The Global British Organ

Call for Papers

The British Institute of Organ Studies will hold its 50th anniversary conference in Oxford from 9-11 April 2026.

We invite proposals for papers and themed round-table discussions, as well as other types of presentation on any relevant topic including, but not limited to, the following:

• British organs
• British organ music and its influence around the world
• the influence of imported organs and organ building on British organs
• the influence of British organ building on organs of other countries
• exported British organs and the market for them
• British organists, performers, and teachers in the wider world

The conference will be based at Wadham College, Oxford, a seventeenth-century foundation located in the heart of Oxford’s “dreaming spires”. Financial support will be offered to young researchers and full-time students. We invite proposals of 250 words for the following formats:

• Presentation/conference paper (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions)
• Themed round-table discussions (in your proposal please include the details of all main participants, maximum 4 – proposals can be up to 1,000 words in length) (60-90 minutes)
• Other format (including a brief lecture-recital depending on venue availability)– please specify

Send proposals to Dr Katharine Pardee at BIOS50thConf@bios.org.uk to include Name, Title and type of presentation, an abstract as defined above, 100-word biography, and any technical requirements beyond normal AV presentation facilities. The deadline for proposals will be 10 January 2026. More information will soon be at www.bios.org.uk.

Email: BIOS50thConf@bios.org.uk