26th International Conference Principles of Music Composing: Interaction between Technologies and Conventions. November 18–20, 2026, Vilnius, Lithuania. Special guest: Prof. Panayiotis Kokoras, University of North Texas, US.

The commodification of technology is arguably the most important sociocultural phenomenon of the 21st century. The ease of access has woven advanced technology into our daily lives, reshaping our society and, consequently, our way of thought. Composition, being a representation of all this, was not only affected, but became a vanguard of technological innovations. Various technological tools and processes that derive from them (acoustic analysis, sound synthesis, recordings, audio engineering, electronic modifications of acoustic sound and acoustic instruments, etc.) have become an integral part of our creative practice. In addition, our knowledge about sound, its nature, modification possibilities, and historical contexts is constantly growing and influencing our musical consciousness. How do this knowledge and technological tools affect the processes of music composition? What opportunities, challenges, and paradigms of thinking do they open, or even impose on us? How is the role of the composer changing in the era of technology and artificial intelligence? 

Yet, alongside technological innovations, remain conventions—deeply rooted aesthetic, stylistic, cultural, and academic norms that have formed over a long time of cultural, stylistic and technical evolution of music. Musical conventions (compositional principles techniques and norms of Western music) and modern technologies (directly related to both the development of electronic music, as well as compositional and performative practices of acoustic music) are interpreted here as inseparable factors, the interaction of which forms new principles of music composition. The conference invites us to explore the interaction of technological innovations and musical conventions, discover their possible tensions and syntheses, and reveal the challenges and opportunities arising from it, allowing us to take a new look at aesthetic, cultural, national and other contexts and to form new identities.

Suggested sub-themes:

1. The interaction of modern technologies and musical conventions as a paradigm of contemporary music composition: theoretical, historical, philosophical insights.
2. Types of interaction between modern technologies and conventions: socio-cultural level, creative process, aspects of the structure and technique of the work, music production, reproduction, and reception.
3. Interaction between modern technologies and conventions in relation to different sound parameters: aspects of pitch, duration, timbre, loudness, etc.
4. The influence of digital and analogue sound processes on composition processes (sound synthesis, sound recordings, sound engineering, etc.).
5. The influence of non-musical technologies on composition processes (artificial intelligence, social media, multimedia, electronic devices, DIY practices, etc.).
6. Realization of the interaction between technologies and conventions in creative practice: theoretical and practical aspects.
7. The significance of the interaction between modern technologies and musical traditions for the dissemination of cultural, national, ethnic musical features and identities.

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 12, 2026. All proposals will be evaluated by the scholarly committee, and all applicants will be informed of the committee’s decision by the end of September.

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 a 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’.

Organizers: Lithuanian Composers’ Union, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Sponsored by: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality.

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.