From July 4 to 8, 2025, the 28th Annual CHIME Conference was held at the Department of Music at the University College Cork in Ireland. Titled “Digital Futures for Chinese Music”, the conference was chiefly concerned with the various ways new media (digital media especially) provide spaces for preserving, creating, playing, sharing, teaching, or discussing music, and the ways these spaces are impacting what musicians, culture bearers, and others do in the musical part of their lives. However, presentations of other new research in the broad area of Chinese music studies were also included.

GRK 2833 Doctoral Researcher Anna-Maria RAU, who is a student CHIME Member, attended the conference and gave a presentation with the title “Future Conceptions for Republican Music; Discussing Music Creation” on a part of her current research, which is related to her larger dissertation project. She introduced the theoretical framework of the future conceptions and time frames relevant for her thesis, as well as statements taken from the primary literature showing different views on the state of the music scene within the examined time frame.

The engaging atmosphere that is inherent to the CHIME events with their stimulating academic discussions and opportunities to witness lived music traditions at the venue left Miss RAU with valuable feedback and inspiration, which will undoubtedly contribute to the ongoing development of her dissertation project.

Further information on the event may be found on the hosting univesity’s website.