China-Ireland Ethnomusicology Workshop - Co-hosted by ECura Project and Yunnan Arts University

The China-Ireland Ethnomusicology Workshop: New Theories and Practices in Sustaining Indigenous Music was held from 9 to 13 September 2026 in Kunming, China.  The workshop was co-hosted by the School of Music of Yunnan Arts University, University College Cork (UCC), and the European Research Council (ERC), and organized by the Center for Music Studies of Southern China and Neighboring Countries and Regions, in partnership with the ERC-funded ECura project based at Music, UCC.

The programme featured four academic panels with 18 speakers and discussants from China and overseas, plus two hands-on workshops led by 11 Jingpo, Yi, and Bai culture bearers. Two concerts (Hearing the Songs from Yunnan – Greeting My Friends with Drum and Special Concert: Transmission and Dissemination of Local Music) followed, featuring students of the School of Music, Yunnan Arts University, alongside the culture bearers. On the final day, guests visited Shilin County (石林县) for fieldwork on local Yi folk arts and culture. International experts included Professor Jonathan Stock and Senior Lecturers Lijuan Qian and Lidia Guzy (University College Cork), Dr. Qian Mu, Editor of the International Repertory of Music Literature (IRML), Professor Benjamin Harbert (Georgetown University), Professor Michael MacDonald (MacEwan University), and Made Mantle Hood, Professor of Ethnomusicology at Tainan National University of the Arts, Taiwan. Chinese experts included Researcher YANG Minkang (杨民康, Central Conservatory of Music); Professor CAI Zongde (蔡宗德, Huaqiao University); Professor SHEN Haimei (沈海梅, Yunnan Minzu University); Professor HUANG Lingfei (黄凌飞, Yunnan Arts University); Associate Professors LI Weihua (李伟华) and XU Han (徐菡, Yunnan University); Zhiyi Qiaoqiao Cheng (程之伊), Chair of the ICTMD Study Group on Music Ethnography; and Dr. Shuo Niki Yang (杨烁, Central Conservatory of Music). 

Drawing on Yunnan's strengths in cultural tourism and the strategic positioning of its distinctive arts disciplines, the workshop fostered deep collaboration between leading international ethnomusicology scholars and teaching teams. Through this partnership, the organizers aim to open channels for artistic and cultural exchange between Chinese and international academic communities, and between academia and grassroots practitioners, with a particular focus on strengthening the practical skills of scholars and graduate students in field recording, ethnographic filmmaking, musicographic writing, and cultural interpretation. The ECura team thanks the School of Music, Yunnan Arts University, and the Centre for Music Studies of Southern China and Neighboring Countries and Regions for their warm hospitality.