Introduction: Theorizing Improvisation (Musically)

During the AMS/SEM/SMT conference in November 2012, the SMT Interest Group on Improvisation and its affiliate group, the SEM Special Interest Group for Improvisation, co-organized a joint session on improvisation studies. Six panelists, two each from AMS, SEM, and SMT, presented position papers on a variety of topics including historical improvisation practices, contingency and stylistic evolution, and the analysis of improvisation. George E. Lewis then delivered a response to the panelists’ papers. Here we present all seven papers as a colloquy.