TWO OPEN POSITIONS IN MUSICAL PERFORMANCE AND INTERPRETATION for Doctoral Students in Artistic Resea

Om jobbet

The University of Gothenburg tackles society's challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

The Artistic Faculty comprises two departments: HDK-Valand - Academy of Art and Design and the Academy of Music and Drama. As a faculty that unites art and learning, we are an independent, visionary and critical force in the necessary work of creating a more open and sustainable society.

Read more about the Academy of Music and Drama here: www.gu.se/en/music-drama

About REM@KE and the open doctoral positions

REM@KE is a 6-year interdisciplinary program funded by the Synergy platform of the European Research Council with a start date of September 1, 2025. Within the project we will attempt to build new bridges between performance research, keyboard organology, and cognitive sciences. Using micro-historical studies of four specific keyboard instruments from the Renaissance to the Romantic period we will make new models of documentation, performance practice, and communication involving senior researchers, doctoral students, museum professionals, performers, builders, and new audiences. The researchers responsible for the project are principal investigators Joel Speerstra (Göteborg), Massimiliano Guido (Pavia), and Andrea Schiavio (York). Some of the topic areas REM@KE will address include:

• Forgotten performance histories
• Economic histories of keyboard cultures
• History of material cultures and craftsmanship
• Local cross-European and global networks
• Makers, workshops, and cultures of patronage
• Music as a maker's art including composition a mente and a penne.

We are seekingtwo doctoral studentsbased at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg to join the other doctoral students within the REM@KE project (three in keyboard organology in Pavia, and two in cognitive sciences in York) who will work with one or more of the four instrument types in focus: the bentside spinets of Girolamo Zenti, the harpsichords of Christian Zell, the combination instruments of Johann Andreas Stein, and the Chopin pianinos of Pleyel et Cie. We are seeking to fill both positions at once, and will be looking for two candidates with complementary expertise, and therefore expertise in all four areas is not required or even expected from the candidate. As a researcher you will be part of a larger multi-disciplinary research project and the research will be planned in coordination with the project leaders and must contribute to the research goals of the project. The applicant will also be expected able to travel for conferences and research trips.

The two doctoral students in the project will conduct research of their own design related to topics within the research program. These might include:

• In the Zenti project
  Early Italian keyboard repertoire; Pasquini and the partimento tradition; continuo performance, music history around the courts of Queen Christina in Stockholm and Rome, as well as Zenti's reception in the courts of London and Paris.
• In the Zell project
  Technique and performance practice within the Bach school; connections between clavichord, harpsichord and organ technique, keyboard culture in central and northern Europe in the first half of the eighteenth century.
• In the Stein project
  Fortepiano performance practice; claviorgans, their history and use; the Viennese keyboard tradition around the Mozart family.
• In the Pleyel pianino project
  Piano performance and technique from the first half of the nineteenth century; performance issues engaging Chopin's works; the development of French pianism.

Duties

The studies comprise 240 credits, which is equivalent to four years of full-time study. The education consists of a course component of 60 credits and a dissertation component of 180 credits. The course part is organized through compulsory faculty-wide basic courses, a compulsory subject-specific introductory course and individually chosen courses. In addition, there are compulsory doctoral seminars at the department.

As a doctoral student, you will be part of the collegiate of Music at the Academy of Music and Drama and you are expected to interact with the education at bachelor and master levels. Similarly, your active participation in the research environment of both the department and the faculty means that you are physically present and involved in the daily work. A good command of English is a prerequisite as the research and doctoral studies are conducted in an international environment.

Eligibility

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must meet both the general and, if applicable, specific entry requirements. A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral studies if they:

• have been awarded a master's (second-cycle) qualification, or
• have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits were awarded at master's (second-cycle) level, or
• have otherwise acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

The Dean of the Artistic Faculty may grant an exemption from the requirement for basic eligibility. However, to meet entry requirements, the applicant must be considered in other respects to have the ability required to complete the doctoral (third-cycle) programme.

A person meets the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in Musical Performance and Interpretation if they:

• have at least 120 higher education credits (or equivalent) in subjects that are considered to have relevance to doctoral (third-cycle) studies in the subject, (or equivalent knowledge),
• have a documented specialisation of study including subjects oriented towards relevant issues in the subject.
• have an independent project (thesis) comprising at least 30 higher education credits (or, alternatively, several projects, which, together, are considered to be the equivalent of 30 higher education credits) in a subject that is considered as having relevance to doctoral studies in the subject.
• have a solid artistic experience at a high international level within the musical field.

An applicant also meets the specific requirements if he or she has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Assessment criteria

Selection among qualified applicants is made in consideration of their ability to fulfil the doctoral (third-cycle) education. The following assessment criteria are applied to test this ability:

• artistic quality and originality in the subject Musical Performance and Interpretation
• ability to think autonomously and critically in the subject field
• familiarity with research-related issues and processes
• ability to formulate a research-related project in the subject that is feasible, and anchored in both artistic practice and theory
• demonstrated interest in being part of and contributing to the educational and research environment of the institution

Desired criteria for the REM@KE research project also include:

• ability to formulate a research-related project that supports the REM@KE research programme.
• that the independent project (thesis) of at least 30 higher education credits or equivalent (mentioned above) is considered relevant within the REM@KE research project
• a documented level of early keyboard performance.
• competence in spoken and written English as well as any language skills in one or more of the research areas within the project: French, Swedish, German, or Italian.

Interviews are part of the selection process. These are scheduled to take place in March 2026 and are a prerequisite for possible admission.

A general description of doctoral studies in music at the Academy of Music and Drama

The doctoral (Third cycle) subject musical performance and interpretation works with issues that are relevant to the field of music, artistic research and society in general. The subject encompasses the entire field of music, regardless of genre or form of expression, and includes the specializations of interpretation, composition, improvisation, and music theory.

The doctoral student carries out an independent artistic research project in which his or her own artistic practice forms a central part of the knowledge development. Other research methods are drawn from both the scientific and artistic fields. Musical performance and interpretation strives for interaction and cross-fertilisation between artistic and scientific forms of work and the development of new research methods.

The aim of the doctoral education is to train artistic music researchers, musicians and sound artists with the ability to independently conduct research projects that contribute to the development of knowledge and methods in the subject. The studies result in a documented artistic research project or thesis and lead to a Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Arts degree.

For more information about the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Musical Performance and Interpretation or the degree of Doctor of Arts in Musical Performance and Interpretation, see the general syllabuses at:

https://www.gu.se/en/music-drama/doctoral-studies/musical-performance-and-interpretation

Both doctoral degrees focus on artistic research, but the weighting of the artistic work and the form that it takes differs slightly. The doctoral student's choice of degree will be discussed prior to admission.

The Wider Research environment

The Artistic Faculty at the University of Gothenburg has over the past decades built up an environment where research and education can interact, an environment that allows both cross-disciplinary and cross-faculty research projects as well as projects strongly focused on artistic immersion. Doctoral students meet regularly in interdisciplinary artistic forums both within the department and at faculty level, including the artistic research school that the department runs together with its sister department within the faculty, HDK-Valand - the Academy of Art and Design. The Faculty has a research platform in artistic research: the conference and publishing platform PARSE (Platform for Artistic Research) which organizes an international research conference every two years https://parsejournal.com/. The platform serves as a meeting place and resource for doctoral students and researchers with regular events, conferences and seminars.

The Academy of Music and Drama and the Artistic Faculty are part of several international networks with collaboration partners all over the world, including in music, performing arts, music education, and artistic research. More information about our research is available at https://www.gu.se/en/music-drama/our-research.

Admission and employment

Form of employment: fixed-term contract, 4 years

Scope: 100%

Location: Academy of Music and Drama. University of Gothenburg

Start date: 2026-09-01

After admission to doctoral level studies, you will be employed as a doctoral student. Regulations for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. For a more detailed description of this, see the document Rules for Doctoral Education - Doktorandreglerna, reference number GU 2024/2777.

The first appointment as a doctoral student may be for a maximum of one year. The appointment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. A person may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years in total. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education.

Applicants for admission to doctoral studies only, without a doctoral position funded by the institution, must submit a documented financial plan for the entire period of study (four years for full-time and a maximum of eight years for part-time). Conditions for funding other than a doctoral position are described in Rules for Doctoral Education - Doktorandreglerna, section 5, pages 5-8.

The University applies local agreements on the remuneration of doctoral students.

Doctoral students at the Academy of Music and Drama are required to be physically present for their studies. If the chosen candidate requires a residence permit in order to study in Sweden, the Academy of Music and Drama has the right to withdraw its decision on admission in the event that the candidate is unable to present a valid residence permit on the date that the studies begin.

Recruitment procedure

The work of the recruitment team is led by the subject representative in musical performance and interpretation. Other members of the recruitment group are researchers at the department, a doctoral student representative, and an external expert. Each application is read by several people. The applicants whose applications are ranked highest are invited to interviews.

Contact details for the position

For further information regarding the position:

Palle Dahlstedt, Head of Subject, Musical Performance and Interpretation at the Academy of Music and Drama, palle.dahlstedt@gu.se

For information on REM@KE:

Joel Speerstra, Principal Investigator in the Remake project at the Academy of Music and Drama, joel.speerstra@hsm.gu.se

Trade union organisations

Trade union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:
https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply

To Apply

You apply for admission to doctoral studies via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and that it reaches the University by the application deadline.

The applicant must submit the following:

1. A personal letter describing your interest in the program, your proposed research areas, and qualifications.
2. A CV including professional experience, together with a list of publications and musical activities and documentation thereof or links to online documentation. In some cases, the assessment team may request access to additional artistic works.
3. A copy of your master's thesis.
4. Copies of diplomas/degree certificates and any other certificates that may be relevant to the application. Diplomas in languages other than Swedish and English need to be translated into English. Please note that if the applicant is applying with "equivalent knowledge", this needs to be clearly presented and documented.
5. A lecture-recital (no longer than 20 minutes) on a chosen subject related to any topic (or any related topic) outlined above. This should be submitted in video form with an accompanying text that includes an abstract of the lecture recital and a brief bibliography.

The recommended language for the application is English.

Further information on doctoral education at the University of Gothenburg is available at https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies

Application deadline: 2026-02-15

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.