What is happening?

The F-List Research Hub is a growing collective of feminist and interdisciplinary researchers, dedicated to evidence-led activism which aims to create an environment where women and gender-diverse people in the music industries will be able to more successfully start and sustain their music careers for longer. At present there are over 90 researchers listed on the
registry.

This year’s theme “Speak Out! Women’s voices in Music.” is broadly exploring all aspects of  women’s voices in music, and our ability to Speak Out, in the way that we want to, in any given  moment in time. There are several themes and developments that have inspired our theme this  year, including:

• Content control and commercial imperatives: women and gender-diverse people in music have always been told what to look like, and what to sound like. We were told of “the canon” or “music that sells,” or “music for radio” or the “tastes of the listeners,” as if they are objective, value-free forces. Finding our artistic voice in the world of commercial rules in music, has been challenging for many.

• Free speech and creative freedom: we are also living in times, where free speech is tested and the balance with finding our artistic voices, challenging to navigate. Free speech is undergoing multiple restrictions, in academia, society and the music sector, in an increasingly demanding global context.

• Pushback and protest: we are also finding that women’s rights causes are facing significant pushback and that true inclusivity and solidarity across marginalised genders is weaponised for multiple, often hidden agendas. Women’s rights organisations are seeing
their funding taken away, and the UN Secretary General Guterres has warned of “masters of misogyny” and the “poison of patriarchy” slowing down, if not stopping all progress on gender equality (UN SDG5).

Our fifth conference aims to explore and spotlight women’s and gender-diverse people’s voices in  music: their physicality and all other manifestations. If you are unsure about the theme of the conference, yet still want to present, please do reach out to us, and we are happy to discuss your ideas further (feel free to email m.potocnik@wlv.ac.uk).

We invite our community to consider submitting:

a. Research Papers: presenters will be given 15 minutes to present a paper in their area of  research, with question time to follow. Presenters should aim to address the broad theme of the conference.

b. Musical Performances: presenters will be given up to 30 minutes to share their  performances with the audiences, together with a narrative on the practice research, linked  to the performance.

c. Workshops: presenters will be given a 90-minute session, in which they will explore their theme, together with the participants of the conference. All proposals should refer to the theme of the conference and practical approaches are encouraged.

d. Poster Presentations: presenters will be show-casing their posters at the conference, whilst given the opportunity to present their posters to all the attendees at the event, during a networking session.

e. Elevator-Pitches: presenters will be given 3 minutes to present one key point from their research. The audience will be given the opportunity to respond to all pitches individually.

Who can join?

The conference will be free to attend, in person at Leeds City Museum (hosted by Leeds Conservatoire) and/or online. The Research Hub follows an inclusive approach to research, where all types of researchers, including practice researchers are included, regardless of their stage of career, or research project. All who are interested in presenting, and do not yet have an F-Listing, should submit their CV, or a short biography (100 words) and:

a. For research paper presentation and musical performances: an abstract of no more than 250 words.
b. For workshops: a brief outline of the idea for the workshop, and its title.
c. For posters and elevator-pitches: the title of the presentation.

Everyone selected for participation, will have to create an F-Listing (free of charge, see here), with the category of ‘Music Researcher.’ To follow the updates regarding the event, including registration once set-up, please follow The F-List social media channels or sign-up to our newsletter.

How to submit and deadline:

All submissions should be sent to Dr Metka Potočnik, m.potocnik@wlv.ac.uk by Tuesday, 3 February 2026. If you have any questions, or you would like some advice on how to participate, you are welcome to email to the same address. We would also like to encourage a range of submissions, especially Musical Performances, as part of practice-based research practices. If you want any advice on how to do this, you are welcome to contact Professor Sophie Daniels directly, sophie.daniels@icmp.ac.uk.

Practical tip:

If you are new to research, but have an idea you wish to explore, do get in touch with us. You may also wish to join our monthly Research Hour with The F-List, where we are continuously exploring research by the members of The F-List Research Hub. For more information, sign to The F-List Newsletter, follow us on socials, or get in touch on the email address above.