2 PhD Studentships in Musical Performance and Interpretation
University of Gothenburg
Academy of Music and Drama
- Start date: 1 September 2026
- Application Deadline: 15 February 2026
- Interviews: March 2026
The Academy of Music and Drama is pleased to invite applications for two fully funded PhD studentships as part of the ERC Synergy Project REM@KE(Reconstructing Embodied Musical Knowledge at the Keyboard). The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team based in Italy, Sweden, and the UK, collaborating with leading scholars in organology, empirical and historical musicology, music cognition, artistic research, psychoacoustics, and digital humanities.
Visit the official call page here
Call on Euraxess: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/407548
We are seeking two doctoral students based 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.
Supervision and Research Environment
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.
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.
How 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:
- A personal letter describing your interest in the program, your proposed research areas, and qualifications.
- 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.
- A copy of your master’s thesis.
- 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.
- 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.