Over five days at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, 200 delegates representing 20 countries came together to present and discuss research from across the field of performance science. ISPS 2019 was co-chaired by Aaron Williamon (CPS Director) as well as Solange Glasser and Gary McPherson of the University of Melbourne.

Keynote papers were given by:

Zach Hambrick
Michigan State University
The origins of performance expertise: Beyond born versus made

Jane Davidson
University of Melbourne
Lessons from the opera stage: Exploring the function of performance as a learning experience

Andrew Martin
University of New South Wales
Motivation traps experienced by elite performers, and what to do about them

Mark Wiggins
Macquarie University
Cued performance: How cues make (and break) skilled activities

The Graduate Paper Award was presented by:

Anthony Chmiel
University of New South Wales
Psycho-historical contextualization versus imaginative engagement for music performance

The Graduate Poster Award was given to:

Thomas Dickson
University of New South Wales
How does music aid sleep?

The conference featured a performance by the internationally renown Didgeridoo performer and composer William Barton and opened with a development day for graduate students and early career researchers. Conference delegates presented over 170 papers and posters across over 60 thematic sessions.

The next International Symposium on Performance Science will be held in 2021 at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

For further information, including a downloadable version of the conference programme, see the ISPS website.