Symposium 2026: Between Research and Activism
Futures of Music and Minority Studies
3 Day Programme
3 Day Programme
➥ Overview
Registration Symposium
➥ MMRC Symposium 2026
Registration: Concert only (13.02.2026)
➥ Sonic Encounters (free entry)
Book of Abstracts (pdf)
➥ BoA
Programme (pdf)
➥ Flyer / Leaflet
>> Join the symposium via the mdw Live-Stream.
Thursday, 12.02.
Fanny Hensel Hall (mdw Campus)
13:30 Registration
14:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
Ulrike Sych (via video message) – Rector of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Gerda Müller – Vice rector of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Ursula Hemetek – Head of the MMRC
Peter Lell – Project Coordinator
14:30 Musical Interlude: Master’s Students in Ethnomusicology from Afghanistan
Mirwais Hakimi and Emran Mahmood (singers), accompanied by Masih Karimi (tabla)
15:00–16:30 Roundtable Discussion 1: Music and Minority Research and Its Institutional Frameworks: Possibilities, Limitations, and Future Requirements
Anja Brunner, Amos Darkwa Asare, Benjy Fox-Rosen, Christian Poske (MMRC Members)
Chaired by Malik Sharif
16:30–17:00 Coffee Break*
17:00–18:30 Roundtable Discussion 2: Common Grounds and Future Directions: Dialogues on Concepts, Methods and Emerging Paradigms in Music and Minority Research
Ioannis Christidis, Isabel Frey (MMRC Members), Jasemin Khaleli (Phonogrammarchiv/ÖAW)
Chaired by Peter Lell
Banquet Hall (mdw Campus)
From 18:30 Welcome & Networking Dinner* with Music
Violin Duo: Darko Piller & Angelika Hudler (Serbian Roma Music)
Friday, 13.02.
Fanny Hensel Hall (mdw Campus)
9:00 Registration
9:30 Key Roundtable: Music and minority studies as engaged research: Global and local perspectives
Georgia Curran, Marko Kölbl, Svanibor Pettan, Mayco Santaella, Deborah Wong (MMRC International Advisory Board)
Chaired by Ursula Hemetek
11:30–12:00 Coffee Break*
12:00–13:30 Paper Session 1: Political Sanctions, Cultural Exclusions, and Forms of Resistance
Chaired by Svanibor Pettan
13:30–15:00 Lunch Break*
15:00–16:30 Roundtable Discussion 3: Minority Music as a Form of Political Expression
Mira Gabriel, Santino Stojka, Konstantin Vlasich
Chaired by Isabel Frey
Curated by Initiative Minderheiten (IM)
16:30–17:00 Coffee Break*
17:00–18:30 Roundtable Discussion 4: Agency, Urgency & Political Activism in Music
Luna Al-Mousli, Tori Reichel, IZRAA (aka Isra Doghman), Simonida Selimović
Chaired by Samo Zeichen
Concert Hall, Future Art Lab (mdw Campus)
18:30–19:30 Dinner*
19:30–21:00 Concert: Sonic Encounters – Music from the Afghan Diaspora and the Burgenland-Croatian Minority
Shakib Rasa & Fayaz Mohammadi
Kolo Slavuj (Folklore Ensemble of the Burgenland-Croatian Minority)
Saturday, 14.02.
Fanny Hensel Hall (mdw Campus)
9:30 Registration
10:00–11:30 Paper Session 2: Queerness, Marginalization, and Ambivalent Visibility
Chaired by Deborah Wong
16:30–17:00 Coffee Break*
12:00–13:00 Paper Session 3: Co-Creation, Sustainability, and Power Imbalances
Chaired by Georgia Curran
13:00–14:30 Lunch Break*
14:30–16:00 Interactive Fishbowl Session: Symposium Outcomes – Voices, Perspectives, and Dialogues (Interactive Fishbowl Discussion)
Chaired by Peter Lell
16:15–17:45 Closing*
Sparkling Wine Reception
Brunnenpassage (Brunnengasse 71, at Yppenplatz, 1160 Wien)
Starting at 20:00 Closing Party
DJ-sets by قamareen (Raqsouna) and MZTAY (Spice Mixers)
* Please note: food and drinks will be provided by the host.
Vegan and non-alcoholic options available.