Formal Theory Study Group DubMAC Study Day

July 16 2026, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Long Room Hub

The SMA’s Formal Theory Study Group is pleased to announce its annual study day, to be held on Thursday, July 16 2026 at Trinity College Dublin immediately after the annual conference, DubMAC. The study day will feature an analytical roundtable on Balakirev’s First Symphony alongside workshops by the keynote speakers. We are particularly excited to introduce a new format this year, with parallel workshops for both students and academics alike. The study day will proceed as follows:

• 9:30: Student Workshop with Anne Hyland, “Schubert’s Off-Tonic Recapitulatory Strategies: A Typological Exploration,” or Academic Workshop with William Caplin, “The influence of fantasy elements on some piano sonatas by Beethoven.”
• 11: Break
• 11:30: Formal Dialogues VI featuring Julian Horton, Rajan Lal, Caitlin Martinkus, Sam Reenan, and Benedict Taylor. An orchestral score of the symphony’s first movement, with bar numbers, is accessible here.
• 1:30: Close

All are welcome at the formal dialogues session, but registration is essential for the workshops. To enable participation and interaction, each workshop will be limited to 15 participants, allocated on a random basis. Those not chosen will be placed on a waitlist, so if you are no longer able to participate in the workshop, please let us know as soon as possible. While the academic workshop is for anyone holding a PhD, ECRs within 3 years of completion may be allocated to either workshop, depending on space and preference.

Please register for a workshop by June 1 using the following form: https://forms.gle/pWsvTbuPnEKPVpFm8 

Attending the study day is free, but participants should be SMA members (standard membership £45, student membership £20). Participants will be expected to pay for their own travel, but may be eligible to apply for an SMA bursary to support their costs. 

If you have any questions, please contact ftsg@sma.ac.uk