Red Strains: Music and Communism

Red Strains: Music and Communism outside the Communist Bloc after 1945
The British Academy, London
Thursday 13 January – Saturday 15 January 2011

Proposals are invited for this conference, to be held in January 2011 at the British Academy in London.

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.

Further details on conference themes and format of proposals:
[url]http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/music/communism[/url]