Auckland is set to host the next annual International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) in June next year – the first time the prestigious global conference has been held in New Zealand.
A common objective among researchers and practitioners in the NIME community is designing, building, performing and evaluating new musical instruments and other types of musical interfaces.
The 21st edition of NIME will be hosted by The University of Auckland, which led the conference bid supported by Auckland Convention Bureau (ACB) and Tourism New Zealand.
The theme for the 2022 conference is ‘Decolonising Musical Interfaces’. International researchers and musicians will gather to share their knowledge and explore how music technology can extend beyond empirical science and rethink the Western consumeristic imaginary of music technology innovation. The conference is expected to attract 200 delegates.
Instrumental in securing the conference was Fabio Morreale, lecturer and director of research at The University of Auckland’s School of Music.
“We are incredibly proud of hosting NIME, as it is the most important academic conference in the whole field of music technology. We are thrilled to host world-renowned musicians and scholars, who will come and share their latest research and inventions. The conference theme is aligned with the rising commitment in Aotearoa to reassess the value of indigenous art and methodologies,” says Morreale.
ACB Manager, Ken Pereira says: “The benefits of academic conferences are far-reaching. Not only are they valuable contributors to growing the region’s knowledge economy, it is also an opportunity to showcase our beautiful region and reinforces our position as a great city to hold conferences.”
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Domestic & Business Events Bjoern Spreitzer says: “It’s exciting that we will host NIME in New Zealand for the first time. This conference will showcase the calibre of New Zealand’s research on the world stage and deliver new ideas and networking opportunities for our musical community.”