16^th MOISA International Conference

Music in Greek and Roman Antiquity: Memory and Identity

Vilnius, 16–18 June, 2025.

The 16^th MOISA conference aims to explore the connections between music, memory, and identity in Greek and Roman Antiquity. Music played a significant role in maintaining and transmitting cultural memory, enabling people to recall the distant past, both mythological and historical. It allowed the ancients to distinguish between what they regarded as their own and what they attributed to the domain of others. Through rhythmic and metric patterns, along with phonetic nuances, music served as a mnemonic tool, guarding against forgetfulness and facilitating the recollection of the past. Iconographic representations, literary works and realia shed light on the diverse traditions and underlying rationale for the use of specific instruments and practices, such as in warfare, religious rituals, or public performances. The role of music also benefits from exploration in terms of physical memory, including perspectives from medical and physiological studies.

Conference Themes

• Music and Cultural Memory. The role of music in shaping, sustaining, and expressing diverse aspects of cultural memory.
• Musical Traditions and Cultural Identity. Examining how varying preferences for musical instruments, styles, and customs – and the critiques surrounding them – reflect broader cultural identities and their crossroads.
• Music and Memory in Medicine. The role of music in ancient medical practices, particularly its usage as a tool for memory enhancement and healing.
• Religion, Rite and Ceremony. The role of music in religious rites, state ceremonies, and public festivals, emphasising its impact on individual or communal identity; re-examining recollection of the divine realm through a range of diverse testimonies, and connecting these narratives to the memories of human experience.
• Musical Spaces and Performances. The significance of performance venues, both public and private, and their role in shaping cultural memory and identity.
• Transmission of Musical Knowledge. The role of oral and written traditions in the dissemination of musical practices and their influence on memory and identity.
• Legacy of Ancient Music in Shaping Modern Identities. Exploring how the memory of the soundscapes of Greek and Roman Antiquity contributed to shaping modern identities and influenced cultural expressions.

Venues: Vilnius University (Aula Parva), Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (Auditorium)

Conference language: English

Scientific Committee:

Daniela Castaldo (MOISA President, University of Salento, Italy); Šarūnas Šavėla (Vilnius University, Lithuania); Diego Ardoino (Vilnius University, Lithuania); Vilius Bartninkas (Vilnius University, Lithuania); Naglis Kardelis (Vilnius University, Lithuania); Sylvain Perrot (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France); Stelios Psaroudakes (The National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece); Donatella Restani (University of Bologna, Italy); Eleonora Rocconi (University of Pavia, Italy); Alessia Zangrando (University of Bologna, Italy).

Organising Committee: Šarūnas Šavėla (Vilnius University), Daiva Mitrulevičiūtė (The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania), Miglė Miliūnaitė (Lithuanian Culture Research Institute), Matteo Notari (Vilnius University).

More information can be found here: