Music 2025 :
Brave New Worlds
29 – 31 August 2025 at Trinity Laban, London
The Fifth International Conference on Women’s Work in Music aims to both celebrate the achievements of women musicians, and to critically explore and discuss the changing contexts of women’s work in music on the international stage.
Following four successful Conferences held at Bangor University (in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023), the 2025 conference is hosted by Trinity Laban at King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich London SE10 9JF.
I am excited to be working with Trinity Laban on the Fifth International Conference on Women’s Work in Music this year. Trinity Laban’s groundbreaking ‘Venus Blazing’ project (2018), directed by Professor Sophie Fuller, set a new agenda for women musicians and is a project that very much resonates in spirit with the Women’s Work in Music Conferences. These conferences have a proven track record of bringing together performers, scholars, composers and music professionals to share research and experience of all aspects of women working in music.
Dr. Rhiannon Mathias, Conference Director
At Trinity Laban we work relentlessly to expand on the accepted musical canon in our teaching and performances, and to champion women in music, both historical and contemporary. We’re looking forward to hosting the Fifth International Women’s Work in Music Conference 2025 in partnership with Dr. Rhiannon Mathias, and to three days of stimulating and thought-provoking research.
Dr. Aleks Szram, Artistic Director, Trinity Laban
The conference theme this year is ‘Brave New Worlds’ and we will be celebrating the birth centenary of the British composer and electronics pioneer Daphne Oram (1925-2003). Oram revolutionalised electronic music in Britain, invented her own Oramics machine and was the co-founder of the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Dr. Jo Langton will be giving a Keynote Presentation about Oram’s life and work.
The call for proposals has now closed, and applications are being selected.
Conference sessions may include:
· Composition and/or Performance in and beyond the Western and Eastern traditions – historical, contemporary and future.
· Women and Music Technology.
· Women as Conductors.
· Women in Popular Music and/or Film Music.
· Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Ethnography.
· Music Analysis and Theory.
· Feminism, Gender and the Canon.
· Women in the Music Industries: Management, Agency and Administration.
· Women and Music Education (all levels).
· LGBTQ+ Perspectives.
· Women and Activism in Music.
· Women, Music and Disability.
· Women in Music and Climate Change.
· The Representation of Women Making Music.
Conference events will also include concerts given by Trinity Laban staff and students that will have a special feature on music by women composers, and a music industry panel, chaired by ISM CEO Deborah Annetts, discussing some of today’s most pressing issues for women working in music.
Conference Programme
The Conference will be a mainly in-person event – with limited access to online presentations on Microsoft Teams – and will run from 9.30 on Friday 29 August to 15.00 Sunday 31 August at King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10 9JF.
Further information about the conference and full programme details will appear on this page in due course but if you would like more details, please contact the Conference Director:
conferences@trinitylaban.ac.uk
Conference Committee
Emilie Capulet (Trinity Laban), Jonathan Clark (Trinity Laban), John Cunningham (Bangor University), Annika Forkert (Royal Northern College of Music) and Rhiannon Mathias (Director)
Conference Fees and Booking
Conference registration covers 3 days of conference sessions, concerts and events for in-person attendees plus light refreshments. Lunch is not included but there are plenty of local options for meals and we also have a recommended list for accommodation and local resources if you’re staying in the area.
The conference registration ticket lists Friday, 29 August but is valid for the whole conference from Friday 29 August – Sunday 31 August. Please note that it is not possible to register for single conference days.
Registration for the conference will open in early June, at the following prices:
Full Fee £120
Full Fee with RMA/ISM/F-List membership discount (15%) £102
Student Fee £80
Student Fee with RMA/ISM/F-List membership discount (15%) £68
Online (on Microsoft Teams). Limited access – not all conference sessions will be available to online delegates. £50
After you have registered and reserved your place, we will send you follow-up information about conference sessions, check on any access requirements and share further information as the programme develops.