AMPLIFY! A Festival of Asian American Music, Sound, and Scholarship
Organized by the Music of Asian America Research Center
in partnership with Asian Improv aRts Midwest and Elastic Arts
Chicago, IL and Virtual, September 24-26, 2026
The Music of Asian America Research Center, in partnership with Chicago’s Asian Improv aRts Midwest and Elastic Arts, will host “AMPLIFY! A Festival of Asian American Music, Sound, and Scholarship” from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26, 2026. This hybrid (Chicago and virtual) festival brings together engaged scholarship and live performance to cultivate a vibrant community of musicians and sustain dialogue across artistic, academic, and public spheres. The festival offers a platform for collaboration, critical inquiry, and creative exchange, centering the rich histories, aesthetics, and politics that define Asian American sound. Together, we aim to elevate marginalized voices, nurture intergenerational mentorship, and build lasting networks that reach beyond the festival. Both participants and audiences will explore pressing questions about cultural memory, migration, solidarity, experimentation, and the evolving landscape of Asian American music-making in Chicago and across the Americas.
The program committee invites proposals for research presentations on any topic related to Asian American music. We particularly encourage proposals that are related to Chicago as a place of Asian American musicking and the roles of Asian American memory institutions. Additionally, we welcome submissions on the following topics:
- Afro-Asian collaborations
- Southeast Asian American music of all genres
- Asian American music in the Midwest
- Community music-making across the Americas
- Asian Americans (including Canada and Latin America) in music education
Performers who are interested in playing in one of our showcase concerts should email Eric Hung (eric@asianamericanmusic.org).
We accept proposals in the following formats:
- Lightning Talks: 7-minute presentation plus 3 minutes for questions (150-word abstract, 100-word bio)
- Individual Paper: 20-minute presentation plus 10 minutes for questions (250-word abstract, 100-word bio)
- Panel or Roundtable: 60 minutes (750-word abstract, 100-word bio for each presenter)
- Special format: 60 minutes (750-word abstract including an explanation of how the session will work, 100-word bio for each presenter).
If your proposal has specific technological and space requirements beyond an LCD projector and microphones, please contact Eric Hung (email below) before submitting.
We encourage individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including students and those outside of academia, to apply. For presenters without institutional support, small travel stipends may be available. Proposals must be submitted via this Google form (https://bit.ly/MAARCChicago) by Friday, April 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Notifications will be sent no later than Thursday, April 30, 2026. Questions should be directed to Eric Hung (eric@asianamericanmusic.org).
Founded in 1984, Asian Improv aRts Midwest is dedicated to building a vital, self-empowered Asian American Community in the Chicago area by advancing the understanding and profile of Asian American cultures through the traditional and contemporary cultural arts. Elastic Arts is a versatile Chicago venue that seeks to foster artistic exploration by programming and presenting multifaceted performance and exhibition.
The members of the program committee are Eric Hung (chair), Tina Huynh and Winnie W. C. Lai.