The POP Symposium is POP Montreal’s artist-driven take on the music conference. Focusing on the relationships between music, art, culture, and creativity at large, the Symposium presents a series of open conversations, panels, round-table discussions, workshops and keynotes encouraging our community to build movements, collaborate and develop new creative approaches.

Bringing together a range of the most interesting and important figures associated with music, in the broadest sense, the conference offers intimate access to the most crucial ideas, tensions and forces at the heart of today’s music world.

Past Highlights

2016
• John Cale
• Wally Badarou
• Rough Trade Records
• Susan Rogers
• Hennesy Youngman
• Producing Change with Foxtrott, Meryem Saci and APigeon
• Groundbreakers LIVE with Joe Namy and Sundus Abdul Hadi at the CCA
• DAIS creates with Sol Guy and Gavin Sheppard
• Combat Jack Show LIVE at Artgang
• Cookin’ Beats with High Klassified

2015
• “We Are the Medium” conversation between B+ and Coleman of the collective Mochilla
• A conversation with Jean Grae
• The first edition of POP Arcade presented by Miscellaneum Studios, Heroes Never Lose and Multijoueur
• A conversation with Andy Kim

2014
• Recording workshop with Steve Albini
• Talk on quality of music recording with Jonathan Sterne and George Massenburg
• Artist talk with Phil Collins and Damon & Naomi
• A conversation with Danny Goldberg
Special events: • A cooking workshop with Steve Albini

2013
• Artist’s Talk with Dan Graham
• A conversation between Glen O’Brien and Andrew “Noz” Nosnitsky, in collaboration with the SBC Gallery.
• A conversation with Tony Visconti
• A conversation with King Yellowman discussing How to Write a Love Letta

2012
• A conversation between David Byrne and Win Butler
• Artists’ talk with Cory Arcangel, Howie Chen and Alan Licht
• A conversation between Venus X and Bear Witness
• A conversation between Jeannette Lee and Vivien Goldman
• A panel discussion with Vincent Morisset, Damian Taylor, Melissa Weigel (Moment Factory) and Navid Navab

2011
• A conversation with Seymour Stein
• A conversation with The Raincoats
• A conversation between Tim Hecker and Grimes
• Art Spiegelman’s What the %&! Happened toComics?, in collaboration with the SBC Gallery.