# International Council for Traditional Music

The International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) is a scholarly non-governmental organization which focuses on the study, practice, documentation, preservation, and dissemination of traditional music and dance of all countries. Founded in London on September 22, 1947, it publishes the Yearbook for Traditional Music once a year and the Bulletin of the ICTM three times a year. The organization was previously known as The International Folk Music Council (IFMC). In 1949, it helped found the UNESCO International Music Council and remains a non-governmental organization in formal consultative relations with UNESCO.
As a non-governmental organization in formal consultative relations with UNESCO and by means of its wide international representation and the activities of its Study Groups, the International Council for Traditional Music acts as a bond among peoples of different cultures and thus contributes to the peace of humankind.

## Conferences

ICTM conferences have been held since 1948 and are presently biennial. In 2009, the site of the ICTM World Conference was Durban, South Africa, in 2011 it was St. John's Newfoundland, in 2013 Shanghai, China, in 2015 Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2017 Limerick, Ireland, and in 2019 it was in Bangkok, Thailand. The 2021 conference was postponed until July 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 47th ICTM World Conference was held between July 13, 2023 and July 19, 2023 at the ultra-modern Cedi Conference Center University of Ghana, Legon.
| # | Conf. | Time | Location | Host institution |
| 47 | ICTM | 13–27 July 2023 | Legon Accra Ghana | The Cedi Conference Center, University of Ghana, Legon |
| 46 | ICTM | 21–27 July 2022 | Lisbon Portugal | NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon (NOVA-FCSH) |
| 45 | ICTM | 11–17 July 2019 | Bangkok Thailand | Chulalongkorn University |
| 44 | ICTM | 13–19 July 2017 | Limerick Ireland | Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick |
| 43 | ICTM | 16–22 July 2015 | Astana Kazakhstan | Kazakh National University of Arts |
| 42 | ICTM | 11–17 July 2013 | Shanghai China | Shanghai Conservatory of Music |
| 41 | ICTM | 13–19 July 2011 | St. John's Canada | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
| 40 | ICTM | 1–8 July 2009 | Durban South Africa | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| 39 | ICTM | 4–11 July 2007 | Vienna Austria | Austria ICTM National Committee and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, in partnership with the Institute of Musicology at Vienna University, the Phonogrammarchiv of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and the Austrian Commission for UNESCO |
| 38 | ICTM | 3–10 August 2005 | Sheffield United Kingdom | University of Sheffield |
| 37 | ICTM | 4–11 January 2004 | Fuzhou & Quanzhou China | Fujian Normal University & Quanzhou Normal University |
| 36 | ICTM | 4–11 July 2001 | Rio de Janeiro Brazil | School of Music, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), and Conservatório Brasileiro de Música (CBM) |
| 35 | ICTM | 19–25 August 1999 | Hiroshima Japan | ICTM National Committee for Japan, The Society for Research in Asiatic Music, Tôyô Ongaku Gakkai, in cooperation with Hiroshima City University, Hiroshima University, and the Elizabeth Music College |
| 34 | ICTM | 25 June – 1 July 1997 | Nitra Slovakia | Institute of Musicology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava |
| 33 | ICTM | 5–11 January 1995 | Canberra Australia | Canberra School of Music, Australian National University |
| 32 | ICTM | 16–22 June 1993 | Berlin Germany | International Institute for Traditional Music |
| 31 | ICTM | 3–9 July 1991 | Kowloon Hong Kong | |
| 30 | ICTM | 23–30 July 1989 | Schladming Austria | |
| 29 | ICTM | 30 July – 6 August 1987 | Berlin East Germany | |
| 28 | ICTM | 30 July – 7 August 1985 | Stockholm Sweden & Helsinki Finland | |
| 27 | ICTM | 8–15 August 1983 | New York United States | Columbia University |
| 26 | IFMC | 25 August – 1 September 1981 | Seoul Korea | |
| 25 | IFMC | 28 July – 4 August 1979 | Oslo Norway | |
| 24 | IFMC | 13–18 August 1977 | Honolulu United States | University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| 23 | IFMC | 14–21 August 1975 | Regensburg Germany | University of Regensburg |
| 22 | IFMC | 26 July – 1 August 1973 | Bayonne France | |
| 21 | IFMC | 27 August – 3 September 1971 | Kingston Jamaica | |
| 20 | IFMC | 6–13 August 1969 | Edinburgh United Kingdom | |
| 19 | IFMC | 28 July – 3 August 1967 | Ostend Belgium | |
| 18 | IFMC | 26 July – 3 August 1966 | Legon Accra Ghana | |
| 17 | IFMC | 17–25 August 1964 | Budapest Hungary | |
| 16 | IFMC | 5–9 August 1963 | Jerusalem Israel | |
| 15 | IFMC | 13–21 July 1962 | Gottwaldov Czechoslovakia, now Zlín Czech Republic | |
| 14 | IFMC | 28 Aug – 3 September 1961 | Québec Canada | |
| 13 | IFMC | 24–29 July 1960 | Vienna Austria | |
| 12 | IFMC | 11–17 August 1959 | Sinaia & Bucharest Romania | |
| 11 | IFMC | 28 Jul – 3 August 1958 | Liège Belgium | |
| 10 | IFMC | 22–27 August 1957 | Copenhagen Denmark | |
| 9 | IFMC | 25–31 July 1956 | Trossingen & Stuttgart Germany | |
| 8 | IFMC | 29 June – 5 July 1955 | Oslo Norway | |
| 7 | IFMC | 16–22 August 1954 | São Paulo Brazil | |
| 6 | IFMC | 9–15 July 1953 | Biarritz France & Pamplona Spain | |
| 5 | IFMC | 14–19 July 1952 | London United Kingdom | |
| 4 | IFMC | 8–14 September 1951 | Opatija Yugoslavia | Unions of Societies for Culture and Education of Yugoslavia. |
| 3 | IFMC | 17–21 July 1950 | Bloomington United States | |
| 2 | IFMC | 7–11 September 1949 | Venice Italy | Ente Nazionale Assistenza Lavoratori — Comitato Italiano Arti e Tradizioni Popolari |
| 1 | IFMC | 13–18 September 1948 | Basel Switzerland | Société Suisse des Traditions Populaires and the Fédération des Costumes Suisses |

## Publications

* Yearbook for Traditional Music (originally known as the Journal of the International Folk Music Council from 1949–1958)
* Bulletin of the ICTM (originally known as Bulletin of the IFMC)

## World Network

The Council is represented by individuals, called Liaison Officers, and representatives of organisations, called National and Regional Committees. They all act as links between the Council and the community of individuals and organizations involved with traditional music and dance in their country or region.
As of January 2019, the International Council for Traditional Music is officially represented in 129 countries or regions.

## Presidents

* Svanibor Pettan (2021–2025)
* Salwa El-Shawan Castelo-Branco (2013–2021)
* Adrienne L. Kaeppler (2005–2013)
* Krister Malm (1999–2005)
* Anthony Seeger (1997–1999)
* Erich Stockmann (1982–1997)
* Poul Rovsing Olsen (1977–1982)
* Klaus P. Wachsmann (1973–1977)
* Willard Rhodes (1967–1973)
* Maud Karpeles, Honorary President (1963–1976)
* Zoltán Kodály (1961–1967)
* Jaap Kunst (1959–1960)
* Ralph Vaughan Williams (1947–1958)