10th International Conference on Music and Minimalism
The University of Maryland School of Music will host the 10th International Conference on Music and Minimalism May 7–10, 2026, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. The four-day conference will feature keynote lectures by musicologists Anne Searcy and Benjamin Piekut; a concert by and conversation with composer Kali Malone; performances by students and faculty from the University of Maryland's School of Music; a showcase of local experimental music presented by Outside Time; an exhibit and sound installation at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library; and research presentations from visiting scholars and musicians. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to take advantage of the university's location right outside Washington, DC. We look forward to seeing you in College Park in May!
Conference program
Please click here to see the preliminary conference program.
The general public is encouraged to attend any of the concerts presented; attending research presentations requires conference registration
Highlights of the weekend:
Six concerts:
Composer Kali Malone performs her acclaimed album All Life Long on Memorial Chapel’s M.P. Moller Pipe Organ, accompanied by vocalists and brass
A fiftieth-anniversary performance of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians by School of Music students, alongside premieres of new works by UMD composers
Faculty and students from the Voice & Opera Division present excerpts from Meredith Monk’s Atlas, arias by John Adams and Missy Mazzoli, and Julius Eastman’s Prelude To The Holy Presence Of Joan D'Arc
The UMD Wind Orchestra plays John Adams’s Grand Pianola Music and Frederic Rzewski’s Les Moutons de Panurge, as well as a new work by Danny Clay in collaboration with The Living Earth Show
An evening curated by local record label Outside Time, featuring musicians Alma Laprida, Rachel Beetz, and TALsounds
The UMD Percussion Ensemble performs Steve Reich’s Sextet; composer/clarinetist Evan Ziporyn plays Philip Glass’s Best Out of Three; the Atria String Quartet performs Julia Wolfe’s Early That Summer; and Erica Spear and Isabella Grady present a new choreography of Reich’s Vermont Counterpoint
An ongoing sound installation by composer Michael R. Bernstein, featuring homemade instruments controlled by MIDI software
Scholarly presentations:
Keynote lectures by Benjamin Piekut (Cornell), focused on minimalism as an object of historiographical inquiry, and Anne Searcy (University of Washington), on choreographing minimalism
Fifty research papers presented by scholars from around the globe
Four lecture-recitals featuring the music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Alma Laprida, and Laura Cetilia
An exhibit on Philip Glass’s work in Pittsburgh public schools in the 1960s, highlighting materials held in UMD’s Special Collections in the Performing Arts curated by School of Music students
A visit to the Library of Congress’s Music Division to view materials related to minimalist music, including the archival papers of composer John Adams
Please note that conference presentations will take place from the morning of Thursday, May 7 through the morning of Sunday, May 10. Two additional events will take place on Wednesday, May 6: a visit to the Library of Congress Music Division in the afternoon and a performance of Music for 18 Musicians in the evening. The conference will be fully in-person; events will not be recorded or livestreamed.
Registration
Registration for the conference is now open. Please register at this link: https://pci.jotform.com/form/260387939707068
The standard registration fee is $50, and $20 for students. UMD students, faculty, and staff may register at no cost. Online registration closes on Friday, May 2; after this, the in-person registration fee is $75. The registration fee includes light afternoon refreshments. All presenters must be members of the Society for Minimalist Music, and attendees are encouraged to join the Society as well.
Travel
The conference will be hosted at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. The Clarice is located approximately 45 minutes from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) and Reagan National Airport (DCA). DCA and Dulles International Airport (IAD) are both accessible via public transportation. Additional details regarding public transportation to the Clarice may be found here: https://theclarice.umd.edu/visit-us/getting-here. Conference attendees who would like to share a ride to/from the airport should join the conference’s WhatsApp group to make arrangements with colleagues (the link is provided in the registration portal). Hourly and daily visitor parking is available in the Stadium Drive Garage.
Lodging and meals
We have reserved a block of rooms at the College Park Marriott Hotel, which is on campus and an approximately twelve-minute (½ mile) walk to the Clarice. Rooms may be reserved at this link: https://book.passkey.com/e/51063004 ($199 for a king bed or $224 for two queen beds, before fees). Reservations need to be made before April 16 to receive the conference rate.
Other affordable hotels near campus include the Cambria, Best Western Plus, and Holiday Inn Express. On-campus housing is not available during the conference dates.
Conference attendees who would like to find a roommate should join the conference’s WhatsApp group to make arrangements with colleagues (the link is provided in the registration portal).
For coffee and lunch, the Clarice’s Applause Café is open Monday-Friday from 8am to 3pm during the week. Lunch options are also available at the Stamp Student Union, a ten-minute walk from the Clarice. A large variety of restaurants are located near campus, and many will deliver to the Clarice.
A dinner for conference participants will be held at Denizens Brewing Co. in Riverdale Park on May 9; if you wish to attend, please pay the $35 fee at registration.
Concerts and ticketing
Most of the concerts taking place during the conference will be free and unticketed. Two performances presented by the Clarice, however, will require tickets purchased independent of the registration fee: Kali Malone’s All Life Long and UMD Wind Orchestra. Conference attendees may use the discount code 26MUSICMIN for 20% off the ticket price; all student tickets are $10.
Conference organizer
Will Robin, University of Maryland (wrobin@umd.edu)
Program committee
Will Robin
Kerry O’Brien
Anna Rose Nelson
Ryan Ebright
Sarah Hill
Maarten Beirens
With support from Clarice Presents, Arts for All, and the UMD College of Arts and Humanities