Advancing music research.

The School of Music is a leader in music scholarship, from music theory to ethnomusicology. Faculty contribute actively to all aspects of music research, and support students develop their research interests.

Research Spotlight

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Honour Dr. Bob Pritchard and Dr. Keith Hamel’s Legacy

 
This new award in music technology and new media will provide students with the incentive to explore bold ideas, take creative risks, and shape the future of music and performance.

Alberta composer looks to Indigenous culture for composition, Controlled Burn

 
UBC Music Alum Cris Derksen’s (BMus'07) composition, "Controlled Burn" begins with a “col legno” passage, which is when the strings are hit by the wood back of the bow. For the Cree composer, the “crackly sound” is meant to emulate nature.

Music and Disability Studies Q & A with Dr. Anabel Maler, Professor of Music Theory

 
"I’d like to suggest that songs like River Song reveal that music can be better defined as organized movement, rather than organized sound. How might this change our understanding of musical expression? What does it mean for movement to become musical?" ~ Dr. Anabel Maler
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Areas of Study

Areas of Study

Faculty
Explore the profiles of our faculty members, their achievements, publications and current initiatives.
Graduate Students
Learn more about our graduate students and their research areas, interests and performances.
Woodwind, Brass & Percussion

French Reflections, vol. VII: Renascence (2024)

Featured UBC Faculty Artist: Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet Label: Music@Menlo LIVE Featured Tracks: 4-11- Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Olivier Messaien…

Woodwind, Brass & Percussion

French Reflections, vol. VI: Vocal Exchange (2024)

Featured UBC Faculty Artist: Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet Label: Music@Menlo LIVE Featured Tracks: 2,3,4,5- Selected Preludes for Clarinet and Piano by Aleksandr Scriabin;…

Woodwind, Brass & Percussion

French Reflections, vol. IV: Trios and Trumpets (2024)

Featured UBC Faculty Artist: Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet Label: Music@Menlo LIVE Featured Tracks: 1,2,3- Trio in E-flat major for Piano, Clarinet, and Viola,…

Woodwind, Brass & Percussion

French Reflections, vol. III: Quartets and Harps (2024)

Featured UBC Faculty Artist: Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet Label: Music@Menlo LIVE Featured Tracks: 4,5,6- Octet for Two Clarinets, Harp, String Quartet, and Bass…

Featured Publications & Productions

Musicology

Entangled Histories: Opera and Cultural Exchange Between Vienna and the Italian States After Napoleon

Author: Claudio Vellutini Publication details: Oxford University Press Weblink: doi.org/10.1093/9780197656594.001.0001   Abstract: Entangled Histories discusses the role of opera in the…

Music Theory

The Influence of Dissonance on Listeners’ Perceived Emotions in Rhythmically Complex Musical Excerpts Copy

Author: Poudrier, Ève & Daniel Shanahan Publication details: Journal of New Music Research, Volume 52, Issue 5 Weblink: doi.org/10.1080/09298215.2025.2453697 Abstract:…

Musicology

Space fantasy: Nagaoka Shusei's contributions to Afrofuturist visual culture

Author: Nathan Hesselink Publication details: Hesselink, Nathan. 2024. “ Space Fantasy: Nagaoka Shusei's Contributions to Afrofuturist Visual Culture.” The Journal of American Culture 00(0): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/jacc.13598.