The Theomousikos Programme (Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford) and the International Network for Music Theology invite proposals for a one-day conference on the theme of Music, Theology and Time. We welcome submissions for individual papers, panels, roundtable discussions, and lecture recitals.
Keynote: Professor Steve Guthrie (Belmont University)
Deadline for submission: 20 January 2026
Conference Theme
It has been twenty-five years since Jeremy Begbie published Theology, Music and Time (2000), asking ‘What kind of reality has time’? As seminal as this book has become over the years, its principal focus – time – has actually attracted very limited scholarly attention. Indeed, while research on the topic of time has advanced significantly in the last quarter century, its relationship to music and theology has remained underrepresented within the field. This conference aims to begin the process of correcting that anomaly by locating music, theology and time within the widest possible conceptual and creative frameworks for temporal understanding today. Topics include, but are not in any way limited to, timelessness, timefulness, intertemporality, eschatology, eternity, pasts, presents, futures. We welcome proposals from all disciplines and methodologies in music, theology and religion.
Guidelines for proposals
The conference will be hybrid, with selected components online. When submitting a proposal, please indicate whether you intend to present in person or online. All submissions should have a clear title. All proposals should be submitted to theomousikos.research@wycliffe.ox.ac.uk. Please include contact information (name, email address, and institutional position and affiliation, if any) for all people involved, and list any A/V requirements.
Individual Paper Proposals should clearly describe the paper and articulate how the research contributes to scholarship. Maximum abstract length: 300 words. Individual papers are 20 minutes.
Argument
Panel Proposals and Roundtables should include a summary of the importance of the panel topic by the panel organiser (maximum length 300 words). The organiser should also include a proposal for each paper prepared by individual panelists following the guidelines for individual proposals, along with each panelist’s contact information. Panel proposals will be considered only as a whole. A panel is three twenty-minute papers or four fifteen-minute papers; a roundtable is five to eight brief explorations, followed by roundtable discussion. Panels and roundtables are 90 minutes, including time for questions.
Lecture-Recital Proposals should identify the music to be performed, including approximate timing and performing forces, and clearly describe the substance of the lecture component as outlined for individual proposals. Please note clearly at the top that this is a Lecture-Recital proposal. Maximum length: 300 words, plus list of repertoire. Lecture recitals have a maximum length of one hour.
Organising committee
Prof Bennett Zon (Durham University)
Dr Christopher Blakey (Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University)
