2026 Great Lakes Chapter Conference

Conference Locations

• Shryock Auditorium – Conference check-in (terracotta roof)
• Altgeld Hall – “The Castle,” adjacent to Shryock
• OBF Recital Hall – Across the street from Altgeld

Hotel Information

Holiday Inn - Carbondale

Booking Link: CMS Great Lakes Conference
Block Code: CMS
QR Code:

Holiday Inn in Murphysboro 

Reservation Link

Parking & Campus Navigation

Campus parking map and regulations (PDF) »

Map Legend

• Red circles indicate the School of Music buildings that will be used for the conference.
• Blue areas indicate faculty/staff parking. Conference attendees may park in these areas only with a $4 daily visitor pass (cash only), available at conference check-in.
• Yellow markings indicate paid street parking near the School of Music (not a parking lot). Payment is made at nearby kiosks using a card.
• Green circles mark nearby food and coffee locations, including Morris Library Café and the Student Center.

Food & Coffee

Complimentary coffee, tea, and light snacks will be available during the conference. Water and soda will also be available for purchase in Shryock.

Walking distance dining: Harbaugh’s Café; Quatro’s Pizza; Underground Public House; Blend (tea & crepes); Jimmy John’s; Bombay Olive. The Branch (Saturday lunch caterer) is a 3-minute drive from campus.

Transportation

Marion, IL (MWA): Approximately 20 minutes from campus; Contour Airlines from Chicago O’Hare.
St. Louis (STL): Over 2 hours by car; renting a car is recommended.
Chicago: Amtrak to Carbondale or Contour flight to Marion.
Memphis/Nashville: About 3.5 hours by car; limited public transit.

About Southern Illinois

Southern Illinois—often called “Little Egypt”—is known for rolling hills, forests, and scenic landscapes. Popular attractions include Shawnee National Forest, Garden of the Gods, Giant City State Park, local wineries, historic sites, and cultural events.

1. We highly encourage students to submit scores and/or proposals. If you are a CMS student member, you will have the opportunity to be considered for the following three Student Awards: Outstanding Student Composition Award, Outstanding Student Presentation Award for a paper or lecture recital presentation, and Outstanding Student Performance Award for a stand-alone performance or showcase performance.
   
   To be eligible for these awards, if your score/proposal gets accepted, you must participate in person at the conference as a composer/presenter/performer.

2. We also offer Student Travel Support for CMS student members* who submit the application form and attend the conference in person. Please click the link above for instructions and the application form.
   
   

   *Exception: Student members of the hosting institution are not eligible for Student Travel Support.

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025

The Great Lakes chapter of The College Music Society will hold its 43rd Conference April 17-18, 2026, at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

The Program Committee welcomes proposals for lecture-recitals and performances relating to all aspects of music creation, performance, scholarship, teaching, learning, career considerations, and other areas of interest to the music professional. The Committee invites the broadest representation from the music profession and its interests, and welcomes proposals from students, faculty, retirees, and independent musicians from all educational and professional settings.

The Program Committee particularly encourages proposals that relate to the CMS Common Topic of “Grow, Create, Lead.”

CONSIDERATIONS

• Lecture Recitals are presentations of research or a significant discovery. These are spoken presentations with a significant performance component but may include audiovisual elements and/or time for Q&A. This is not the place to merely summarize someone’s life and then play their music, though showing how biography influences one’s art is entirely appropriate. Lecture Recitals are limited to 25 minutes; a good rubric would be a 15-minute spoken presentation/demonstration, followed by a 10-minute performance.
• Performances will be in two categories:
• 25-minute performance of a single work or multiple works/movements equaling that length but allowing time for set-up and tear-down. This is intended to be a mini-recital and the proposed pieces should be matched purposefully. Brief comments can be made during the performance but not lengthy statements.
• 10-minute performance of a single or multiple works/movements equaling that length. These performances will be a part of a potpourri recital and are intended to allow for a broader cross section of performers, instruments, styles.

ELIGIBILITY

• The Primary proposer must be a current member of The College Music Society. Persons interested in submitting a proposal should check their membership status well in advance of the submission deadline. Please note the processing time for membership applications and/or renewals is 1-2 business days.
• It is not necessary for co-presenters to be current members at the time of submission; however, if invited to the program, every person involved in the presentation must join CMS.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & PARTICIPATION POLICY

• Each member may submit a maximum of 2 proposal(s) in response to this Call.
• Each member may submit a maximum of 2 proposal(s) to all calls for this conference.
• Each member may be added by others as a co-presenter (e.g., panelist or accompanist) to a maximum of 2 proposals.
• The maximum number of presentations in which a member may be involved on the conference program is 2. If more than two proposals involving the same member are accepted – regardless of whether the member submitted the proposal or was added another member’s proposal – the individual in question must choose in which two presentations they will participate.
• Prior to submission, proposers must communicate with all co-presenters regarding their interest and availability. Proposals not listing all participants will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.
• All persons whose work is selected for inclusion on the program are expected to register for and attend the full conference. If the proposal is accepted, proposers will be asked to communicate with all participants in the presentation to ensure their registration by the end of the calendar year. At its discretion, the Program Committee may exempt from the membership and registration fee requirements specific individuals, such as invited speakers or guest panelists who are non-music professionals. It is the responsibility of the individual who submits the proposal to, upon acceptance, make conference planners aware of all non-music professionals involved in their presentation and to request such an exemption.
• Proposers agree to present on any day of the conference should their proposal be accepted.
• The College Music Society does not fund travel expenses of accepted presenters. However, some student travel support is available through an application process from the CMS Great Lakes Chapter.
• Proposers must submit their own work and may not submit proposals on behalf of their students or others.
• Proposals of a commercial nature that promote products or services will not be considered.

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS

• Electronic submissions are required. Proposals sent by mail will not be considered.
• To support the blind review process, the name(s) or affiliation(s) of anyone involved in the presentation should not appear in the title or abstract, nor in the file names or body of submitted supplementary materials, as submissions are evaluated anonymously. Proposals identifying the proposer or co-presenters will be disqualified. Names and affiliations may, however, appear in the “Personnel” section of the proposal and in submitted biographies, as the review committee will not have access to this part of the application.
• The College Music Society's conference submission process is powered by Submittable. To submit a proposal, please (1) log in to the CMS members-only website using your user name and password and then (2) click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of this call. You will be directed to Submittable to complete your proposal. If you don't already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to establish one. (Visit this page for help using Submittable and to view a list of Frequently Asked Questions.)
• A complete proposal includes:
  1. The proposal’s title.
  2. An abstract of 250 words or less.
  3. A 1-2 minute recording sample demonstrating the performer’s abilities. A sample of the proposed music is preferred but something of similar style/difficulty is acceptable.
  4. A list of required equipment and audio-visual needs.
  5. A biography of the proposer and each co-presenter, if applicable (250-word maximum per person).
  6. Contact details for all personnel involved in the presentation, including an email address, mailing address, and phone number for each person, as well as an institutional affiliation, if applicable.
  7. Optional: You may add up to 3 supporting materials to your proposal. These might include printed music examples, photos, statistics, or relevant data. Do not include lengthy documents, dissertations, CVs, resumes, or PowerPoint presentations. Neither file names nor uploaded materials should identify the proposer or any collaborators.
• When referencing one’s own previously published research, the proposer should refer to such research in the third person to avoid identifying themselves. For example, hypothetical proposal submitter D. Graham should write, “D. Graham’s article, ‘XYZ,’ summarizes pertinent issues,” instead of writing, “My article, ‘XYZ,’ summarizes pertinent issues.” The wording in the first example protects the anonymity of the author, while the second compromises the author’s anonymity by linking the author of the proposal to previously published work by a named author.
• Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines will not be considered.

TIMELINE

• Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
• It is the intention that all proposers will be notified by Sunday, November 30, 2025.

QUESTIONS?

Questions regarding this call should be directed to:

Zachary Klobnak, [email protected]
Program Chair, 2026 CMS-Great Lakes Conference

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025

The Great Lakes chapter of The College Music Society will hold its 43rd Conference April 17-18, 2026, at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

The Program Committee welcomes proposals for demonstrations, discussion forums, panels, scholarly research papers, posters, and workshops relating to all aspects of music creation, performance, scholarship, teaching, learning, career considerations, and other areas of interest to the music professional. The Committee invites the broadest representation from the music profession and its interests, and welcomes proposals from students, faculty, retirees, and independent musicians from all educational and professional settings.

The Program Committee particularly encourages proposals that relate to the CMS Common Topic of “Grow, Create, Lead.”

CONSIDERATIONS

• Demonstrations enable conference attendees to learn about methods, resources, or tools, and differ from workshops in that they are not interactive. Demonstrations are limited to 25 minutes.
• Discussion Forums create a venue for attendees to interact and discuss specific topics related to the profession. While moderated, most of the information and knowledge sharing is generated by the audience rather than the presenter. Forums are less formal than speaker-led presentations. Discussion Forums are limited to 55 minutes.
• Panels provide an opportunity to examine a topic in depth. A panel comprises at least two panelists and is facilitated by a moderator. The moderator may either engage panelists with curated questions or may provide initial remarks before inviting each panelist to share their perspective within a pre-established time frame. Panels might conclude with an audience Q&A session, a summation of key points, and acknowledgements. Panels are limited to 55 minutes.
• Papers are presentations of research or a significant discovery. These are spoken presentations but may include audio-visual elements and/or time for Q&A. Papers are limited to 25 minutes.
• Posters present an idea or project via a compelling visual display. Time will be scheduled during the conference for poster presenters to interact with attendees regarding their research.
• Workshops enable conference attendees to learn about specific methods, tools, resources, or projects through hands-on interaction, and are generally designed to teach something or develop a specific skill, or set of skills, rather than present original research.

ELIGIBILITY

• The Primary proposer must be a current member of The College Music Society. Persons interested in submitting a proposal should check their membership status well in advance of the submission deadline. Please note the processing time for membership applications and/or renewals is 1-2 business days.
• It is not necessary for co-presenters to be current members at the time of submission; however, if invited to the program, every person involved in the presentation must join CMS.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & PARTICIPATION POLICY

• Each member may submit a maximum of 2 proposal(s) in response to this Call.
• Each member may submit a maximum of 2 proposal(s) to all calls for this conference.
• Each member may be added by others as a co-presenter (e.g., panelist or accompanist) to a maximum of 2 proposals.
• The maximum number of presentations in which a member may be involved on the conference program is 2. If more than two proposals involving the same member are accepted – regardless of whether the member submitted the proposal or was added another member’s proposal – the individual in question must choose in which two presentations they will participate.
• Prior to submission, proposers must communicate with all co-presenters regarding their interest and availability. Proposals not listing all participants will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.
• All persons whose work is selected for inclusion on the program are expected to register for and attend the full conference. If the proposal is accepted, proposers will be asked to communicate with all participants in the presentation to ensure their registration by the end of the calendar year. At its discretion, the Program Committee may exempt from the membership and registration fee requirements specific individuals, such as invited speakers or guest panelists who are non-music professionals. It is the responsibility of the individual who submits the proposal to, upon acceptance, make conference planners aware of all non-music professionals involved in their presentation and to request such an exemption.
• Proposers agree to present on any day of the conference should their proposal be accepted.
• The College Music Society does not fund travel expenses of accepted presenters. However, some student travel support is available through an application process from the CMS Great Lakes Chapter.
• Proposers must submit their own work and may not submit proposals on behalf of their students or others.
• Proposals of a commercial nature that promote products or services will not be considered.

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS

• Electronic submissions are required. Proposals sent by mail will not be considered.
• To support the blind review process, the name(s) or affiliation(s) of anyone involved in the presentation should not appear in the title or abstract, nor in the file names or body of submitted supplementary materials, as submissions are evaluated anonymously. Proposals identifying the proposer or co-presenters will be disqualified. Names and affiliations may, however, appear in the “Personnel” section of the proposal and in submitted biographies, as the review committee will not have access to this part of the application.
• The College Music Society's conference submission process is powered by Submittable. To submit a proposal, please (1) log in to the CMS members-only website using your user name and password and then (2) click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of this call. You will be directed to Submittable to complete your proposal. If you don't already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to establish one. (Visit this page for help using Submittable and to view a list of Frequently Asked Questions.)
• A complete proposal includes:
  1. The proposal’s title.
  2. An abstract of 250 words or less.
  3. A list of required equipment and audio-visual needs.
  4. A biography of the proposer and each co-presenter, if applicable (250-word maximum per person).
  5. Contact details for all personnel involved in the presentation, including an email address, mailing address, and phone number for each person, as well as an institutional affiliation, if applicable.
  6. Optional: You may add up to 3 supporting materials to your proposal. These might include printed music examples, photos, statistics, or relevant data. Do not include lengthy documents, dissertations, CVs, resumes, or PowerPoint presentations. Neither file names nor uploaded materials should identify the proposer or any collaborators.
• When referencing one’s own previously published research, the proposer should refer to such research in the third person to avoid identifying themselves. For example, hypothetical proposal submitter D. Graham should write, “D. Graham’s article, ‘XYZ,’ summarizes pertinent issues,” instead of writing, “My article, ‘XYZ,’ summarizes pertinent issues.” The wording in the first example protects the anonymity of the author, while the second compromises the author’s anonymity by linking the author of the proposal to previously published work by a named author.
• Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines will not be considered.

TIMELINE

• Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
• It is the intention that all proposers will be notified by Sunday, November 30, 2025.

QUESTIONS?

Questions regarding this call should be directed to:

Zachary Klobnak, [email protected]
Program Chair, 2026 CMS-Great Lakes Conference

Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025

The Great Lakes chapter of The College Music Society will hold its 43rd Conference April 17-18, 2026, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois.

The Program Committee welcomes submissions of original works to be performed during one of the two concerts during the conference (one Friday, one Saturday). There are three categories of submission. 

Category I (Provided Performers)

Composers provide their own performers. Please include performer names and instruments in the submission. Please remember to receive performer commitments before submission. Works should be 10 minutes or less in duration.

Compositions including live or fixed electronics are welcomed. (See below about technical concerns).

Category II (Volunteer Performers)

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is proud to include faculty, staff, and student volunteers from our chamber music and voice department. Submissions are welcome for the following. Works should be 10 minutes or less in duration. 

• Solo Voice (with or without piano accompaniment)
  • Soprano
• Solo Instruments
  • Clarinet
  • Guitar (Classical)
  • Guitar (Jazz)
  • Percussion
  • Piano
  • Trumpet
• Duos 
  • Classical Guitar and Viola Duo
  • Piano Four-Hands
• Ensembles 
  • Brass Quintet
  • Low Brass Ensemble
  • Percussion Ensemble 
  • Trumpet Ensemble

Category III (Electronics)

Electronic submissions of 2-channel fixed media pieces, live audio, or video are also welcomed. Works should be 10 minutes or less in duration. Ease of set-up will be part of the consideration for programming of works.

Electronics – Technical Information

We ask that composers provide as much of their own technology to facilitate presenting their works (ex. their own laptops and audio interfaces). Please contact Dr. Christopher Butler at [email protected][email protected] if there are specific tech questions, and he will be more than happy to clarify what is possible on-site.

“The Committee solicits the broadest representation of our profession and its interests and welcomes submissions from all including those (a) in academia (full-time and adjunct faculty, community college faculty, students, and retired faculty), (b) in the music industry, and (c) active as independent musicians and scholars.” 

SUBMISSIONS should include a maximum of One (1) Anonymous Score. Recordings or MIDI realizations should take care not to include metadata revealing the submitter. If submitting a piece without a score, please include a document outlining the details of the piece – duration, medium, etc.

CONSIDERATIONS

• Proposed works must be 10 minutes or less in duration.
• Composers who will provide their own performers must communicate with their performers prior to submission, regarding their interest and availability. Proposals which do not list all performers will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered. 
• Composers may wish to refer to the online CMS Player’s Roster to locate performers who have volunteered their services for this conference. 
• All composers whose work is selected for inclusion on the program are expected to register for, and attend, the entire conference. Performers on this concert, who may or may not be members of CMS, are not expected to register and attend the conference unless they wish to, but their attendance will be limited to the concert and any rehearsals if they do not register.
• Composers must be willing to have their works performed on any day of the conference should their proposal be accepted.
• Proposers must submit their own work and may not submit proposals on behalf of their students or others.

Student Composition Award

Composers enrolled in a higher education program for the 2025-2026 school year are eligible for the annual Outstanding Student Composition Award. One person will be selected.

$50 Student Conference Travel Support

The College Music Society does not fund travel expenses of accepted presenters. However, some student travel support is available through an application process from the CMS Great Lakes Chapter.

ELIGIBILITY

• Composers must be current members of The College Music Society at the time of submission. Persons interested in submitting a proposal should check their membership status well in advance of the submission deadline. Please note the processing time for membership applications and/or renewals is 1-2 business days.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & PARTICIPATION POLICY

• Each member may submit a maximum of 1 (one) score(s) to this conference. 
• Each member may submit a maximum of 2 proposal(s) to all calls for this conference.

This year, we are particularly interested in poster presentations on the topic of change as it applies to the various activities around music in higher education. We plan to have a reception to highlight these posters and provide an opportunity for discussion among all those in attendance. Do consider a submission in this format. (See the Call for Oral & Poster Presentations for more details.)

• The maximum number of presentations in which a member may be involved on the conference program is 2. If more than two proposals involving the same member are accepted – regardless of whether the member submitted the proposal or was added another member’s proposal – the individual in question must choose which two presentations to make. 

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS

• Electronic submissions are required. Proposals sent by mail will not be considered. 
• The College Music Society's conference submission process is powered by Submittable. To submit a proposal, please (1) log in to the CMS members-only website using your user name and password and then (2) click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of this call. You will be directed to Submittable to complete your proposal. If you don't already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to establish one. (Visit this page for help using Submittable and to view a list of Frequently Asked Questions.)
• A complete proposal includes:
  1. The score’s title, instrumentation, and duration, rounding up to the nearest half minute.
  2. A PDF copy of the full score and individual parts (anonymous). The score may be notated at concert pitch or transposed but the composer is asked to make this clear in the score. Multi-movement scores should be merged into a single PDF file, as should all parts.
  3. A digital recording of the work. MIDI file/software-synthesis realizations are acceptable. Most audio file formats are supported within Submittable.
  4. Program notes (not to exceed 250 words).
  5. A list of required equipment (Internet connections are not guaranteed).
  6. A brief biography of the composer (not to exceed 250 words).
  7. Name of performing ensemble, if applicable.
  8. Biography of ensemble or performer(s) (maximum total text of 250 words). Ensemble biographies may briefly address the achievements of each ensemble member; however, separate biographies of each individual performer are not requested in this case.
  9. Contact details for all performers, including an email address, mailing address, and phone number for each person. If your performance includes 3 or more performers, download this spreadsheet, save the file using your name as the file name (e.g., smith_john.xlsx), and complete the requested information for each involved person. You will be required to upload this completed file with your proposal.

Please note: 

• The name(s) or affiliation(s) of anyone involved in the presentation should not appear on the score or parts, in program notes, or in the file names of submitted audio samples, as submissions are evaluated anonymously. Proposals identifying the composer or collaborators will be disqualified. Names and affiliations may appear in submitted biographies and in the “Performers” section of the proposal, however, as the review committee will not have access to this part of the application.
• Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines will not be considered.

TIMELINE

• Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
• It is the intention that proposers will be notified by Sunday, November 30, 2025.

QUESTIONS?

Questions regarding this call (such as mistakes when submitting on Submittable) should be directed to:

Zachary Klobnak, [email protected]
Program Chair, 2026 CMS-Great Lakes Conference