What is the current state of music performance studies, how did it reach this point and where is it headed? In this special issue, we offer a comprehensive overview of the field, showcasing how its exponents engage imaginatively and critically with music performance across myriad different artistic contexts and asking how it can address some of the challenges, complexities and uncertainties we face in the twenty-first century. We re-evaluate music’s present place within the wider field of performance studies and explore how it might speak to other constituent arts to enhance and advance future transdisciplinary inquiry.