Viña del Mar, January 2025 – On January 9 and 10, Viña del Mar hosted the 4th CMUS Researchers’ Conference, an event organized by the Millennium Nucleus in Musical and Sound Cultures. This academic gathering brought together leading experts on key topics related to music and sound cultures, with a particular focus on contemporary music studies in Chile.

The first day of the event addressed three highly relevant topics: Communities, Territories, and Participation; Education and Heritage; and Economies, Industries, and Cultural Policies. Within this framework, researcher Daniela Fugellie (UAH-CMUS) presented the conference “From University Feminism to Activism at Work: The Chilean Women’s Orchestra (2018-2024),” which delved into the history of this group and its impact on the national music scene.

This was followed by a musical performance by the Alimapu Women’s Orchestra, conducted by Danitza Villarroel, at CENTEX (Extension Center of the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage) in Valparaíso. This event, open to the public, provided an opportunity to appreciate live music and the contributions of women in the musical field.

The Chilean Women’s Orchestra, born out of the feminist student protests of 2018, has evolved into a professional project that promotes the training and learning of women and dissidents, with the aim of highlighting and addressing the job insecurity they experience in the music industry.

The event continued with a panel discussion on the National Music Policy, a key topic for the future of sound arts in the country, before concluding with an activity open to the public: the final exhibition of The School of Listening, concluding this activity from CMUS, an initiative that invited attendees to explore the city of Valparaíso through its sounds. The activity took place at the CEAC Cultural Corporation.

All academic activities took place at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, providing a space for reflection and dialogue on new trends and challenges in the field of music and sound cultures.