3rd European Music School Symposium
Music Schools and Their Ecosystems: Building Sustainable Futures
6–7 October 2023
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and online
Collaboration partners:
European Music School Union (EMU)
Conference of Austrian Music School Associations (KOMU)
Sustainability engagement reflects a concern for the cultural, social, environmental, and economic conditions that present and future generations need in order to live well. The chances of living a meaningful and musical life are determined by many systemic interactions and interdependencies in society. Similarly, music schools can only subsist and flourish in favourable ecosystems: through interactions within communities that care strongly about education in the arts, social coherence, and long-term environmental security.
The different dimensions and conditions of sustainability in music school contexts range from high educational and musical quality and encouraging pedagogies to sufficiently broad aims, inclusion, financial stability, and efficient energy use. Protecting what is valuable and changing what is untenable can be a challenge that requires the right combination of knowledge, resources, and joint efforts. Across Europe, visions and projects for sustainability are currently being born in music schools, local administrations, and music school research. This symposium is a great place to share expertise, strategies, practices, and new ideas – and to form international, cross-institutional, collegial networks that can strengthen the daily work in and for sustainable music schools.
The symposium aims to gather music school researchers, teachers, leaders, former and current students, representatives from music school organisations and from municialities, university/conservatoire teachers and professors, and other who are committed to the development of strong, inspiring, and resilient music schools.
Participation is possible on location in Vienna or on Zoom.
Please submit a short description (abstract) of your contribution at
by 1 May 2023.
Important dates
Symposium: 6-7 October 2023
Student Forum: 5 October 2023 (Please see details about submission procedure in the call for presentations)
Submission by 1 May 2023
Notification by 1 June 2023
Registration from 1 June to 20 September 2023
Registration from 1 June to 20 September 2023
Registration fees
Early registration until 31 July 2023: 110 EUR
Registration from 1 August to 20 September 2023: 150 EUR
Students, doctoral students: 75 EUR
Online participation: 40 EUR
Registration from 1 August to 20 September 2023: 150 EUR
Students, doctoral students: 75 EUR
Online participation: 40 EUR
If you are planning to participate on site, please consider going for low-carbon travel.
Vienna has excellent public transportation and walking or cycling in the city is a wonderful architectural experience.
Vienna has excellent public transportation and walking or cycling in the city is a wonderful architectural experience.