International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance

A Non-Governmental Organization in Formal Consultative Relations with UNESCO

5th ICTMD Forum - MUSICAL HERITAGE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE MEDITERRANEAN

 

Hosted by the BACA in Manama, Bahrain, 13-15 May 2026, in Cooperation with IAML and IMS.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS - open to Febrary 8th, 2026

The 5th Forum of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD, https://www.ictmusic.org) featuring the theme Musical Heritage and Artificial Intelligence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, is planned together with the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML, https://www.iaml.info) and the International Musicological Society (IMS, https://www.musicology.org). We invite scholars, librarians, musicians, technologists, and cultural practitioners to explore the intersections of musical heritage, libraries and archives, and AI within the historical and contemporary contexts of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

To submit a proposal, complete this webform: https://forms.gle/q2kFD8P1WUYkxfeeA 

Please read below for presentation guidelines - the deadline for submissions is Sunday, 8 February 2026.

Background

The selected geographic realm — spanning Western Asia, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa — has long been a crossroads of musical exchange, cultural hybridity, and knowledge preservation. Today, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence offer new possibilities for research, archiving, creative practice, and community engagement in this rich and diverse region. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions that illuminate how these domains interact, reshape one another, and open new paths for scholarship and creativity.

Thematic Framework

Presentations may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

Musical Heritage of the Middle East and the Mediterranean

  • Musical traditions, migrations, and transcultural exchanges
  • Oral transmission, notation systems, musical instruments, and evolving performance practices
  • Middle Eastern and Mediterranean diasporas and identity formation through music

Libraries, Archives & Preservation

  • Middle Eastern and Mediterranean music collections: challenges, histories, and innovations
  • Sound and Image archives as related to music iconography, organology, and filmography and other relevant realms
  • Digitization, metadata, and interoperability across institutions
  • Community archives and participatory models of knowledge stewardship
  • The role of librarians and archivists in fostering AI literacy and safeguarding metadata quality

Artificial Intelligence & Digital Innovation

  • AI-assisted music analysis, composition, or restoration
  • Machine learning for cataloguing, classification, music OCR and handwriting recognition, and discovery in music libraries
  • Ethical considerations: bias, cultural sensitivity, rights, and sustainability
  • AI as a tool for bridging linguistic, musical, and cultural diversity

Intersections & Case Studies

  • Collaborative projects involving musicians, scholars, librarians, and technologists
  • Reimagining access to sound archives through immersive or interactive technologies
  • The future of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean music research in a data-driven world

Organizational Framework

The hosting institution is the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA, https://www.culture.gov.bh/en/), an internationally active, experienced, and respected governmental institution in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Forum will take place on 13-15 May 2026 in the BACA facilities, as a part of the international Spring of Culture Festival, which will allow mutually complementing scholarly and cultural programs. BACA will provide discounted hotel accommodation, visa processing, lunch caterings, equipped venues with technical assistants, cultural events, and an excursion for the participants.

Each of the three participating societies will be represented by their current Presidents: Tan Sooi Beng (ICTMD), Rupert Ridgewell (IAML) and Kate van Orden (IMS). They also collectively preside the Forum's Program Committee.

The Program Committee consists of: Tan Sooi Beng, Svanibor Pettan and Noor Alqassim (ICTMD), Rupert Ridgewell and Nathalie Hristov (IAML), and Kate van Orden and Dinko Fabris (IMS).

The Local Arrangements Committee consists of: Samah Matar, Zain Abdulla, Noor Alqassim and Svanibor Pettan. Alqassim and Pettan serve as Co-chairs.

The Forum will be an on-site event, suitable for both formal and informal interactions. In truly necessary cases, there will be a possibility for online presentations. The event will be open to in-person audience and to online audience worldwide. There will be no registration fees.

Proposals

We expect proposals in the following three formats:

  1. Paper (20 minutes, with 10 minutes discussion). Please provide title, 250-word abstract, and 100-word author bio.
  2. Panel (60 or 90 minutes, a pre-organized session of 3 or 4 interrelated papers). Please provide panel title, 250-word panel abstract, titles of individual papers and 250-word paper abstracts, and 100-word author bios of each participant.
  3. Roundtable (90 minutes, a discussion among 4-5 participants and with the audience). Please provide title, 250-word abstract, and 100-word bio for each participant.

Proposals for presentations in one of the tree formats should be submitted through https://forms.gle/q2kFD8P1WUYkxfeeA by 8 February 2026 UTC. Authors will be informed about the result by 13 February.

For any questions please contact Svanibor Pettan (svanibor.pettan@gmail.com) and Noor Alqassim (noor.al.qassim.ictmd@gmail.com).