Northern California Chapter – AMS

Northern California Chapter of the American Musicological Society 

CALL FOR PAPERS

We are pleased to announce our joint meeting of the Pacific Southwest and Northern California Chapters of the American Musicological Society, to be held online via Zoom on the weekend of May 8-9, 2021.  

The program combines papers from both chapters, but the two chapters have separate submissions processes.

We welcome abstracts (maximum 350 words) proposing paper topics for the meeting, including submissions for lecture-performances and other alternative formats. Papers or presentations should require no more than 20 minutes for full delivery, plus 5-10 minutes for questions and discussion.

Those wishing to present a paper should send their submissions by midnight, March 31, 2021, along with the proposed title, author’s name and institutional affiliation. All submissions should be sent by email to amsnorthcal <at> gmail.com.

In addition, this meeting will feature the competition for the AMS NorCal Award in Musicology, which is given annually to the best graduate student paper presented at the AMS-NorCal conference. (The Pacific Southwest Chapter now has its own student competition.) 

Students must be currently enrolled in institutions within the boundaries of the Northern California Chapter of the AMS. All students are strongly encouraged to work with faculty mentors to ensure that their papers are ready for professional presentation. Competition abstracts will be evaluated according to the following criteria: organization and writing, innovation and contribution to the field, methodology, and potential for publication and future research. Three finalists will be chosen by a graduate student committee, all of whom will present their papers in the Sunday morning session (May 9th) of the meeting.  

Submissions should be in pdf, doc, or docx format and include a cover page with the paper’s title, the author’s name, contact info, institutional affiliation, and an indication of whether the author wishes the paper to be considered for the regular program if it is not selected for the Competition finals. The page(s) containing the abstract itself (maximum 350 words) should not indicate the author’s identity. Submissions should be emailed to amsnorthcal <at> gmail.com.

In the following post, you will find our program for the April 10th meeting. Abstracts and a Zoom link will follow closer to our event. 

One important agenda item at the Business Meeting on April 10 will be holding elections for a new Chapter Vice President, a new AMS Council Representative and a new Student Representative. The terms of Pierpaolo Polzonetti (UCD) as Council Representative and Madison Heying (UCSC) as Student Representative ended in November 2020, and Heather Hadlock’s term as Vice President of the Chapter is ending this spring. Parkorn Wangpaiboonkit (UCB) continues as Student Representative until the next national meeting in November 2021 and his replacement will be elected next year.   

We therefore invite you to send nominations for all three of these positions by email to amsnorthcal <at> gmail.com at any time between now and April 10. We will also accept nominations during the Business Meeting, but encourage you to submit them sooner.  We would like to thank Heather, Pierpaolo, and Madison for their excellent service in these positions! 
In case you’re unclear on what each of these positions entails, here’s a bit of information. Duties for all three positions are light and often enjoyable.

—The Vice President works together with the President and Secretary to plan meetings and oversee the operations of the Chapter. 
—The AMS Council Representative represents the Chapter on the AMS Council and serves a three-year term. 
— Student Representatives serve two-year terms as non-voting members of the AMS Council.  
— Chapter officers and student representatives attend separate breakfast meetings at the Annual Meeting. The travel of student representatives to the Annual Meeting is subsidized through the Chapter Fund.

Election to Council is not only a distinct honor, but the stepping stone to all further elected positions within the Society. The Council considers issues of interest to its members, may initiate new committees to study those issues, and sends recommendations to the Board.

— Alex Stalarow (he/him/his), Secretary-Treasurer
— Northern California Chapter of the American Musicological Society

Extension of deadline for abstract submission (to March 1)

Call for Papers: April 10 Meeting

The Spring 2021 meeting of the Northern California Chapter of the American Musicological Society will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021 on Zoom.

The Program Committee invites proposals of up to 300 words for 20-minute papers. We also encourage the submission of proposals for complete sessions (3 related papers) and for presentations in alternate formats, such as workshops or study sessions. Session proposals should include a rationale for the session and a brief description of each paper or presentation, no more than 500 words in all.

Abstracts will not be subject to blind review, in order to promote diversity of all kinds, including of institutional affiliation and career stage. Submissions from faculty, independent scholars, and graduate students are all warmly encouraged.

Abstracts should be submitted before midnight on Monday, March 1st, 2021 via email to amsnorthcal -at- gmail.com Decisions will be announced shortly thereafter.

Please refer to the AMS abstract guidelines: “Proposals should represent the presentation as fully as possible. A successful proposal typically articulates the main aspects of the argument or research findings clearly, positions the author’s contribution with respect to previous scholarship, and suggests the paper’s significance for the musicological community, in language that is accessible to scholars with a variety of specializations.” 

—– Alex Stalarow (he/him/his), Secretary-Treasurer
—– Northern California Chapter of the American Musicological Society

Meetings: April 10 and May 8, 2021

On Saturday, April 10 we will hold the winter/spring chapter meeting on Zoom. This meeting will follow a similar format to past chapter meetings, with morning and afternoon paper sessions. We also encourage submission of proposals for complete sessions and for presentations in alternate formats (e.g. round tables, workshops, study sessions). See the Call for Papers below for details on how to submit a proposal. The deadline for submission is midnight on February 19. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by March 5.

The presentations and competition for the AMS NorCal Award in Musicology will be held on Saturday May 8. This competition is open to any graduate students residing in the area. Proposals will be reviewed by a program committee in early April and finalists will be selected to present their papers at the May meeting. In addition to the prize competition, the May meeting will include regular paper sessions and possibly a round table. Proposals for regular paper presentations and for the prize are due March 22; a Call for Papers will be circulated in mid-February. 

With all best wishes,

Mary Ann Smart, Chapter President
Heather Hadlock, Vice President
Alexander Stalarow, Secretary-Treasurer

Call for Papers: April 10 Meeting
The Spring 2021 meeting of the Northern California Chapter of the American Musicological Society will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2021 on Zoom.

The Program Committee invites proposals of up to 300 words for 20-minute papers. We also encourage the submission of proposals for complete sessions (3 related papers) and for presentations in alternate formats, such as workshops or study sessions. Session proposals should include a rationale for the session and a brief description of each paper or presentation, no more than 500 words in all.

Abstracts will not be subject to blind review, in order to promote diversity of all kinds, including of institutional affiliation and career stage. Submissions from faculty, independent scholars, and graduate students are all warmly encouraged.

Abstracts should be submitted before midnight on Friday, February 19, 2021 via email to amsnorthcal@gmail.com. Decisions will be announced shortly thereafter.

Please refer to the AMS abstract guidelines: “Proposals should represent the presentation as fully as possible. A successful proposal typically articulates the main aspects of the argument or research findings clearly, positions the author’s contribution with respect to previous scholarship, and suggests the paper’s significance for the musicological community, in language that is accessible to scholars with a variety of specializations.”

Program:

Virtual (Zoom) meeting of the North California Chapter
of the American Musicological Society
May 3, 2020, 10 am PDT

Ingolf Dahl Competition Finalists

10:00
Adam Bregman, USC
“Musica ficta, Conjunction Theory, and the Hermaphroditic Nature of the Mi-Fa Complex”

10:30
Kelly Christensen, Stanford
“Privatizing the Canon: France’s Commercial Sheet Music Industry and the Opéra-Comique, 1825-1845″

11:00
Ramona Gonzalez, UCLA
“Quejío: Flamenco Trauma Expression and Rosalía’s El mal querer”

11:30 Break

12:00
Business Meeting and Announcement of Dahl Winner

Agenda for the Business Meeting

Election of the President and Secretary/Treasurer*
AMS NorCal Award for the Best Graduate Student Paper*
Bylaws Amendment*
Report by Secretary/Treasurer Alice Miller Cotter: Update on Chapter Finances
New Method for Paying Dues
New Webpage

*voting will be by email following the meeting

Beverly Wilcox, Cal State University Sacramento, will host the meeting. The link will be sent to all chapter members by email on May 1. Others may register by emailing wilcox@csus.edu.