Symposium Information

The 26th IKS Symposium will take place on July 31 - August 4, 2023 at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles, California, USA.  The Symposium is a biennial international event, serving as a platform to educate, engage, support and foster connections for aspiring and experienced music educators, ethnomusicologists and musicians internationally.  

This Symposium celebrates 50 years of support for the International Kodály Society, which is active in 34 countries and has Affiliated National Organizations in 16 countries.  The theme for the 2023 Symposium is “Golden Anniversary: Connecting Humanity Through Music.”

List of all IKS Symposia

1st — August 1 to 15, 1973, Holy Names College, Oakland, California

2nd — August 5 to 12, 1975, Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskemét, Hungary

3rd — August 7 to 14, 1977, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada — "Music belongs to everyone"

4th — August 5 to 11, 1979, N.S.W. State Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, Australia

5th — August 2 to 8, 1981, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan — "Music for humanistic life and its education"

6th — August 7 to 14, 1983, Rijksmuziekacademie, Antwerpen, Belgium — "Music, a universal language for all peoples and cultures"

7th — July 17 to 22, 1985, Avery Hill College, London, United Kingdom — "Music in a Multi-cultural Society"

8th — August 2 to 7, 1987, Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskemét, Hungary — "Source and Vitality of Kodály's Music and Educational Ideas"

9th — August 14 to 20, 1989, Ethniki Estia Agion Anargyron, Athens, Greece — "Constant values in the changing world of education — the significance of Kodály's philosophy"

10th — August 11 to 17, 1991, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada — "Toward Universal Music Literacy in the 21st Century"

11th — August 8 to 15, 1993, University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut, USA — "Partners in Artistry"

12th — August 16 to 22, 1995, Cittadella Cristiana, Assisi, Italy — "Music as Poetry — Kodály's genius towards the future"

13th — August 17 to 23, 1997, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines — "East Meets West Through Music: The Universality of Kodály"

14th — August 2 to 6, 1999, Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskemét, Hungary — "Survival and Revival of Kodály's Heritage: Back to the Sources"

15th — August 6 to 11, 2001, Helsinki, Finland — "Kodály: The Human Voice and Instruments"

16th — July 7 to 11, 2003, Newcastle, Australia — "Making Music Together"

17th — August 13 to 20, 2005, Leicester, Great Britain — "Kodály, the whole man, and his inspirational gift to the 21st century"

18th — August 3 to 10, 2007, Columbus, Ohio, USA — "Let All the World in Every Corner Sing"

19th — August 10 to 17, 2009, Katowice, Poland — "On Values of Music"

20th — July 5 to 9, 2011, Brisbane, Australia — "Shared Visions – Connecting with Kodály"

21st — July 29 to August 2, 2013, Kecskemét, Hungary — "Music and music education in the 21st century – global challenges"

22nd — August 3 to 7, 2015, Edinburgh, Scotland — "Singing, singing, singing — The core of musical expression"

23rd — August 8 to 13, 2017, Camrose, Canada — "Singing the circle — Kodály-inspired music education "from birth to adult"

24th — August 5 to 9, 2019, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia — "Embracing a New Era — Nurturing the Kodály Philosophy Around the World"

25th — August 9 to 13, 2021, Katowice, Poland — "Village voices in global harmony" 

26th — July 31 to 4 August, 2023, Los Angeles, CA, USA — "Golden Anniversary: Connecting Humanity Through Music"