The boards of the American Musicological Society and the Society for Music Theory have been closely monitoring the evolving public health recommendations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic for many months.

After careful research, discussion, and negotiation, and with the health and well-being of all our members foremost in our thoughts, both boards have voted to cancel our face-to-face joint meeting, originally scheduled for November 4–7, 2020 in Minneapolis.

Instead, the AMS and the SMT will meet together virtually, with a conference design featuring both pre-recorded presentations available on demand and live events (discussion, Q&A, lectures, etc.) on the weekends of November 7–8 and November 14–15. Everyone who expected to present in Minneapolis will be able to do so.

We share your disappointment at losing the lively intellectual exchange a face-to-face meeting provides—not to mention losing the chance to see, to “visit with,” and to sing and laugh together after an especially challenging year. We will do our best to produce as rewarding a virtual conference as can be—indeed, to make it an adventure, and an important step toward addressing your long-standing concerns about the economic accessibility and carbon footprint of our conferences.

Additional information about the virtual conference, including information for exhibitors and FAQs for speakers, presenters, and attendees, will be made available on the 2020 Annual Meeting website in the coming days.

Suzanne G. Cusick

President

July 13, 2020