Narratives – whether historical, political, or musical; whether fact or fiction – are inextricably bound to the ways we experience the world, and the art that translates these experiences.

In the decade since we began hosting the triennial Performers(‘) Present symposium, artistic research has been undergoing rapid and ground-shifting transformations, with the performer’s voice becoming ever more present. As with our previous symposia, Telling Stories seeks to address and evolve the kaleidoscopic issues facing 21st-century performers, as they reflect on their practice in the context of significant shifts in politics, communications and technology, and performance practice.

As musicians and performer-scholars, we tell stories. Whether in communicating through a musical narrative, through a performative act, or researching and reflecting upon the process of practising and concertising, the story is the central medium. Oxford tells us that the definitions of ‘story’ include: an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment; a false statement or lie; an account of past events in someone’s life or in the development of something; a particular person’s representation of the facts of a matter; the facts about the present situation.