The 8th International Conference of the Word and Music Association Forum (WMAF), entitled “Sacrum et Profanum in Words and Music,” took place from 21 to 23 May 2026 in Skopje, North Macedonia. The conference was hosted by the School of Foreign Languages at University American College Skopje (UACS) and organized by WMAF Presidents Ivana Trajanoska and Jan Czarnecki.

The event brought together around thirty scholars from Poland, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, North Macedonia, the United States, Türkiye, the Netherlands, Hungary, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, providing a stimulating international and interdisciplinary forum for exploring the complex relationships between words and music.

Over two days of presentations and discussions, participants examined the intersections of the sacred and the profane in literature, music, and other artistic expressions. The conference addressed a wide range of topics, including ritual and performance, mythology and mysticism, secularization, political and cultural crises, and the changing role of spirituality in contemporary societies.

In keeping with the WMAF’s mission, the conference offered a welcoming and collaborative environment for both emerging and established scholars, encouraging intellectual exchange, new perspectives, and opportunities for future research collaborations.

The academic programme was followed by a cultural excursion to Ohrid, offering participants an opportunity to discover one of North Macedonia’s most significant historical and cultural destinations and to continue their conversations in a more informal setting.

The official conference poster was designed by Martina Savin, a student at the School of Architecture and Design at UACS.

The organizers extend their sincere gratitude to all speakers, participants, students, and colleagues who contributed to the success of the conference. Their enthusiasm, scholarly contributions, and engagement made the 8th WMAF Conference a memorable event and further strengthened the international community of scholars working in word and music studies.