School of Humanities Postgraduate Studentships 2008/09
The Department of Music at the University of Southampton (UK), together with Opera Rara and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, announce THREE fully-funded collaborative PhD studentships, commencing 1 October 2008.
The studentships form part of a research project ‘Franco-Italian Cultural Transfer: Opera and Song 1800-1850’ (FICTOS). The scope of this project is wide and encompasses the widest spectrum of contact, transfer and exchange between Italy and France and vice-versa in opera and song. Our investigation includes, for example, the transfer of works between languages and genres, the careers of composers and performers, and the investigation of the wider principles of cultural transfer in the context of Franco-Italian operatic cross-fertilisation.
As a successful candidate for one of these awards, you will
· spend about two-thirds of your time at the University of Southampton, where you will research and write a dissertation leading to a PhD in musicology. A vital part of this work will be the edition for performance, recording and future study of a work or group of works from the repertoire with which FICTOS will engage.
· spend a proportion of your time working with Opera Rara at their London offices helping to prepare, and then to assist with the management and supervision of the recordings of works from the repertoire that is the subject of your research. Opera Rara is currently preparing three such projects: Mercadante’s Il reggente, Donizetti’s L’ange de Nisida and Italian Song in Paris. Although we do not necessarily envisage these as sole subjects for dissertations, we do see them as forming part of, for example, of a study of French opera libretti as the source for melodramma, of Donizetti’s work in Paris, or of the reception of Italian musical culture in nineteenth-century France.
We seek student researchers interested in exploring a specific work or repertory that falls within the chronological, geographical and theoretical limits of the project. The successful candidates are likely to have many of the following qualifications:
· a committed interest in opera and its history.
· an excellent (upper second or first class) undergraduate degree in music, or in a cognate subject like modern languages or history.
· a relevant masters degree (under certain circumstances, you may proceed directly from undergraduate to doctoral study if your qualifications and experience are appropriate).
· working knowledge of French and/or Italian. The University of Southampton will provide language training as appropriate as part of your degree programme should you need to deepen your knowledge of either or both of these.
· an interest in, or a willingness to learn about, the latest methods and technologies of editing music.
· an understanding, or a willingness to learn about, of the performance, production, and recording of opera and song today.
PROJECT SUPERVISORS: Prof Mark Everist (m.everist@soton.ac.uk) and Dr Francesco Izzo (f.izzo@soton.ac.uk). Please direct any inquiries in advance of application to either or both.
TO APPLY: Send a covering letter (explaining your interest in the project and how you fit the criteria above) and a CV that includes the names of two referees to:
Dr Thomas Irvine,
Coordinator of Postgraduate Research,
Department of Music,
Buildlng 2,
University of Southampton,
Southampton SO17 1BJ
Telephone: +44 (0)23 8059 5064
Email: t.a.irvine@soton.ac.uk.
Please also arrange for the two letters of reference to be sent to the same address to arrive by the closing date. We will request a sample of written work from shortlisted candidates immediately after the closing date.
THE AWARD: In the 2008-9 academic year, full-time awards will provide a maintenance grant payment of £12,940, plus payment of standard tuition fees. The studentship is available to support three years' full-time work, subject to satisfactory progress, and can be taken on either a full-time or a part-time basis. For further details, please see the AHRC Guide for Applicants for Postgraduate Awards in the Arts and Humanities:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/holders/postgrad/postgraduate_doctoral_scheme.asp.
In addition, you will receive a £1000 stipend p/a from Opera Rara, plus reimbursement of travel expenses from Southampton to their offices in London.
CLOSING DATE: 16 May 2008.
INTERVIEWS: 3 June 2008 (in Southampton)
ELIGIBILITY:
A full award covers both the cost of tuition fees, up to the RCUK maximum, and a maintenance grant. To be eligible for a full award, you must show that you have a relevant connection with the UK, usually through residence. EU Nationals who have been in the UK in full time education for the 3 years prior to the start of the course, for which they are applying for an award, will also be eligible for a full award.
A fees-only award provides payment of tuition fees, up to the RCUK maximum, but not a maintenance grant. To be eligible for a fees-only award, you must have been ordinarily resident in the EU for the three years immediately preceding the start of the academic year in which your course will commence. Fees-only award holders will also eligible to receive the £1000 p/a stipend from Opera Rara and reimbursement of travel expenses from Southampton to London.
All award holders will be eligible for additional funding of expenses like research travel and conference attendance, and the full range of training offered by the University of Southampton School of Humanities.
For further information on the collaborating institutions see:
http://www.soton.ac.uk/music/index.shtml
This research project is supported by the AHRC, which funds postgraduate training and research in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design, music and dance. The quality and range of research supported not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
