We’re pleased to share the provisional programme for the SMA Theory and Analysis Graduate symposium to be held at Royal Holloway at the end of this month. You can find the provisional programme and registration link here:
The symposium will be held in our Wettons Terrace building (campus map here: https://intranet.royalholloway.ac.uk/aboutus/documents/pdf/locationmap/campusplan.pdf [intranet.royalholloway.ac.uk])
Registration is available via this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfQQ1WYUJJty1uJzzTdWYfmnEzBt11IDlZTy1pud1M0mL3S3A/viewform?usp=header [docs.google.com]
Please note that registration is FREE for SMA members. If you are not a member, there will be a registration fee of £20. Please note that student membership of the SMA costs just £20, so it would be in your interest to join the society and so gain free registration, along with all the other benefits of membership. Full details are available here: https://www.sma.ac.uk/join/ [sma.ac.uk]
Non-members can pay the registration fee here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sma-theory-and-analysis-graduate-students-tags-conference-tickets-1338500092809?aff=oddtdtcreator [eventbrite.co.uk]
In terms of catering, we will be providing teas/coffees/biscuits during coffee breaks, but attendees will be sourcing their own lunches and dinners. There are several options for food on our campus.
Travel
Train: Egham train station is on the main line out from London Waterloo, and is a c. 25 minute walk to the music department building.
Plane: If you are travelling internationally, our nearest airport is London Heathrow, with bus or taxi services to take you to Egham.
Road: There is very limited guest parking available on our campus, and I would encourage you to use public transport to get to the symposium wherever possible. If you need to drive, please let me know your car details for me to add them to our guest parking system (I will need car registration plate, car make and model, and colour).
Accommodation
In terms of accommodation, Egham has several options.
1) located in the middle of the Royal Holloway Egham campus, there is the Hub guesthouse: https://venue.royalholloway.ac.uk/accommodation/types/hub-guest-house/ [venue.royalholloway.ac.uk]
2) located in Egham Town itself, about a 20 minute walk or short bus ride, there is the Egham travel lodge: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/588/Egham-hotel [travelodge.co.uk]
Both offer affordable rates and are within easy walking distance of our campus and our music department.
The Society for Music Analysis’s annual Theory and Analysis Graduate Students (TAGS) Conference will be hosted at the Department of Music, Royal Holloway, University of London, on Wednesday 30 April and Thursday 1 May, 2025. The event provides a supportive and friendly environment in which postgraduates (and undergraduates) can gain experience in presenting their work and meet fellow researchers. The conference offers opportunities for career development and networking in a relaxed atmosphere (including an evening music theory ‘pub quiz’ social), as well as options to meet with and receive feedback from SMA Trustees and Ex-Trustees. Participants who do not wish to give a paper are also very welcome to attend.
We’re thrilled to announce that the conference will feature two keynotes: one by Dr Nicole Grimes (Trinity College Dublin), and another by Dr Oliver Chandler (University of Oxford). Each of them will also deliver a workshop including skills for early-career researchers considering an academic career.
The conference will take place in Royal Holloway’s picturesque Egham campus, set in 135 acres of woodland. We will use the Music Department’s Wettons Terrace as our venue, an 1820s Victorian terrace building with state-of-the-art facilities. There are numerous accommodation options in and around the Egham campus, and Egham itself is a 40-minute journey from London Waterloo station.
The SMA is an international organisation based in the UK and applications from outside the UK are strongly welcomed. The SMA offers Travel Grants for student and early-career members (https://www.sma.ac.uk/grants/travel/) and members are also invited to consider applying for the Music Analysis development fund (https://www.sma.ac.uk/grants/development/)
Conference Committee:
Dr Daniel Elphick (Chair)
Dr Esther Cavett (SMA Trustee)
Dr Oliver Chandler (SMA Trustee)
Prof. Stephen Downes
Dr Christopher Tarrant (SMA President)