Timbre and Orchestration in Popular Song (TOPS) is a three-day conference hosted by McGill University and the ACTOR (Analysis, Creation and Teaching of Orchestration) Partnership.

The conference features keynote presentations by Nina Sun Eidsheim (UCLA) and Kevin Holt (Stony Brook University), and workshops by Lindsey Reymore (Arizona State University), Nicole Biamonte (McGill University), Claire McLeish (Third Side Music), and Megan Lavengood (George Mason University). The TOPS schedule overlaps with the ACTOR's third annual Timbre and Orchestration Summer School (June 3–7), which is designed for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, and early-career researchers.

June 5–7, 2025

Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montréal QC, Canada

Conference co-chairs: Nicole Biamonte and Ben Duinker