About the Polyfon conference

The Polyfon conference is an annual meeting place for knowledge exchange, sharing experiences, inspiration, idea development and discussion. The conference takes place over two days. The first day brings participants together for a joint conference programme with keynote sessions and parallel presentations. The second day is devoted to seminars, where different professional fields and networks meet in parallel for learning, discussion and exchange of experiences.

Key resources

Polyfon conference 2026

How does the Norwegian music therapy landscape look today in light of local and national opportunities and challenges? Does music therapy contribute to community building and cultural preparedness? Does music therapy make a difference in addressing society's health challenges? And to what extent does Norwegian music therapy reflect the diversity of our society?

Read more about the Polyfon conference 2026 Register for the Polyfon conference 2026: Part I

Who is it for?

The Polyfon conference takes place every November. It brings together students, researchers, service users, practitioners and leaders from across the field. Participation is free for people affiliated with one of Polyfon's participating organisations.

What happens at the conference?

The conference is interdisciplinary and lasts two or three days (see this year's programme). The programme includes:

Conference day, featuring keynote sessions, a poster exhibition and parallel sessions with presentations, workshops, round-table discussions and networking opportunities. Musical performances are, of course, also part of the programme. Contributions draw on research, practice experience and lived experience.
Seminar day, with a range of seminars initiated and organised by Polyfon's participating organisations.
Concert, organised in collaboration with Gjenklang, GAMUT and the Norwegian Association for Music Therapy.
Working group and network meetings (in some years held on the same day as the seminar day; please contact us for details).

Would you like to contribute?

The call for contributions is published each spring, with a submission deadline in May or June. Poster presentations often have an extended deadline.

Please follow Polyfon's abstract guidelines when preparing and submitting your contribution.

See the guidelines for abstracts.

Themes of previous conferences

Each conference has its own theme:

2017: Music therapy throughout life: from prevention to recovery
2018: Music therapy and collaboration
2019: Service user involvement in music therapy
2020: Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021: Pathways to new practice: music therapy and implementation
2022: Music, meaning and medication
2023: Meaningful health work in changing times
2024: Why music? In everyday life and clinical practice
2025: Music across boundaries: 10 years of Polyfon – what next?
2026: The music therapy landscape?

If you have suggestions for themes or perspectives for future conferences, please email polyfon@uib.no.

Last updated: 08.10.2026