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Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre | IMPACT 2027

Call for Contributions
Su 15.11.2026

The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre will host the international symposium "Territories of Negotiation: Exploring Trends in Interdisciplinary Improvisation". The symposium will take place in Tallinn from 11–13 February 2027 and aims to offer comprehensive perspectives from a diverse range of disciplines that engage with improvisation as an art form, a method of creation, or an object of research.

IMPACT 2027 explores the concept of negotiation as a central condition of improvisation and interdisciplinary practice. Encounters between different disciplines may generate collaboration, negotiation, tension, misunderstanding, transformation, and illumination. Contributions are invited that explore how artistic work and knowledge are shaped through and by spontaneity. IMPACT 2027 is concerned not only with successful exchange but also with friction, discomfort, limits, asymmetries, and the structures that make shared practice and knowledge possible.

IMPACT is a symposium organised between three partner institutions: the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn, the School of Music and Performing Arts ESMAE in Porto, and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius. At EAMT, the symposium is organised and supported by the Contemporary Improvisation curriculum and the Doctoral Studies Centre.

Themes

  • Collaborative approaches in improvisation research and practice
  • Asymmetry in improvisational relations and structures
  • Translation and mistranslation in improvisational practice
  • Improvisation as participatory practice
  • Difference, inclusion, and diversity in improvisation
  • Power, hierarchy, and negotiation in improvisation

Fees

  • Conference presentation fee: 90 euros
  • Listener participation fee: 125 euros

Presentation formats

Paper presentations: Proposals for a 20-minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes of facilitated audience discussion, should address a clear research question or set of questions grounded in the author’s methodological or disciplinary approach.

Performance as research outcome: Recognising the importance of practice-based approaches and creative processes, the symposium will also feature a dedicated programme of performances and practice-oriented presentations. Proposals should clearly articulate how the performance relates to and emerges from the underlying practice or research process. Each presentation may include up to 10 minutes of spoken introduction or contextualisation, with a total duration of 30 minutes for both introduction and performance combined, followed by 10 minutes of facilitated audience discussion. Performances must be presented live.

Submission

Application works via an online submission form.

The deadline for submissions is 15 November 2026. 

For paper presentations, please submit the following:

  • Name of the presenter(s)
  • Institution
  • 150-word biography
  • Presentation title and/or subtitle
  • 350-word description of the presentation

For performance as research outcome, please submit the following:

  • Name of the performer(s)
  • Institution
  • 150-word biography
  • Title
  • Technical requirements
  • Links to previous related performances
  • A one-page text on the performance stating its connection to the research process, questions, and theme

For questions, contact: marie.urvik@eamt.ee