4th ISME South Asia Regional Conference
24-26 November, 2023 - Chennai, India
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Bo-Wah Leung
Prof. Bo-Wah Leung is currently Professor of Department of Cultural and Creative Arts, and Director of Research Centre for Transmission of Cantonese Opera at The Education University of Hong Kong. He received the prestigious Musical Rights Award from the International Music Council in 2011 for his leadership in a research project entitled “Collaborative Project on Teaching Cantonese Opera in Schools”. Professor Leung is President of ISME (2022-24), Chair of Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (APSMER), Adjunct Professor of Music at three universities in China, and founding Chief Editor of Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education. He joined the ISME in 1996 and served as Member at Large thrice (2004-06; 2012-14 as executive board member, & 2014-16), co-editor of International Journal of Music Education (2012-18), commissioner and commission chair of MISTEC (2004-10) and Research Commission (2012-18). He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Washington, USA in 2018. Prof. Leung has published his research articles in leading journals including Psychology of Music, International Journal of Music Education, Music Education Research, Arts Education Policy Review, Research Studies in Music Education, International Journal of Community Music, Arts and Humanity in Higher Education and Pedagogy, Culture and Society, and made contributions to various edited volumes. His edited book, titled "Traditional Music's in the Modern World: Transmission, Evolution, and Challenges" (Springer, 2018) reviews the current practices of traditional music's in various cultures of all continents, and examines the impact and significant of traditional music's in the modern world. Another edited volume, "Creative Arts in Education and Culture: Perspectives from Greater China" (co-edited with Samuel Leong, Springer, 2013) features the development of creative arts in the transforming region influencing the globe. Prof. Bo-Wah Leung is the current ISME President (2022-2024).
Prof. Graham Welch
Prof. Graham Welch PhD is Established Chair of Music Education at the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education (formerly University of London) since 2001. He is a Past President of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) (2008-2014) and elected Chair of the Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE). He holds Visiting Professorships at universities in the UK and overseas, and is a former member of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Review College for Music (2007-2015). Publications number approximately four hundred. These include lead editorship of a large Routledge music book series, an updated Oxford Handbook of Music Education (2018, five volumes, with Gary MacPherson), the Oxford Handbook of Singing (2019, with David Howard and John Nix), a new OUP Handbook on early years and music to be published in 2023 (with Margaret Barrett), and four books for Routledge with colleagues, including three in 2020 and 2021. Key research themes embrace musical development, music education, teacher education, the psychology of music, singing and voice science, and music in special education and disability.
Dr. S. Sowmya
Vidushi (Dr.) S. Sowmya is one of the world’s leading exponents of the Carnatic (South Indian classical) tradition of vocal music. She is reputed for her deeply classical style and for her large repertoire spanning a wide spectrum of composers, including some of the rarest works of the Carnatic Trinity. She is also a passionate promoter and practitioner of Tamizh Isai – the ancient classical and folk music traditions of Tamil Nadu. Dr. Sowmya is a fine exponent of the Saraswati Vina, one of the world’s oldest musical instruments. She is known for her path-breaking research work in enhancing the tonal stability of the mridangam, the pre-eminent percussion instrument in South Indian music. She is currently the Vice Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Music & Fine Arts University and a visiting Professor at The Music Academy, Madras.
She is the recipient of several prestigious awards & titles, including the Madras Music Academy’s Sangita Kalanidhi in 2019 and the Isai Perarignar from the Tamizh Isai Sangam in 2022. The Sangita Kalanidhi is widely acclaimed as the highest honour in Carnatic Music. Dr. Sowmya is the second youngest woman after Smt. M. L. Vasanthakumari to be decorated with these two titles. In addition to being an accomplished musician, Dr. Sowmya also has excellent academic credentials. She earned her Ph. D. degree in 2012 from the University of Madras for her research on the physical characteristics of the Mridangam, a work that combined music and science. Holding Master’s degrees in both Chemistry and Indian Music, she was a top-ranked scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and the University of Madras.
She is the recipient of several prestigious awards & titles, including the Madras Music Academy’s Sangita Kalanidhi in 2019 and the Isai Perarignar from the Tamizh Isai Sangam in 2022. The Sangita Kalanidhi is widely acclaimed as the highest honour in Carnatic Music. Dr. Sowmya is the second youngest woman after Smt. M. L. Vasanthakumari to be decorated with these two titles. In addition to being an accomplished musician, Dr. Sowmya also has excellent academic credentials. She earned her Ph. D. degree in 2012 from the University of Madras for her research on the physical characteristics of the Mridangam, a work that combined music and science. Holding Master’s degrees in both Chemistry and Indian Music, she was a top-ranked scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and the University of Madras.
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