Deadline: 13 January 2026

Since the mid-20th century, the term musica impegnata (or musique engagée) has become firmly established to describe politically engaged music, traditionally associated with anti-fascist and left-wing positions. However, particularly in light of developments over the past 60 years, the concept of impegno or engagement can now be approached and considered in a broader sense than simply as realpolitik. There is music with explicit social, ideological functions that cannot always be easily classified into specific political tendencies, including music with anti-communist or other "non-left-wing" viewpoints. It thus seems necessary to broaden the scope of engagement to encompass the various forms of impegno in contemporary music. Contributions that deal directly with Luca Lombardi or with phenomena, trends, and persons who have influenced his life and work are welcome. 
 
A collaboration between the Department of Music History at the German Historical Institute in Rome, the Goethe-Institut in Rome and the Department of Musicology at Heidelberg University
Organisation: Vera Grund (DHI Rome), Christoph Flamm (University of Heidelberg), Claudia di Luzio (Humboldt-University of Berlin), Susanna Pasticci (Sapienza Università di Roma)

Venue and date: 27–28 March 2026, at the German Historical Institute in Rome and the Goethe-Institut Rome
Languages: German, English, Italian

Download call for papers here.

Please submit an abstract of your planned contribution (no more than 2000 characters) in German, English, or Italian, along with a brief biography (max. 1000 characters), by 13 January 2026. The submission must be sent as a PDF file via email to: v.grund[at]dhi-roma[dot]it and christoph.flamm[at]zegk.uni-heidelberg[dot]de.

Deadline: 18 January 2026

For the Fascist regime, Venice was above all a showcase in which to stage Italy's cultural primacy within Europe. Alongside major infrastructural works new cultural initiatives emerged, including the strengthening of the newly-nationalized Venice Biennale. The creation of new museums (and the reorganization of existing ones) represented an attempt by the Superintendency to respond to the gradual disintegration of Venice's historic private collections.

This conference aims to investigate the cultural, historical, and political identity of Fascist Venice through the lens of exhibitions, museums, and the art market. In contrast to the existing scholarship – largely focused on the role of the Biennale and contemporary art – we adopt a broader and more integrated perspective on the history of collecting, including not only artistic collections, but also archaeological, ethnographic, natural history, and cultural-history collections. Through this expanded approach, we intend to foster an interdisciplinary reflection on how Fascism shaped Venice's cultural landscape through the interrelation of art history, colonialism, and political and economic history.

International conference, Venice, 7–9 October 2026
Languages: Italian, English

Download call for papers here.

Please submit your proposal (max. 300 words, in English or Italian) and a short biographical note (max. 100 words) by 18 January 2026 to: Matilde Cartolari (m.cartolari[at]zikg[dot]eu), Francesca Castellani (fcast[at]iuav[dot]it), Katharina Hüls-Valenti (k.huelsvalenti[at]dhi-roma[dot]it).