Musical instruments are often displayed in museums. Both the museums and the instruments themselves may serve specific purposes. Displaying these objects reveals only a small part of the truth about these musical instruments, some of which may already be extinct or exist only in museum collections. We welcome contributions on studies of museum concepts, organological details, iconographic presentations, and modern musical instruments, which can vary in shape or include certain features—considerations that also apply to dance patterns. What matters is their originality and relevance in terms of timing. In other contributions to SIMP, we have already seen musical instruments as symbols of nations or nationalities. However, cases where these instruments hold significance for an entire region, beyond a national context, have not yet been thoroughly explored. Some musical instruments no longer exist outside museums but still carry symbolic meaning. Furthermore, iconographic support is often crucial to musical talents. We invite studies of such cases.

The topics identified through discussion are:

• Musical Instruments as Specific Objects in Music and Dance of Southeast Asia
• Musical Instruments and Regional Symbols
• Iconography on Musical Instruments and Musical Talent Support

Keep in mind that we do not have treasurers or special funds to cover any extra costs. If you cannot attend in person, please let us know when submitting your abstract. The intended paper should be fully ready by the time of the joint conference and should be submitted on a USB drive as a slideshow, film, or simple text. Those not attending in person may send their materials to the local organizer two weeks in advance. It will be very difficult to stream the slideshow and arrange live participation. We also record the sessions, so we need your consent. Decisions regarding acceptance or rejection will be made by March 1st. All abstracts can be submitted until 22 February, 2026, to any or all main members of the programme committee, who are the following:

1. Zdravko Blazekovic: zblazekovic@gc.cuny.edu
2. Gisa Jaehnichen: gisajaehnichen@web.de
3. Chu Zhuo: melzhuo@163.com (Chief of the local arrangement committee, her team will communicate the delivery of online materials)
4. Chinthaka P. Meddegoda: chinthaka.pm@vpa.ac.lk
5. Zhang Yu: yukizhang0816@gmail.com

All ICTMD members in good standing will get an extra invitation for the upcoming business meeting.