The Society's National Conference is held each fall in various locations within the United States and Canada.
National Conferences of The College Music Society provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on a wide variety of issues. Conference programs feature plenary sessions, presentations, panels, and performances in the areas of composition, ethnomusicology/world music, music education, music in general studies, musicology, performance, and theory, as well as new areas which emerge as the profession responds to change. The Society's program differs from those of discipline-specific organizations by virtue of its greater attention to the art of teaching and its disciplinary inclusiveness.
CMS National Conferences present higher education's broadest array of topics dealing with music. Engagement, composition, cultural diversity, ethnomusicology, gender issues, music education, musicology, classes for non-majors, pedagogy, performance, music theory, teacher training, the latest technologies, and world music are explored in a variety of formats, including open discussions. Another distinctive feature is the focus on the historic and current music of the region in which each meeting is held, as a celebration of the richness of American music. The conferences include the annual Robert M. Trotter Lecture and the CMS/ATMI Technology Lecture.
The CMS National Conference routinely attracts over 500 faculty, administrators, publishers, and music business personnel who share a common interest and dedication to the improvement of music and its relationship to the other academic disciplines of higher education.
Through papers, performances, lecture-recitals, panels, demonstrations, and workshop sessions, these conferences provide the opportunity to consider the philosophy and practice of music as an integral part of higher education. Through formal sessions, open forums, and dialogue with colleagues from around the country, the meetings provide the opportunity to share insights and perspectives on teaching, to hear new and unusual musics, to experience regional musics, to discuss American musical life and culture, and to consider future directions for the art of music.
Information concerning future National Conference
1950s/1960s
1958 Boston/Cambridge, MA
1959 Chicago, IL
1960 Berkeley/Stanford, CA
1961 Winston-Salem, NC
1962 Columbus, OH
1963 Seattle, WA
1964 Washington, DC
1965 Ann Arbor, MI
1966 New Orleans, LA
1967 Santa Barbara, CA
1968 New Haven, CT
1969 Berea/Cleveland, OH
1970s
1970 Toronto, ON
1971 San Francisco, CA
1972 Minneapolis, MN
1973 Atlanta, GA
1974 Iowa City, IA
1975 Rochester, NY
1976 Washington, DC
1977 Evanston, IL
1978 St. Louis, MO
1979 San Antonio, TX
1980s
1980 Denver, CO
1981 Cincinnati, OH
1982 Boston, MA
1983 Dearborn, MI
1984 Nashville, TN
1985 Vancouver, BC
1986 Miami, FL
1987 New Orleans, LA
1988 Santa Fe, NM
1989 St. Louis, MO
1990s
1990 Washington, DC
1991 Chicago, IL
1992 San Diego, CA
1993 Minneapolis, MN
1994 Savannah, GA
1995 Portland, OR
1996 Atlanta, GA
1997 Cleveland, OH
1998 San Juan, PR
1999 Denver, CO
2000s
2000 Toronto, ON
2001 Santa Fe, NM
2002 Kansas City, MO
2003 Miami, FL
2004 San Francisco, CA
2005 Quebec City, Canada
2006 San Antonio, TX
2007 Salt Lake City, UT
2008 Atlanta, GA
2009 Portland, OR
2010s
2010 Minneapolis, MN
2011 Richmond, VA
2012 San Diego, CA
2013 Cambridge, MA
2014 St. Louis, MO
2015 Indianapolis, IN
2016 Santa Fe, NM
2017 San Antonio, TX
2018 Vancouver, BC
2019 Louisville, KY
2020s
2020 Virtual
2021 Rochester, NY
2022 Long Beach, CA
1982: Elliott S. Schwartz, Bowdoin College
1983: Maureen Carr, Pennsylvania State University
1984: Phillip Rhodes, Carleton College
1985: Gerard Behague, University of Texas at Austin
1986: Dale A. Olsen, The Florida State University
1987: Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., Center for Black Music Research
1988: David G. Woods, Indiana University
1989: Patricia Shehan Campbell, University of Washington
1990: Lloyd Ultan, University of Minnesota
1991: Bernard J. Dobroski, Northwestern University
1992: Marshall Bialosky, California State University, Dominguez Hills
1993: Jan Herlinger, Louisiana State University
1994: Jacqueline Cogdell Djedje, University of California at Los Angeles
1995: Carol Scott-Kassner, University of Central Florida
1996: C. Tayloe Harding, North Dakota State University
1997: Quentin W. Quereau, Case Western Reserve University
1998: Raymond Torres-Santos, Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
1999: Victoria Lindsay Levine, The Colorado College
2000: Douglass Seaton, The Florida State University
2001: Janet Sturman, University of Arizona
2002: Kay Norton, Arizona State University
2003: Dale Olsen, Florida State University
2004: William George, San Jose State University
2005: Betty Anne Younker, Adrian College
2006: Charles Boyer, Adams State College
2007: James Parakilas, Bates College
2008: Robert Weirich, University of Missouri-Kansas City
2009: Faun Tanenbaum Tiedge, Linfield College
2010: Barbara Bowker, Harper College
2011: Cathy Benedict, Florida International University
2012: Terry Lynn Hudson, Baylor University
2013: Keith Clifton, Central Michigan University
2014: James Perone, Mount Union University
2015: Maud Hickey, Northwestern University
2016: Brendo Romero, University of Colorado
2017: Donna Emmanuel, University of North Texas
2018: Jennifer Snow, Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy
2019: Jennifer Sterling Snodgrass, Appalachian State University
2020: Pamela Pike, Louisiana State University
2021: Tracey Cowden, University of Texas, San Antonio
1994
Ricardo D. Trimillos (University of Hawai'i at Manoa):
"Western Music and the Ethnomusicologist's Gaze: Theory, Praxis, and Performance Viewed by a Filipino- American with Lutheran Leanings"
1995
Eileen Cline (University Fellow for the Arts, Johns Hopkins University):
"My Father Never Told Me . . . "
1996
Leon Botstein (President, Bard College):
"Is There a Future for the Traditions of Music and Music Teaching in Our Colleges and Universities?"
1997
Robert Glidden (President, Ohio University):
"Preparing for Pride and Performance in the Professoriate"
1998
Donald Thompson (Professor Emeritus, University of Puerto Rico):
"Musical Puerto Rico: Microcosm in the Mainstream"
1999
Bruno Nettl (University of Illinois):
"Preserving Musical Cultures: Contemplations and Confessions"
2000
Alexander Ringer (University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana):
"Education Through Music: The Dream and the Reality"
2001
Anthony Seeger (University of California at Los Angeles):
"Changing Lives with Recorded Sound: Recordings and Profound Musical Experiences"
2002
Dorothy Payne (University of South Carolina):
"In Praise of Mentors"
2003
Gunther Schuller (Newton Centre, Massachusetts):
"Are We Doing Enough for Good Music?"
2004
Tim Page (Washington, D.C.):
"Deadline? The Fall and Rise of Classical Music Criticism"
2005
Christopher Waterman (University of California-Los Angeles):
"The Shock of the Familiar: Hearing Ourselves in Others' Voices"
2006
Judith Lang Zaimont (University of Minnesota-Minneapolis):
"Imaging the Composer Today"
2007
Robert J. Werner (University of Cincinnati):
"The College Music Society—A Distinguished History: A Challenging Future"
2008
Samuel A. Floyd, Jr. (Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College):
"Ruminations on the Center for Black Music Research and the Profession at-Large"
2009
Lawrence Kramer (Fordham University):
"Classical Music and the Posthuman Condition"
2010
David E. Myers (University of Minnesota–Twin Cities):
"Music and the Public Good: Can Higher Education Fulfill the Challenges and Opportunities of the 21st Century?"
2011
Ben Cameron (Doris Duke Charitable Foundation):
“Cultural Responses to Economic Challenges: New Answers to Old Questions”
2012
Joe Lamond (National Association of Music Merchants):
“Creative Convergence – Music and Commerce: Celebrating a Shared Mission, Exploring Collaboration”
2013
Joan Tower (Independent Composer):
“Developing a Composition Voice”
2014
Nick Spitzer (Tulane University):
“Rolling on a River of Sound: Making American Routes along the Mississippi”
2015
Daniel Sheehy (Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage):
“Great Music, Great Stories: Tales of Excellence and Equity from Off the Beaten Path”
2016
David H. Stull (San Francisco Conservatory of Music):
“Manufacturing the Future of Music: Can We End Our Love Affair with Crisis?”
2017
José Antonio Bowen (Goucher College):
“Technology, The Liberal Arts and the New Learning Economy: Creating a Climate that Supports Student Development”
2018
Carolyn Calloway-Thomas (Indiana University)
“The Otherness of the Other: Diversity, Tribalism, and Empathy”
2019
Carmen-Helena Téllez (University of Notre Dame):
"Interdisciplinary Modes of Presentation as Vehicles for Diversity and Inclusion in Contemporary Classical Music"
2020
Tania León (Independent Composer)
"A Conversation"
1995
Fred Hofstetter (University of Delaware):
"Using Multimedia to Bring Reality of the Virtual Classroom"
1996
Jonathan Berger (Yale University Center for Studies in Music Technology):
"Connected to What?"
1997
Morton Subotnik (California Institute of the Arts):
"The Challenge of Interactive Media"
1998
Joel Chadabe (State University of New York, Albany):
"Resources and Results"
1999
Alexandra Walsh (Recording Industry Association of America):
"Technological Innovations and the On-Line Musical Marketplace"
2000
Tod Machover (Massachusetts Institute of Technology):
"Technology and Future Music Education"
2001
Tony Isaacs (Indian House Records):
"Technology and Music—Who's in the Driver's Seat?"
2002
Libby Larsen:
"The New Face of Composition"
2003
Robert Winter (University of California, Los Angeles):
"Which Came First—The Chicken or the Egg?: Content and Technology in the Digital Age"
2004
Tod Machover (Massachusetts Institute of Technology):
"Beyond Hi-Tech"
2005
Ann Blombach (The Ohio State University), Michael Arenson (University of Delaware), and David B. Williams (Illinois State University):
"Vignettes from ATMI's Thirty Years: The Little Organization That Could!"
2006
Henry Panion III (University of Alabama at Birmingham):
"A Tale Of Two Cities: The Use of Music Technology in the Classroom and the Music Profession"
2007
Gil Weinberg (Georgia Institute of Technology):
“Extending the Musical Experience–From the Physical to the Digital and Back”
2008
Pauline Oliveros (Deep Listening Institute):
"Telematics: An Expanded Venue for Performance and Education"
2009
Roger B. Dannenberg (Carnegie Mellon University):
"The Music Technology Revolution"
2010
Elaine Chew (University of Southern California):
De-mystifying Music and Its Performance through Science and Technology
2011
Douglas Irving Repetto (Columbia University):
"Doing it Wrong: The Value of Creative Research"
2012
David Cope (University of California-Santa Cruz):
"On Teaching Musical Style"
2013
Mitchel Resnick (MIT Lifelong Kindergarten Group):
"Lifelong Kindergarten: Imagine, Create, Play, Share"
2014
R. Keith Sawyer (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill):
"Group Creativity: Musical Performance and Collaboration"
2015
Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky):
"The Imaginary App"
2016
Jay LeBoeuf (Real Industry):
"Careers in Music Technology"
2017
Alexander Chen (Google Creative Lab):
"Seeing Music"
2018
Kylie Peppler
"Young People, Technology, and Music Making Today"
2019
Laura Escudé
"The Art of Designing a Live Show'
2020
Joseph Abbati (University of Miami)
"The Game Has Already Changed: What Are the Primary Technology Issues a Music School Should Be Addressing?"