BOOKING is now open for the annual conference of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the UK’s professional body for performers, composers and music teachers. The musicians will meet at the Palace Hotel in Buxton, Derbyshire, on 8-11 April.

The theme of the 2008 conference is ‘Commanding Performance’. The keynote speech will be given by Sir John Tusa, the former managing director of the Barbican Centre in London, and an outspoken critic of state intervention in the arts. Tusa, who recently took the independent chair of the Conservative Party’s Arts Taskforce, will address the issue in his speech on Tuesday 8 April called ‘State of the Arts; Arts of the State’.

Also on 8 April, the pianist David Owen Norris will discuss whether performers should aim to ‘Surprise or Satisfy’ their audiences, while sociologist Professor Frank Furedi of the University of Kent will ask ‘Is there a place for Truth in Music?’

The ISM welcomes the poet and critic James Fenton on Wednesday 9 April: he will explore the relationship between sounds and symbols – both in music and words.

There will be plenty of live music throughout the week, too, with performances from the tenor Mark Padmore, lute player Liz Kenny, and the ISM’s outgoing President – and 2008 conference chairman – the distinguished accompanist Roger Vignoles. Students from Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester will also perform.

In an eclectic evening on 9 April, participants will sing Choral Evensong at St John’s Church before visiting Buxton Opera House to see a production of the comedy ‘Doctor in the House’.

On the conference’s final evening, the musicians will enjoy a private tour of Chatsworth House, which is also the spectacular setting for the closing reception and annual dinner. Music historian Roderick Swanston will then take over as ISM President for 2008-09.