20 September 2016: Dates confirmed as 15-20 July 2018
Dear colleagues
What a magnificent Opening Ceremony for the 32nd ISME World Conference last night! We are delighted that the conference is now underway.
As you know, ISME is committed to connecting music educators across the world, developing networks, impact and reach. We are also committed to ensuring our bi-annual world conference creates inspiring opportunities for our members to explore and be inspired by diverse cultural experiences.
Following recent events in Turkey, the ISME board has been in regular dialogue with Turkish colleagues regarding proposals to host the 2018 ISME World Conference in Istanbul.
We recognise the current situation in Turkey is fast-paced and fluid. Given the scale and complexity of our event and the point we have reached in the planning cycle, we have agreed that the ISME 2018 World Conference will be now held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
This decision has been made in active collaboration with the Turkish Organising Committee. It forms part of their strategic contingency planning and ensures ISME’s continued commitment to the music educators of the Turkic nations.
Baku is a world-class and exciting global conference destination which has hosted an acclaimed range of large-scale, high-profile and multi-platform sporting and cultural events including the 2015 European Games and the 2012 Eurovision song contest. It is also a global business and cultural destination with excellent international travel links.
We look forward to continuing our joint working with our friends and colleagues in the Turkish Organising Committee to ensure we deliver an engaging experience of Turkic regional culture in beautiful Baku in 2018. Plans are also in place to host an ISME regional assembly in Istanbul in 2019.
I’m absolutely delighted that for Friday’s Closing Ceremony here in Glasgow we will be joined by the Youth Chamber Orchestra of Turksoy, an ensemble of young classical musicians who study in conservatories across the Turkic nations. This gives us all a wonderful opportunity to celebrate them as well as the wonderful cultural contribution to the world of musicians and artists from Turkey and across the region as we set our sights on what I have every confidence will be a brilliant event in Baku in 2018.
Sheila Woodward, President of ISME
