AMPLIFY! A Festival of Asian American Music, Sound, and Scholarship 2026
Organized by the Music of Asian America Research Center
in partnership with Asian Improv aRts Midwest and Elastic Arts
In-Person Component: Chicago, September 24-26, 2026 (virtual participation TBA)
Virtual Component: Second Wednesdays at 7pm ET starting in July
Call for Proposals | Schedule | Registration | Invited Artists | Presentation Abstracts & Bios
Registration and Policies
This page refers to the in-person component of AMPLIFY! A Festival of Asian American Music, Sound and Scholarship, scheduled to take place in Chicago from September 24 to 26, 2026. If you are interested in attending the virtual component on the Second Wednesdays of each month, please click on “Second Wednesays” above.
Registration is free. Presenters must register by August 15. Performers at evening concerts who are not planning to attend day-time presentations do not need to register.
For in-person participants: To make the conference as productive as possible, we aim to create an environment in which participants can get to know each other well and have extended conversations. We are therefore setting a limit of 60 in-person conference registrations. Because of this, we expect all in-person participants to attend for at least one full day (or equivalent). Evening concerts will be open to the public. Details about concert admission for non-conference participants will be available in late August.
For virtual participants: Selected presentations and performances at the in-person component of AMPLIFY! will be livestreamed with the permission of the presenters and performers. The livestream schedule will be available in late August.
Policies
MAARC strives to create a welcoming and safe environment that is conducive to learning, productive conversations and generating plans for future actions. For this reason, we have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of discrimination and harassment against any conference participant, host and service provider, and for sustained and non-constructive disruptions of conference activities. Violators might be removed from the conference and barred from future MAARC events.
By registering, conference participates agree to:
- A health waiver: The participant certifies that they are not aware of health or medical conditions that would make participation at the conference unsafe. The participant hereby releases and discharges MAARC, Asian Improv aRts Midwest and Elastic Arts from any and all liability, damages, costs (including attorney fees), actions or causes of action related to or arising from or out of their participation in or preparation for any of the conference activities.
- A photo/video waiver: The participant allows MAARC, Asian Improv aRts Midwest and Elastic Arts to use, reproduce and/or publish photographs and/or short videos of under one minute containing your image, likeness and/or voice without compensation for publicity and development purposes.
- Email Correspondence: Participants will allow MAARC to contact them via email for conference communication.