4th International Symposium
IMPACT: IMProvisation and Creativity In and Through Performing Arts
Territories of Negotiation: Exploring Trends in Interdisciplinary Improvisation
Location:
Tallinn, Estonia
Hosted by:
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Dates
11-13 February 2027
Contact
Marie Urvik marie.urvik@eamt.ee
The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre is pleased to announce the international symposium Territories of Negotiation: Exploring Trends in Interdisciplinary Improvisation. The event will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, from February 11 to 13, 2027. This symposium aims to offer comprehensive perspectives from a diverse range of disciplines that engage with improvisation as an art form, a method of creation, or an object of research.
IMPACT 2027 explores the concept of negotiation as a central condition of improvisation and interdisciplinary practice. Encounters between different disciplines may generate collaboration, negotiation, tension, misunderstanding, transformation, and illumination. Contributions are invited that explore how artistic work and knowledge are shaped through and by spontaneity. IMPACT 2027 is concerned not only with successful exchange but also with friction, discomfort, limits, asymmetries, and the structures that make shared practice and knowledge possible.
IMPACT is a symposium organized between three partner institutions: the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater in Tallinn, the School of Music and Performing Arts ESMAE in Porto, and Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius.
Themes
- Collaborative approaches in improvisation research and practice
- Asymmetry in improvisational relations and structures
- Translation and mistranslation in improvisational practice
- Improvisation as participatory practice
- Difference, inclusion, and diversity in improvisation
- Power, hierarchy, and negotiation in improvisation
Fees
- Conference Presentations fee €90
- Listener participation fee €125
Presentation Formats:
Paper Presentations:
Proposals for a 20-minute presentation, followed by 10 minutes of facilitated audience discussion, should address a clear research question or set of questions grounded in the author’s methodological or disciplinary approach.
Performance as research outcome:
Recognizing the importance of practice-based approaches and creative processes, the symposium will also feature a dedicated programme of performances and practice-oriented presentations. Proposals should clearly articulate how the performance relates to and emerges from the underlying practice or research process. Each presentation may include up to 10 minutes of spoken introduction or contextualization, with a total duration of 30 minutes for both introduction and performance combined, followed by 10 minutes of facilitated audience discussion. Performances must be presented live.
Deadline for Submissions: Nov 1st, 2026
For paper presentations please submit the following:
- Name of the presenter/s
- Institution
- 150-word biography
- Presentation title and/or sub-title
- 350-word description of the presentation
For performance as research outcome please submit the following
- Name of the performer/s
- Institution
- 150-word biography
- Title
- Technical Requirements
- Links to previous related performances
- A one-page text on the performance stating connection to research process, questions, and theme
Organising committee:
Dr. Theodore Parker, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Dr. Jaak Sikk, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Dr. Kristel Pappel, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Marie Urvik, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Selection Committee:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramunė Balevičiūtė, Vice-Rector for Art and Research, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
Prof. Dr. Lina Navickaitė-Martinelli, Chair of the Senate, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
Dr. Rui Penha, Vice President, The School of Music and Performing Arts ESMAE, Porto
Dr. Theodore Parker, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Dr. Bruno Pereira, Porto Polytechnic Institute’s School of Music and Performing Arts