Conferences CALL FOR PAPERS Voicing Innocence: Trauma, Memory, and Contemporary Opera in the Work of Kaija Saariaho A Conference Convened by The Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation The Graduate Center, City University of New York In Conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera’s 2026 Staging of Innocence Location: The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY) Dates: April 7–8, 2026 Proposal Deadline: January 5, 2026 The Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation invites proposals for a conference inspired by the 2026 Metropolitan Opera premiere of Innocence (2021), the final opera by the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. The conference coincides with the Metropolitan Opera’s presentation of Simon Stone’s original production that premiered at Aix-en-Provence in 2021. This momentous staging provides an opportunity to engage with Saariaho’s innovative compositional voice and the complex thematic landscape of Innocence, an opera that confronts trauma, cultural memory, multilingualism, and the limits of forgiveness. Topics: We welcome proposals that examine Innocence and adjacent topics across the fields of musicology, opera studies, trauma studies, cultural theory, performance studies, and beyond. Saariaho’s Operatic Vision – Analytical, aesthetic, and dramaturgical readings of Innocence – Innocence in the context of Saariaho’s complete operatic output – Saariaho’s musical language and its evolution: Saariaho’s musical language and its evolution: spectralism, electronics, and orchestration – Collaboration with librettists Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière, and transdisciplinary practice – The intersection of Finnish and international opera traditions Trauma, Silence, and Voice in Contemporary Opera – Representations of violence, terrorism, and collective trauma – Memory, testimony, and witnessing in operatic narrative – Ethical considerations in staging real-world violence – Opera as memorial or commemorative practice Musical and Dramatic Innovation – Extended vocal techniques and vocal diversity in contemporary opera – Multilingual opera and linguistic multiplicity – Non-linear narrative structures and temporal manipulation – The role of folk traditions in art music contexts Production and Reception – Staging trauma: ethics and audience reception – Simon Stone’s production design and directorial approach – Critical reception and audience responses across productions – Posthumous premieres and the politics of legacy Broader Contexts – Gender, authorship, and the legacy of women in 21st-century opera – Comparative approaches: Innocence alongside operas by Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, Missy Mazzoli, etc. – Finnish cultural identity and global operatic networks – Contemporary opera and social justice- Opera after catastrophe: 21st-century opera and global crisis We encourage proposals from scholars at all career stages and welcome interdisciplinary submissions from practitioners, composers, directors, and artists whose work intersects with the themes of the conference. Submission Guidelines: Please submit the following as a single PDF: – Title of paper or presentation – Abstract (300–350 words) – Short bio (150 words) – Institutional affiliation – Contact information Submissions should be sent to cmrd@gc.cuny.edu with the subject line: Innocence Conference Proposal. Deadline for submissions: January 5, 2026 Notification of acceptance: January 30, 2026 Conference Format: The event envisions academic panels, roundtables, and artist talks. Select sessions will be scheduled in coordination with the Metropolitan Opera’s performances of Innocence. Further details will follow in early 2026. Music, Sound, and Antisemitism This symposium is co-organized with The Jewish Music Forum and The American Society for Jewish Music. It takes place in two parts.28–29 May 2025 (Center for Jewish History, New York)4–5 June 2025 (Zoom)For registration for both parts, visit https://yivo.org/music-sound-and-antisemitism. See also Music, Sound, and Antisemitism Program. Music, Migration, and the Exchange of Knowledge: Spain – North America – Latin America New York22–23 April 2025The CUNY Graduate Center This New York symposium is the second part of a bicontinental symposium, with the first part in Barcelona at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans on 28–29 November 2024. For further information and the program, visit https://sites.google.com/view/bicontinentalsymposium/home