Dr Shzr Ee Tan recently delivered the eighth keynote lecture of her career at the Akademie Zweite Moderne (Academy Second Modernism), part of the internationally renowned Wiener Festwochen.

Academy Second Modernism 2026; global visibility of womxn composers

Presented as part of the academy's June 2026 summit, Considering Appropriation (Über kulturelle Aneignung nachdenken), her keynote, Borrowed Sounds, Shared Worlds, was followed by a public conversation with Ulrike Hartung.

Drawing on her expertise in ethnomusicology and her own intercultural research and creative practice, Dr Tan explored the complex relationship between creative inspiration and cultural appropriation. She examined how musicians can engage with musical traditions beyond their own in ways that foster curiosity and artistic freedom, while remaining attentive to context, attribution, unequal power dynamics, and responsibilities towards source communities. At the heart of her keynote was the proposition that while borrowed sounds may be inevitable, genuinely shared musical worlds must be consciously created.

Alongside her keynote, Dr Tan introduced and moderated the festival's two No More Excuses (Keine Ausreden mehr) concerts, celebrating the work of women composers. The programmes featured music by Nyokabi Kariũki, Tania León, Elaine Mitchener, Bára Gísladóttir, Ailís Ní Ríain, Imsu Choi, Sofia Jernberg, Anna Korsun, Keiko Abe, Nicole Lizée, and Katarina Gryvul. Together, the concerts opened conversations around cultural identity, participation, and the diverse sounds shaping a global musical modernity.