Rochester Reporter

Eastman School of Music, at the University of Rochester, is proud to announce that it will host the inaugural Context Conference 2023: 

Contextualizing Equity and Inclusion in Music on November 3-4, 2023, in Rochester, NY. 

Conference Host Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle, Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion at Eastman, along with Dr. Lisa Beckley-Roberts, Chair and Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at Jackson State University, are the keynote speakers. The two-day conference will include breakout group sessions, pre-concert receptions, two performances, and more.

This conference is for everyone who values conversations around equity and inclusion in music with the goal of making real, holistic progress at their institution or arts organization: from students who want to create space for repertoire by underrepresented composers to staff members wanting a more equitable and inclusive work environment to faculty seeking tools to incorporate this work into their classrooms, studios and mentorships.

“The dream of hosting a conference such as this has been percolating in me for some time now,” shares Dr. Sellers Battle. “We often talk about the concepts around equity and inclusion in higher education, but for a variety of reasons — from scarcity of resources to lack of support from colleagues – we are often unable to practice these ideas at our institutions.” She continues, “It is my hope that this conference will move beyond the talk and drive us toward true and unique implementation for each of our organizations.”

Jamal J. Rossi, Joan and Martin Messinger Dean of the Eastman School of Music, adds, “The past few years have been rich with initiatives to study, perform and explore music outside of traditional boundaries. Eastman is excited about bringing together colleagues who are passionate about implementing meaningful and sustained change.”

Conversations will be framed around the following five areas:

• Classroom Innovation
• Curriculum Shift
• Ensemble & Applied Area Repertoire and Performance Practice
• Community Engagement
• Recruitment and Retention

Dr. Beckley-Roberts is thrilled to be involved with the conference: “This will be an opportunity to share and learn not only theories, but ways of doing the real work of equity and inclusion in our music programs. The work is hard but necessary and we ALL have to do it. Being from an HBCU, I’ve realized that none of our institutions are excluded from the honest reflection and mindful actions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). This conference will provide opportunities for us to share the tools of the work, offer support for it, and learn from one another.”

Currently, the conference is soliciting proposals for sessions. These sessions can be any format such as panel discussions, lecture-recitals and/or presentations framed around the topics listed above. Proposals may be submitted online through the conference website. Submissions are due March 17, 2023.  Registration will not go live until April 2023.

To submit a proposal and learn more about the conference, as well as registration costs and fees, please visit the full Context Conference Website online.

Media only: 

Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content, 

(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu

Original source can be found here.