The following Stellenbosch Congress Diary is by Risa de Rege (Toronto, Canada):
There are conferences, and then there is the IAML 2024 Congress in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
From the food and drinks (wine from local vineyards!) to the unbeatable energy of the welcome concert, not to mention the incredible work being done by music librarians around the globe, IAML gave me an unforgettable experience that I am forever grateful for. As a recipient of the Liesbeth Hoedemaeker-Cohen Fund & The H. Robert Cohen / RIPM Fund for IAML Congress Travel, I was honoured to have the experience of presenting during the poster session, where I discussed a piece of South African sheet music in the collections of the University of Toronto, where I have studied and worked for several years. To present my work alongside research on anti-apartheid protest songs, cyphers in the letters of Mozart, and digital archives of player piano music was a highlight of my career, as early as it may be.
Poster Day
It was a joy to find that there was so much more to IAML than the conference, too. From the charity arts and crafts sale to the field trips to the instant camaraderie, I never felt more certain that music librarians are the people to be around. There was such a welcoming environment with no pretension: everyone was excited to be there. And how could they not? Stellenbosch, even in the mild South African winter, was the place to be. From the architecture to the plants to the mountains, I cannot wait to return to the Western Cape for further adventures, and I look forward to future IAML offerings, which will doubtless be a blast!
The Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden
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