On behalf of Kenneth Womack, editor of The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles, I am pleased to announce an international Beatles conference (“It Was 50 Years Ago Today!”: An International Beatles Celebration) organized by Penn State University that will be held at Penn State’s Altoona College campus on February 7-9, 2014, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. In addition to panels and presentations, the conference will include film screenings, musical performances, art and photography exhibits, and keynote addresses by leading Beatles critics and scholars. Tentative speakers include Mark Lewisohn, Walter Everett, Andy Babiuk, and Jude Southerland Kessler. The conference will conclude with a commemorative screening of The Ed Sullivan Show as it was originally broadcast on February 9, 1964.

You are cordially invited to submit abstracts and/or panel suggestions devoted to the life, work, influence, and artistry of the Beatles. Abstracts must include name, contact information, and affiliation and be no more than 300 words in length. Panel submissions must include a panel title along with abstracts from each of the participants. For more details, and submissions, please visit the conference homepage at http://www.altoona.psu.edu/beatles/.


Kenneth Womack, Conference Organizer
Penn State Altoona
3000 Ivyside Park
Altoona, PA 16601
814-949-5750
womack@psu.edu