Music Research

The department has an international reputation for research in Musicology, Ethnomusicology and Composition. We are particularly strong in Western music from the 12th century to the present day, jazz, opera, performance studies, and the musical cultures of the Middle East, South Asia and Brazil. In our PhD programmes in Musicology you will write a thesis of max. 100,000 words and in Composition create a portfolio with technical commentary.

Prospective students are welcome to contact any member of staff whose field of research interests them. Alternatively, Musicology and Ethnomusicology applicants may discuss their plans with the PhD Coordinator Uri Smilansky or the Ethnomusicology Coordinator Martin Stokes. Composers are encouraged in the first instance to contact Professor Silvina Milstein who coordinates the Composition programme.

Joint PhD Opportunities

The joint PhD in Music affords students the opportunity to work with leaders in the fields of Ethnomusicology, Musicology and Composition. We invite applications on any area of research represented by faculty interests. We also draw your attention to areas of overlapping interest among faculty in the departments of Music at King's College London and University of Hong Kong: composition; 19th-century music studies; music and film. Students in the joint PhD programme will benefit from one-to-one supervision with a number of scholars working in their field. The programme also offers them access to the lively intellectual communities in these two world-class centres for music research, as well as to all the cultural riches on offer in the cities of London and Hong Kong.

The Institute for Musical Research at the University of London offers a full and varied programme of training events.