25th International Conference “Principles of Music Composing: Phenomenon of Synthesis”, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis. November 12–14, 2025, Vilnius.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Prof. MICHAEL FINNISSY (Composer, Emeritus Professor of Music, University of Southampton (UK) Fellow of the Royal College of Music (London)).

Synthesis (Greek: Σύνθεσις—the act of placing together, the composition of a whole) is a cornerstone of any creative process or its result. This theme aims not only to encourage the exploration of the interdisciplinary interactions and their musical potentials, but also to echo the genius of the creative syntheses of the remarkable Lithuanian artist M. K. Čiurlionis on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth. This event concludes the triptych of recent conferences: the 23rd conference examined the interaction between the national and the global, the 24th one was dedicated to the ethnicity and modernity, while the 25th one invites us to delve deeper into synthesis as a phenomenon, in depths of which lie ingenious creative solutions. The latter include various, often multifaceted syntheses: ethnic, cultural, artistic, technological, ideological, etc. The task of the creator is to find that delicate balance between seemingly incompatible fields of different origins, in order to facilitate the existence of a new organic whole.

Suggested subthemes:
• Synthesis as a source of creativity: theoretical, historical, philosophical insights
• Syntheses and interactions of ethnic and cultural aspects in compositional practice
• Syntheses of the arts and their varieties in musical practice: synthesis, syncretism, interaction etc.
• Absorption and realization of different spheres in compositional practice: sound painting, illustrative, programmatic, concrete music, conceptual art, sound art, multimedia, etc.
• Synthesis—a key factor in Čiurlionis' genius? The interaction of different fields, arts, and cultural realities in Čiurlionis's works.

Paper proposals (abstract of the presentation and a short biography) must be sent to the email: pmc.lmta@gmail.com. Annotation must not exceed 500 words. The approximate duration of the presentation is 20–25 min.

The deadline for submitting the proposal is September 1, 2025. All proposals will be evaluated by the scholarly committee. All applicants will be informed about the committee’s decision by September 20.

The conference will be held in English. The participants will be given an option to present online.

Participation fee* (only once selected by the scholarly committee): 
in person – 30 €; 
online – 50 €. 
*If you are not able to pay the participation fee, please contact us for the waiver.

Disclaimer: Due to an ongoing geopolitical situation, we do not accept proposals from scholars associated with institutions of Russia or Belarus.

All participants of the conference will have an opportunity to submit a paper for the annual peer-reviewed journal ‘Principles of Music Composing’.

Scholarly committee of the conference: 
Prof. Dr. Rimantas Janeliauskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre) 
Prof. Dr. Antanas Kučinskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre) 
Prof. Dr. Mārtiņš Viļums (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre) 
Assoc. prof. Dr. Marius Baranauskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre) 
Prof. Dr. Pavel Puşcaş (Music Academy Cluj-Napoca, Romania) 
Prof. Miloš Zatkalik (University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia) 
Prof. Roger Redgate (Goldsmiths, University of London, England) 
Dr. Bert Van Herck (New England Conservatory of Music, USA) 
Dr. Jānis Petraškevičs (Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Latvia) 
Dr. Martin Vishnick (United Kingdom.)

Coordinators of the conference:
Assoc. prof. Dr. Marius Baranauskas 
Dr. Andrius Maslekovas

The conference is organized by the Lithuanian Composers' Union and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.