Abstracts of the Resonance Annual Conference 2026: The Next Decade of Music

This abstract collection records the conference abstracts and extended abstracts presented at the Resonance Annual Conference 2026, convened online under the theme “The Next Decade of Music.” The conference brought together researchers, educators, and independent scholars to examine how musical practices, analytical frameworks, and educational approaches are evolving in response to technological change and broader social and cultural transformations. The collection reflects a diverse set of research concerns, including the use of artificial intelligence in audiovisual music creation, algorithmic aesthetics and global cultural circulation, contemporary popular music and identity formation, micro-sociological approaches to opera and performance, media-mediated listening and urban music consumption, and the changing social functions of higher music education. It also highlights questions of equity and access, including discussions of digitally enabled models for rural music education. Published as part of a special issue of Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies, the texts included here are conference abstracts or extended abstracts derived from oral presentations. They are intended to support scholarly exchange and to document current conversations and emerging directions in global music studies. The materials in this collection have not undergone full peer review and should not be interpreted as full-length research articles. Rather, they provide an accessible record of the conference programme and encourage the subsequent development of presentations into formal journal submissions.