Music

Program Overview

The PhD in Music at the University of Aberdeen offers research opportunities in composition, performance, ethnomusicology, musicology, music, place and politics, and sound studies. Led by renowned faculty, the program fosters interdisciplinary research and engages in public outreach. Applicants may pursue studies remotely, subject to supervisor approval.

Program Outline

Teaching:

Staff:

• Professor Paul Mealor
• Professor Edward Campbell
• Professor Chris Collins
• Professor Suk-Jun Kim
• Dr Phillip Cooke
• Dr John De Simone
• Dr Jonathan Hicks
• Dr Frances Wilkins
• Dr Matthew Machin-Autenrieth
• Dr Thomas A. McKean

Research Groups and Interdisciplinary:

• Sound Emporium Research Group (SERG)
• Elphinstone Institute
• Past and Present Musical Encounters across the Strait of Gibraltar (MESG)

Other:

Research Interests:

• Composition and Performance: Composition and performance as research (choral, electroacoustic, contemporary ensemble music, traditional music).
• Ethnomusicology: Study of music and culture (specialisms in Spain, North Africa and Europe).
• Musicology: Specialisms in medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as the 19th to 21st centuries.
• Music, Place and Politics: Specialisms include mobility and migration, postcolonial studies, urban history, gender, nationalism and heritage across a range of genres and time periods.
• Sound Studies and Sound Art: Research and creative specialisms in human and non-human sounds and soundscapes.
• Applicants who wish to undertake their studies as Distance Learners will be considered, subject to discussion with an appropriate supervisor.
• The department produces internationally recognised academic and creative outputs with a strong interdisciplinary approach, as well as engaging in public facing activities and impact projects.
• Research at the department is strengthened by a diverse group of PhD students.
• The department also maintains close links with the Elphinstone Institute, especially in the areas of ethnomusicology and traditional music.
• Staff at Aberdeen are internationally renowned in their chosen fields and have books, editions, and articles published in many major journals and publishing houses and are regular contributors to international conferences.
• Their compositions are performed throughout the world and are recorded and broadcast on many radio and TV stations and they have received commissions from groups such as the BBC and Carnegie Hall, New York City.