PhD Studentship: Western Classical Music in Global History: Performance and Musical Trade in the Caribbean in the Long Nineteenth Century

Western Classical Music in Global History: Performance and Musical Trade in the Caribbean in the Long Nineteenth Century

We are inviting applications for a fully funded PhD place, supervised by Dr Joanne Cormac of the University of Nottingham's Music Department, for three years, starting on 1 October 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter. 

The PhD project will explore the performance and reception of Western Classical music in Jamaica and/or Barbados in the long nineteenth century. British colonisers imported Western Classical music to the Caribbean, while enslaved musicians often performed for the entertainment of their enslavers. This PhD project asks how public and private music-making, compositional practice, and conceptions of Western Classical music in the Caribbean were shaped by economic and cultural imperialism, by colonial structures of power and knowledge, and trade within the British Empire. The PhD will draw on colonial newspapers, diaries, and colonial papers to generate substantial new knowledge of the contributions of enslaved and colonised people to the development of Western Classical music.

The successful candidate will join Dr Joanne Cormac’s broader project: The Cultural Legacies of the British Empire: Classical Music’s Colonial History (1750-1900). Being part of the team will offer exciting opportunities for the student to contribute to the project’s work with the heritage sector and education. Project partners include the Legacy Makers community group, the Royal College of Music Museum, English Heritage, and the British Library.

The award is for full-time study for three years. It will cover University of Nottingham home or international fees for three years plus an incremental stipend for each of the three years starting at £20,780 in Year 1. Travel expenses are available up to £9,000 across the three years.

Applicants should have a first degree and an MA in a relevant discipline, such as Music or History. We are committed to welcoming students from different backgrounds to apply, particularly people of Global Majority backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level. Informal inquiries can be sent to joanne.cormac@nottingham.ac.uk.

Funding applications (consisting of a covering letter, research proposal, and CV) should be submitted by email to joanne.cormac@nottingham.ac.uk by 5 pm on 27^th May 2025. The covering letter (no more than 1 side of A4) should outline the applicant’s motivation and relevant experience and include the name of two referees. The project proposal should be 1,000-3,000 words and should include details of how the candidate proposes to shape the project, including research questions, issues, location(s), timeframe, and methodologies. For further information on how to write a research proposal see: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/how-to-apply/research-proposal.aspx

Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be conducted online in mid-June 2025.

Applicants for funding are also required to have applied for the PhD in Music starting on 1^st October 2025, by the funding application deadline of 27^th May 2025 at 5.00pm. Applicants WILL NOT be able to take up their funded place if they haven’t also applied for a place on the PhD Music course. Please follow the link below to apply: 

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