ICMPC – ESCOM 2027 Conference

Overview

The 19th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC) and the 13th triennial Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM) will be held jointly in Helsinki, Finland, and online from 16–20 August 2027.

Hosted by the Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain, the conference will take place under the theme “Music, mind, body and brain”, exploring music as a dynamic human experience and welcoming research from across the cognitive sciences of music.

The conference will include oral and poster presentations, symposia, workshops and demonstrations.

The keynote speakers for ICMPC–ESCOM 2027 are:

• Robert Zatorre, McGill University
• Tuomas Eerola, University of Jyväskylä
• Patrick Savage, University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau and Keio University
• Bahar Tunçgenç

Conference Awards

Several awards will be available in connection with the conference, including the ICMPC Young Researcher Award, ESCOM Irène Deliège Award, SEMPRE Conference Awards, and MMBB Travel Awards.

Of particular interest to the SEMPRE community, the ICMPC Young Researcher Award, established jointly by ICMPC and SEMPRE, recognises an outstanding contribution from a student or early career researcher and provides the winner with an opportunity to present their work in a special plenary session.

SEMPRE Conference Awards will also support eligible students and non-waged delegates attending the conference by contributing towards local travel costs. Priority will be given to applicants whose plans align with SEMPRE’s Environmental Policy and to those with accepted oral or poster presentations.

Applicants interested in conference awards should indicate this during the abstract submission process. Further eligibility requirements and application information are available on the conference website.

Important Dates

24 August 2026 – Abstract submissions open
31 October 2026, 23:59 EET – Abstract submission deadline
Mid-January 2027 – Notification of abstract acceptance
16 January–15 March 2027 – Early Bird registration
16 March–12 April 2027 – Regular registration
13 April–31 May 2027 – Late registration
16–20 August 2027 – ICMPC–ESCOM 2027 Conference

Venue

The conference will be held in a hybrid format in Helsinki and online.

The opening day on 16 August 2027 will take place at the Great Hall of the University of Helsinki Main Building, with the conference continuing from 17–20 August at the Marina Congress Centre.

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A message from the ESCOM president

Dear colleagues, the theme for ICMPC – ESCOM 2027—Music, mind, body and brain—highlights music as a dynamic human experience. Music holds the capacity for engaging our brains and bodies and connecting us across communities, offering powerful ways to understand ourselves and each other in our diverse and evolving world. Research on the cognitive sciences of music today is a rigorous, multidisciplinary endeavor that has an impact on a range of aspects in human societies. I invite you all to our joint conference, for exploring and celebrating music as a way of acknowledging humanity and human experience in our time. 

Suvi Saarikallio