By Trevor Wiggins

Society for Ethnomusicology meetings tend to be large, and this year’s gathering in Los Angeles (11-14 November 2010) was vying to be the largest yet with around 1200 delegates. Within the welter of up to nine parallel sessions at any time, various interest groups (such as those focusing on African music, Music Education, Medical or Historical Ethnomusicology) arrange meetings shoehorned into spaces in the timetable, often when delegates are most desperate to revive themselves with a drink and/or some food. By far the largest and most successful meeting this year was the British Forum for Ethnomusicology High Tea Party at 5.30 on 12th November. Organising the event with the hotel took Ruth Hellier-Tinoco around 7 months and over 100 emails (don’t ask for the details) and even then various members of the BFE smuggled packets of English biscuits into the USA to authentically supplement the menu. Although we had catered for 80+ delegates sharing our tea, the space was packed and overflowed into the lobby, with more people attracted by both the noise of conversation and the traditional English ‘Palm Court Orchestra’ music we played to support our ironic take on the ‘tea party’ (with its USA meanings as well). Having pulled in at least double the number of attendees of any other interest group meetings, Chair Caroline Bithell was able to plug the serious side of the gathering, making our international colleagues more aware of the work that the BFE does—and making sure they knew what the acronym really stands for and there is also an online usage to describe something wacky and out of sight as ‘Beyond F****** Egypt.’ Trevor Wiggins was also able to plug the next annual conference in Falmouth and show the conference website. The event was very successful in raising our profile—the tea and cakes certainly helped—so there are plans to consider a similar event next year in Pennsylvania. Anyone for tea?