Dr. Rahab Njeri, Änne-Marthe Kühn & Leyla Ercan, Hugo Miguel de Rodas Sanchez, Jorge Silva, Dunya Verwey

10:00-10:30 “Colonial Shadows: Toward a Decolonial Future?” Dr. Rahab Njeri, Universität Köln The close links between aesthetics and colonial heritage are often overlooked. This lecture explores decolonial approaches to reclaiming artistic spaces. Decolonial aesthetics questions colonial constructs through a focus on marginalised voices and non-Western, pre-colonial, indigenous forms of art and knowledge. It also highlights their potential for a liberating practice. 10:30–11:00 ”Diversity and Sensitivity Reading: A Practical Approach to Problematic Content in Opera and Oratorio” Leyla Ercan & Änne-Marthe Kühn, Critical Classics How can we identify and address problematic content —often with roots in colonialism—in historical libretti? Various approaches to dealing with racism, exoticism, and sexism will be proposed following the work of Critical Classics and their editions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Bach’s St. John Passion. Critical Classics has taken the initiative to develop discrimination-free editions of operas, operettas, and oratorios. It is the goal of its interdisciplinary team to raise awareness about discriminatory language in opera libretti and to foster a discussion on how to engage with their problematic content. 11:00–11:30 ”Transculturation of Sound: Music and Colonialism in Colonial Hispanic America” Hugo Miguel de Rodas Sanchez The Spanish colonial period from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century saw the emergence of musical practices and traditions, as well as new ways of understanding and creating music, many of which persist to this day. This presentation examines these developments and advocates for a critical approach to the topic of colonialism and music in Latin America, incorporating perspectives not only from musicology but also from ethnomusicology, anthropology, and history. 12:00–12:30 ”Origins of Dances: Colonial Narrative in Early Music Dance” Jorge Silva This lecture explores the origins of certain early modern dances and examines how they were appropriated and transformed to fit the narrative of colonial states and their court societies. Dances such as the saraband, which originated as a sensual, fast dance invoking the goddess of fertility, evolved into a slow, contemplative dance. Similarly, the gigue (or jig) is now considered to be a quintessentially English dance, despite its connections to—and possible origins in—the canario and the Canary Islands. 12:30-13:00 ”Beyond the Canon towards Inclusive Early Music: From Silenced Voices to Shared Stages” Dunya Verwey A practice-based reflection on decolonising early music,through the projects Beethoven is Black and Bigi Kaaiman. We explore how shared history and oral traditions challenge structural exclusion and open space for equal dialogue across genres. With a short video and closing thoughts on breaking down boundaries in music. 13.00 – 14.00 Collective Round-Table with Dr. Rahab Njeri, Leyla Ercan, Änne-Marthe Kühn, Hugo Miguel de Rodas Sanchez, Jorge Silva & Dunya Verwey Where are the connections and points of intersection between the different topics and fields? What can we learn from each other? Which insights can we take with us for future practice in early music?