The Guitar in Popular Music Conference 2026

March 24, 2026 IGRC

The Guitar in Popular Music conference (8–10 July 2026) will be co-hosted by Canterbury Christ Church University and the Academy of Contemporary Music, in collaboration with the International Guitar Research Centre (University of Surrey). Deadlines for Proposals: March 31 2026.

Call for proposals

Proposals are invited for presentations as follows:

Individual papers – 25 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions
Individual papers which include live performance elements – 25 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions
Lecture recital – 35 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions

Papers and presentations can focus on any aspect relevant to the conference’s overarching theme: the guitar’s role and use in popular music (including jazz). Any type of guitar (e.g. acoustic, electric, bass, hybrid etc) may be considered, as can any (or any combination of) the following perspectives: historical, contextual, analytical, pedagogical, technological, compositional or performance-based.

In recognition of the fact that 2026 marks 60 years since Jimi Hendrix’s first performance in the UK we especially welcome papers that discuss Hendrix’s legacy and contribution as a guitarist, or lecture recitals that focus on reinterpretations and arrangements of Hendrix’s work.

We are particularly interested in papers which relate to the following themes:

Guitar Creativity and Technique
Guitar Soloing and Tonal Improvisation
Guitar as Rhythm and Texture
Guitar Design and Technology
Guitar Culture
Case Studies of the Guitar Technique of Established Players in Popular Music

Please send proposals and enquiries to guitarconference@canterbury.ac.uk, as a Word document, with the following information:

Your name
Institution (as appropriate)
Postal address
Phone
Email Address
Presentation type (paper or paper including live performance demonstrations)
Title
Abstract: up to 300 words and biography up to 100 words.
Website link about you and your work (if you have one)
Individual papers which include live performance elements, and Lecture Recitals should also include a sample recording or video (e.g. via YouTube/SoundCloud)

Acceptance of proposals will be at the discretion of the Conference Panel (see below).

Key dates

The conference will be held at Canterbury Christ Church University on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July and at the Academy of Contemporary Music (London campus) on Friday 10 July. All papers will be presented in person.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 31 March 2026.

Booking will open, and a draft conference programme will be published in mid-April 2026, following the selection of papers.

Keynote speaker

We are delighted that Professor Milton Mermikides (Professor of Music at the University of Surrey and Gresham Professor or Music) will be presenting the keynote lecture at Canterbury Christ Church University, entitled I Just Want to Talk to You: The Musical Language of Jimi Hendrix.

This keynote paper illuminates the psychological, neurological, linguistic and zygonic mechanisms that help shape Jimi Hendrix’s extraordinary musical language. These ‘axes of expression’ include vocal imitation, fretboard navigation, time-feel and groove, harmony and modality, and technological transformation. It argues that Hendrix’s music persistently challenges the conventional separation and discrete categorisation of pitch, rhythm, and timbre. And that musical expression – as well as effective musical analysis – emerges from the dynamic, liminal interplay between these domains.

Conference Panel

Dr James Dean (Chair, Canterbury Christ Church University)

Professor Rich Perks (Deputy Chair, Academy of Contemporary Music)

Professor Milton Mermikides (University of Surrey/Gresham College)

Professor Murray Smith (University of Kent)

Dr Kate Lewis (Brunel University London)

Enquiries

For all enquiries, please email guitarconference@canterbury.ac.uk

https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/events/2026/the-guitar-in-popular-music