The relationship between state communism and music behind the Iron Curtain has been the subject of much scholarly interest. The importance of communism for musicians outside the communist bloc, by contrast, has received little sustained attention. This conference aims to examine:
- the nature and extent of individual musicians' involvement with communist organisations and parties;
- the appeal and reach of different strands of communist thought (e.g. Trotskyist; Castroist; Maoist);
- the significance of music for communist parties and groups (e.g. groups’ cultural policies; use of music in rallies and meetings);
- the consequences of communist involvement for composition and music-making;
- how this involvement affected musicians' careers and performance opportunities in different countries.
Details of the conference programme may be found here.
Conference Organiser: Robert Adlington (University of Nottingham)
Programme Committee: Robert Adlington, Eric Drott (University of Texas, Austin), Beate Kutschke (Berlin), Ben Piekut (University of Southampton)
