Schedule at a Glance: 37th International Society for Music Education World Conference (ISME 2026)

Dr. Peretz is a professor of Psychology at the University of Montreal. Dr Peretz’s leadership has been recognized through an endowed Casavant research chair (2004) and a Canada research chair (2007) in neurocognition of music. Both chairs are the first ever dedicated to the field of neuroscience of music worldwide. In 2005, she co-founded the International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), which she directed until June 2018. BRAMS is a unique multi-university consortium that is jointly affiliated to Université de Montréal and McGill University (www.brams.org). 

Dr. Peretz has been awarded several prizes. She is a Member of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Quebec, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, of the American Psychological Association, and now an international member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. 

Her research focuses on the musical potential of ordinary people, its neural correlates, its heritability and its specificity relative to language. She is renowned on the biological foundations of music.

With her team, Dr Peretz has provided evidence that music is an autonomous and complex system, associated with dedicated brain networks that are made up of multiple modules. In addition to her work on music specificity, Dr. Peretz has provided solid evidence on a variety of topics. In particular, she is one of the few experts who showed that everyday singing is as natural as speaking. Currently, she pursues research on singing in both Montreal, Toronto and Melbourne (Australia) because singing is the most widespread musical activity that holds the potential to be a cost-effective source of social and health capital for persons across all ages and of all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

Tenille Townes is a two-time JUNO Award and 17-time CCMA Award-winning artist whose heartfelt storytelling and soulful vocals have earned her international acclaim.

She’s toured alongside icons including Stevie Nicks, Shania Twain, George Strait, and Miranda Lambert, and became the first female artist in Mediabase Canada history to score two No. 1 singles. With global tours across Europe, the UK, and North America, Townes continues to connect deeply through her introspective songwriting and powerful live performances.

Thanks to the massive success of “Jersey on The Wall” and “Somebody’s Daughter” (a song that tells the imagined backstory of an unhoused girl Townes encountered in Nashville), she soon emerged as the first female artist in Mediabase Canada history to score two No. 1 singles, adding to a fast-growing list of triumphs that also included The Lemonade Stand’s winning Country Album of the Year at the 2021 JUNO Awards. Townes seized that coveted prize again with 2022’s Masquerades, a seven-song project revealing her more introspective side on hits like “When’s It Gonna Happen” and its candid account of the aching frustration that sometimes accompanies single life. Later in 2022, she headed overseas and toured all over Europe and the UK, hit the road with country icon George Strait, and capped off the year by embarking on a train trip across Southern Canada—a 3,000-mile trek in which she played 65 shows in 15 days in support of local food banks. The following April, Townes returned with Train Track Worktapes: an EP mostly made up of songs written on the journey and recorded in the train’s caboose.

Beyond her chart success, Tenille is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and youth empowerment. Through her songwriting and public platforms, she has consistently spoken about vulnerability, resilience, and the importance of emotional wellbeing. Her work supports organizations focused on mental health and community care, and she frequently uses her voice to encourage open conversations around identity, self-worth, and healing. Tenille’s commitment to using music as a vehicle for connection and positive change reflects the very spirit of music education — where creativity becomes a tool for empathy, strength, and belonging.

Don't miss her performing at the Toast to Music Education

Professor Huib Schippers is one of the world’s leading scholars on the crossroads of music education, community music, cultural diversity, and sustainability. In over three decades of leadership roles in arts and academia, he first founded the World Music School in Amsterdam (1990-1996) and later the World Music & Dance Centre in Rotterdam (2001-2006).

He also established and led the innovative Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre in Australia (2003-2015) and was Director/Curator of the iconic label Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (2016-2020). Currently, he is Distinguished Changjiang Scholar and Founding Director of the International Centre for Cultural Sustainability at Zhaoqing University in China.

Among over 200 publications from his hand for scholarly and general audiences, most noteworthy are Facing the music: Shaping music education from a global perspective (Oxford University Press, 2010); Sustainable futures for music cultures: An ecological perspective (OUP, 2016) and Music, Communities, Sustainability: Developing policies and practices (OUP, 2022).

Suzie Collier FRAM is an internationally renowned conductor, violinist, and teacher, celebrated for her exceptional musical artistry and ability to inspire musicians and audiences alike. Her recent conducting appearances include directing the Nashville and Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestras, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Philly Pops, and the Britten Sinfonia, in collaboration with special guests such as Jacob Collier, Chris Thile and Take 6. She conducted recording sessions for Jacob Collier’s Grammy-nominated Djesse Vol. 4 album with the Metropole Orkest and for Stormzy’s orchestral version of Firebabe at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios.

As a violinist, Suzie has made guest appearances on Jacob Collier’s shows at the O2, Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, to name but a
few. Through her creative platform Suzie Explores, she hosts immersive retreats for musicians and creatives, and was recently a featured guest at Jacob Collier’s Hideaway Retreat.

She regularly gives masterclasses at leading institutions including the University of Michigan, Berklee Valencia, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Academy of Music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Musicians Institute. Suzie also
hosts the Suzie Explores podcast, in which she has conversations with world-class musicians about music and life, including the late Quincy Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Nicola Benedetti, TwoSet and Steve Vai.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the music profession, Suzie has been made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

Schedule at a Glance

K–12 Sessions and Descriptions

Keynote Speakers