The Second Shandong Province Outstanding Music Theory and Composition Research Awards, held in conjunction with the "Qi–Lu Music Forum" and the Taishan Scholars Academic Exchange Conference, took place successfully at Linyi University from 24 to 26 April. As a high-level provincial academic event, the awards attracted 328 research outputs in music theory and composition from universities and research institutions nationwide. Competition was intense, with only three First Prizes, six Second Prizes, nine Third Prizes, and six Excellence Awards presented in the student category.

Doctoral research projects supervised by Professor Dai Dingcheng, Head of the Arts (Music Studies) Program at the Faculty of Innovation and Design and Director of the Macau Urban Music Research Center, received widespread recognition. The joint paper by Zhang Yaqin and Gao Yang, "Participatory Soundscape and Spatial Negotiation of the Macau Lusophonia Carnival", won the Second Prize in the Student Category. Papers by Yuan Mengmeng, "Beyond Cross-Boundary Expansion: Reconstructing Genre Identity and Forming New Traditions in the Cantonese Opera Film White Snake Legend: Love", and Li Yiping, "From 'Hearing Sounds' to 'Interpreting Meaning': Cognitive Mechanisms and Interpretive Pathways in Cross-Cultural Music Listening", were both awarded Third Prizes. Graduate alumna Dr. Zhang Mengrui received an Excellence Award in the Teacher Category for her research on Qi–Lu music culture during the Qin and Han dynasties, underscoring the program's sustained influence in talent development.

At the opening ceremony on 25 April, keynote speeches were delivered by leading figures in China's music and academic communities, including senior representatives from the Chinese Musicians Association, the Shandong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Linyi University.

During the keynote address session, four distinguished scholars shared insights on current frontiers in music theory and composition. Professor Dai Dingcheng presented a keynote lecture entitled "The Eastward Transmission of Western Music and the Southward Movement of Chinese Music: Musical Traditions and Heritage in Cultural Macau", which systematically examined the historical trajectory and contemporary significance of musical exchange in Macau and received a strong response from the audience.

Award-winning research presentations were held across multiple parallel sessions on 25 and 26 April, covering diverse areas such as composition theory, musical aesthetics, music historiography, and urban music studies. The conference concluded on 26 April with a closing ceremony and awards presentation.

Anchored in Macau's multicultural urban context, the Arts (Music Studies) program of the Faculty of Innovation and Design at City University of Macau continues to advance interdisciplinary music research by integrating theory with practice. These achievements not only reflect the high teaching quality of Professor Dai Dingcheng's academic team, but also demonstrate the University's growing contributions to music scholarship, cultural transmission, and the cultivation of young researchers.