The New Lexicon I.
Philosophy of Music Journalism [research group]
—
RESIDENCY PROGRAMME FOR MUSIC JOURNALISTS, CRITICS, WRITERS, EDITORS, AND RESEARCHERS
[October 2026 – June 2027]
The New Lexicon is a research residency devoted to advancing philosophy of music journalism as a field of inquiry. It convenes practitioners who approach journalism not only as reporting, but as a mode of thought through which musical knowledge, value, authority, experience, and public memory are produced, examined, contested, and reformulated.
Across four online seminars and a culminating public residency, participants will articulate their philosophical premises, develop projects through critical exchange, and contribute to a collective, plural vocabulary for thinking music journalism anew.
—
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
Program period: October 2026–June 2027
Format: Four online seminars followed by an on-site festival phase
On-site location: Bled, Slovenia (EU)
Public presentation: Seventh Bled Contemporary Music Week
Application deadline: September 30, 2026
—
FORMAT
Stage I | Articulation and Presentation | November 4, 5, 2026
Two online seminars introduce participants’ practices, projects, and research questions, with attention to their premises, methods, audiences, and stakes.
Stage II | Critical Inquiry and Development | February 10, 11, 2027
Two online seminars examine the grounds, methods, ethics, and functions of music journalism while establishing trajectories for journalistic and research development.
Stage III | Public Presentation and Exchange | June 14-25, 2027
Participants present their research through lectures and discussions at the seventh Bled Contemporary Music Week in Bled, Slovenia.
–
RESIDENCY OVERVIEW
The New Lexicon is an international research residency dedicated to advancing philosophy of music journalism as a rigorous field of inquiry. It convenes practitioners who understand journalism not only as communication about artists, works, performances, recordings, institutions, and scenes, but also as a mode of thought through which musical knowledge, value, authority, experience, and public memory are produced, examined, contested, and reformulated.
Across four online seminars and a culminating public residency, participants will articulate the philosophical premises of their practices, develop journalistic and research projects through sustained critical dialogue, and contribute to a shared yet plural vocabulary for thinking music journalism anew. The programme considers decisions concerning subject, form, language, evidence, voice, audience, and publication not only as matters of craft or effectiveness, but also as enactments of concepts, values, and public responsibilities.
The residency addresses music journalists, critics, essayists, editors, broadcasters, podcasters, researchers, and other media practitioners whose work raises questions that craft discussion alone cannot resolve. These may concern the relation between words and musical experience; the authority to describe and judge; the status of fact, interpretation, and opinion; the construction of genres, scenes, canons, and publics; the ethics of access and representation; the influence of institutions, markets, technologies, and platforms; or journalism’s role in making musical history. Participants need not share a philosophical tradition, medium, or musical field. What matters is a willingness to examine their assumptions and engage seriously with different positions.
The New Lexicon is neither a conventional writing workshop nor a seminar that applies an established philosophical system to criticism. It is a practice-based research environment in which journalism and philosophy are placed in reciprocal relation. Philosophy offers methods for clarifying concepts, testing claims, and situating practices historically. Music journalism is approached as a distinctive inquiry capable of producing descriptions, judgements, narratives, and public forms of understanding that may transform theoretical language. It asks how journalistic form can create knowledge rather than transmit conclusions already formed by other disciplines.
–
MENTORS
Dr. Alastair White
Urban Megušar, Double M.Mus.
Dr. Niki Zohdi
Dr. Dré A. Hočevar
COORDINATOR
Brina Kren
DATES
MENTORS
PROGRAMME FORMAT
RESEARCH PREMISE
WHY THE NEW LEXICON?
CENTRAL QUESTIONS
WORKING METHOD
PARTICIPANT VALUE
WHO THE PROGRAMME ADDRESSES
TOWARDS MULTIPLE PHILOSOPHIES OF MUSIC JOURNALISM
APPLICATION
APPLICATION FORM AND
PARTICIPATION FEES
The New Lexicon program is produced by .abeceda Institute
.abeceda [Institute for Research in Art, Critical Thought and Philosophy], a public-benefit NGO and non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing contemporary artistic practices and critical inquiry. Through its innovative programmes, .abeceda has gained international recognition as one of the leading platforms for contemporary music and artistic research in the Adriatic region and across Europe: www.abeceda.io