North East universities to host international Medieval and Renaissance music conference

An international conference celebrating the music of the medieval and Renaissance periods will be hosted by three of the North East’s universities this summer.

The MedRen2025 Conference will take place across Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham Universities’ campuses, making it the first time a consortium of universities has jointly hosted the event, and reflecting the importance of Early Music studies at all three institutions.

The conference will bring together leading scholars, musicians, and researchers from around the world to explore groundbreaking topics in Medieval and Renaissance music over five days, from Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July.

It is the first time the MedRen conference has been held in the North East of England since 1992, and marks a special milestone for Northumbria University, which has one of the newest Music degree programmes in the UK.

Launched in 2020, Northumbria’s Music BA (Hons) course combines a rigorous academic curriculum with practical musicianship and music theory. Students receive weekly individual lessons on their instrument, and there are modules on how to teach your instrument throughout the degree.

Professor David Smith is Head of Music at Northumbria University and has been involved in bringing the MedRen25 conference to the North East.

Speaking about the significance of the event, he said: “Those working on Medieval and Renaissance music in all three universities – Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham – came together some years’ ago in a spirit of cooperation with a view to making the North East of England an international hub of activity in this area.

“We recognised that across all three institutions we had world-leading expertise that once pooled would make the North East an attractive place to work and study. We have already collaborated on doctoral supervision and research grant applications, and this major international conference marks another milestone, demonstrating how working closely together can bring huge benefits to the academic and cultural life of the region.

“We are looking forward to welcoming delegates – around 250 of them – from across the globe and showcasing the vibrant musical scholarship happening here in the North-East.”

Northumbria’s Dr Katherine Butler has also been involved in organising MedRen25. As a music historian with particular interest in the musical culture of sixteenth and seventeenth-century England, Dr Butler has written on topics ranging from music and politics at the court of Queen Elizabeth I to the social singing of rounds and catches by working people in Tudor homes and alehouses.

Speaking about Northumbria’s role in hosting this year’s conference she said: “Northumbria is an exciting place for studying Medieval and Renaissance music with a lively body of PhD students and opportunities for interdisciplinary dialogue with colleagues in the Medieval and Early Modern Studies research group.

“We are also active in the local area sharing our research and engaging people of all ages and abilities in the performance of early music.

“It’s an honour to be able to welcome our international colleagues and show them what we do here at Northumbria, and especially to host the conference poster competition which celebrates the work of emerging scholars.”

Along with Professor Smith and Dr Buttler, the organising committee includes Professors Magnus Williamson and Kirsten Gibson of Newcastle University, as well as Dr Hector Sequera of Durham University.

The conference programme includes a rich array of lectures, performances, workshops, and networking opportunities designed to inspire and engage attendees.

For full details on the programme, visit https://www.medren2025.co.uk/conference-programme.

Banner image: Merry Company on a Terrace (1625) by Dirck Hals. Credit rawpixel