Opera North
Opera North is the leading producer of large-scale opera in the north of England. In 2006, the University of Leeds and Opera North entered a formal partnership. The AHRC collaborative project (2 PhD studentships over 4 years) is concerned with the interaction between the two major components of opera - words and music - centring on the adaptation process. Research will encompass the study of practice (both historical and contemporary) in operatic production, underpinned by theory and major debates in the fields of opera and adaptation studies. Ideally, it will juxtapose musical and textual dramaturgy in order to assess an operatic work as a totality.
PhD 2: working title: Adaptation, Source, and Musical Realisation, to start Oct 2008
This project will investigate the relationship between the composer and the source/libretto/librettist. Research questions may consider musical and textual adaptations that result from creative intersections that occur between composer and source, composer and librettist, composer and libretto. This may encompass historical, institutional, and documentary studies, including research into commissioned works. Conventional and practice-led applications are welcome. The project will be supervised by Richard Farnes (Music Director, Opera North), Dr Rachel Cowgill (School of Music) and Dr Kara McKechnie (School of PCI).
The following working questions could contribute towards the research project: What are the essential features of successful collaboration between composer and librettist? How does musical structure and dramaturgy respond to literary structure and narrative style of both source and libretto? How do ideas of narrative or literary voice relate to musical voice and characterisation?
Other foci of the project could be:
• work centring on the emergence of the score for a new opera
• the working relationship between a particular author/librettist and composer
• the working practices of a composer who produces/adapts his/her own libretto
• a series of operas produced by a composer working with various authors/librettists
• settings of the same libretto, or libretti based on the same source(s) by different composers
Inquiries may be directed to Dr Kara McKechnie, email k.mckechnie@leeds.ac.uk
Application forms and further details are available from Linda Smith, School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK, email pculs@leeds.ac.uk tel +44 (0)113 343 8713.
Closing date 21 April 2008 Interviews will take place between 12 and the 17 of May
Click here for Employer Profile
