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Welcome to Music at Durham

We have been consistently rated as one of the top UK music departments running in The Complete University Guide and Guardian University League Table.

Find out more about us
6th in the UK for Research Output Quality in Music, Research Excellence Framework 2021
Athena Swan
Athena Swan Bronze Award since 2018
Top Ten
Top Ten Complete University Guide 2024
6th in the Times / Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
QS World University Rankings 2024

World-leading status affirmed in QS World University Rankings 2024

Durham is now ranked 78th in the world top 100 universities. We are also ranked joint 30th in a new category of Sustainability, and 50th in the Employer Reputation category.

Learn more about the QS World University Rankings

Study with us

  

Undergraduate Study

Our expertise in this area impacts the lives of our students and many others, beyond Durham.
TAPPUCINO by DIM and Buttered Toast live performance

Postgraduate Study

The Music Department’s vibrant postgraduate research environment attracts high-calibre applicants from all over the world.
A person onstage reading a book during a lunchtime concert

 

 

Work with us

The Department of Music is one of the very best UK Music Departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students.

Ranked #3 in REF2014, the Department of Music has internationally renowned research strengths in interdisciplinary research in musicology, theory and analysis, ethnomusicology, music psychology, performance, composition, and music technology.
See our recruitment pages for more opportunities
Music Students Work in the Electroacoustic Studio

 

 

What's new?

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  • Ekmeles release recording of James Weeks’ Primo Libro

    Dr James Weeks’ vocal ensemble work Primo Libro has been recorded by the New York-based Ekmeles and released on New Focus Recordings in February 2024.
    Medaille portrait
  • Durham Musicologists at The Glasshouse’s Big Bruckner Weekend

    On Sunday 3rd March Dr Katherine Hambridge and Professor Julian Horton took part in a public discussion about the Austrian symphonist and church musician Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) with Classic FM’s John Suchet, in front of a packed audience at The Glasshouse, Gateshead.
    Panel Discussion
  • International Women’s Day 2024

    The Music Department, with partners across Durham University, is hosting an exciting series of events to mark International Women’s Day 2024. At the heart of our programme are two concerts celebrating women’s achievement in music.
    A student playing a violin
  • siúil go ciúin - new piece available on YouTube

    Dr. Eric Skytterholm Egan’s siúil go ciúin, a 50-minute cycle for prepared piano, was premiered in Norway in September and the recording is now available online.
    Performance of 'siúil go ciúin'
  • Durham Lecturers Mark Lindisfarne Gospels’ Return to the North East in Music

    Durham Music Department lecturers James Weeks and Katherine Hambridge recently took part in the opening concerts of the Royal Northern Sinfonia’s season at the Sage Gateshead, which were programmed to mark the exhibition of the Lindisfarne Gospels at Newcastle’s Laing Gallery.
    Panel for the 19 September (L-R): Jaswinder Singh, Stu Herring, Katherine Hambridge, Helen Savage
  • “in One |1” by Eric Skytterholm Egan recorded

    “in One |1” (2015-19), written by Dr. Eric Skytterholm Egan was recently performed and recorded by world-leading guitarist Diego Castro Magas at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile.
    in One | 1 by Eric Skytterholm Egan
  • Durham student becomes Canadian Music Laureate

    PhD Music student Rita Ueda has been awarded the prestigious title of 2022 Laureate for the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music. Offered by the Azrieli Foundation, this is the most coveted title for composers in Canada.
    2022 Canadian Music Laureate

Durham Musicologists at The Glasshouse’s Big Bruckner Weekend

On Sunday 3rd March Dr Katherine Hambridge and Professor Julian Horton took part in a public discussion about the Austrian symphonist and church musician Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) with Classic FM’s John Suchet, in front of a packed audience at The Glasshouse, Gateshead.
Panel Discussion

International Women’s Day 2024

The Music Department, with partners across Durham University, is hosting an exciting series of events to mark International Women’s Day 2024. At the heart of our programme are two concerts celebrating women’s achievement in music.
A student playing a violin

siúil go ciúin - new piece available on YouTube

Dr. Eric Skytterholm Egan’s siúil go ciúin, a 50-minute cycle for prepared piano, was premiered in Norway in September and the recording is now available online.
Performance of 'siúil go ciúin'

Durham Lecturers Mark Lindisfarne Gospels’ Return to the North East in Music

Durham Music Department lecturers James Weeks and Katherine Hambridge recently took part in the opening concerts of the Royal Northern Sinfonia’s season at the Sage Gateshead, which were programmed to mark the exhibition of the Lindisfarne Gospels at Newcastle’s Laing Gallery.
Panel for the 19 September (L-R): Jaswinder Singh, Stu Herring, Katherine Hambridge, Helen Savage

“in One |1” by Eric Skytterholm Egan recorded

“in One |1” (2015-19), written by Dr. Eric Skytterholm Egan was recently performed and recorded by world-leading guitarist Diego Castro Magas at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile.
in One | 1 by Eric Skytterholm Egan

Durham student becomes Canadian Music Laureate

PhD Music student Rita Ueda has been awarded the prestigious title of 2022 Laureate for the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music. Offered by the Azrieli Foundation, this is the most coveted title for composers in Canada.
2022 Canadian Music Laureate
  • Ekmeles release recording of James Weeks’ Primo Libro

    Dr James Weeks’ vocal ensemble work Primo Libro has been recorded by the New York-based Ekmeles and released on New Focus Recordings in February 2024.
    Medaille portrait
  • Julian Horton’s new book published by Cambridge University Press

    Professor Julian Horton’s new book entitled “Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto” has been published by Cambridge University Press. Offering a concise introduction to one of the most important and influential piano concertos in the history of Western music, this handbook provides an example of the productive interaction of music history, music theory and music analysis.
    Julian Horton
  • Dr Amanda Hsieh wins Kurt Weill Article Prize

    Dr Amanda Hsieh, Assistant Professor of Musicology at Durham University, won the $2,000 Kurt Weill Article Prize for “Jewish Difference and Recovering ‘Commedia’: Erich W. Korngold’s Die tote Stadt in Post-First World War Austria,” published in Music and Letters in 2022.
    Amanda Hsieh

Julian Horton’s new book published by Cambridge University Press

Professor Julian Horton’s new book entitled “Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto” has been published by Cambridge University Press. Offering a concise introduction to one of the most important and influential piano concertos in the history of Western music, this handbook provides an example of the productive interaction of music history, music theory and music analysis.
Julian Horton

Dr Amanda Hsieh wins Kurt Weill Article Prize

Dr Amanda Hsieh, Assistant Professor of Musicology at Durham University, won the $2,000 Kurt Weill Article Prize for “Jewish Difference and Recovering ‘Commedia’: Erich W. Korngold’s Die tote Stadt in Post-First World War Austria,” published in Music and Letters in 2022.
Amanda Hsieh

The science of why you can remember song lyrics from years ago

Associate Professor Kelly Jakubowski from our Department of Music explores the link between memory and song lyrics.
woman singing

New study sheds fresh light on how emotions are expressed in music

In a new study, Durham researchers have investigated how a vast number of musical cues can help shape different emotions in music.
A person sitting at a laptop displaying the Emote Control programme

Upcoming events

Undergraduate Open Day

Friday 14 June 2024 - Friday 14 June 2024
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Durham University
Image of a student ambassador holding an ask me sign during an open day

Undergraduate Open Day

Saturday 15 June 2024 - Saturday 15 June 2024
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Durham University
A member of staff and an Open Day Ambassador behind a welcome sign

Questions about studying here?

Check out our list of FAQs or submit an enquiry form.

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Order your personalised prospectus and College guide here.

Get in touch

We strive to provide innovative, research-led teaching that will assist our students to achieve their full potential as thinking, creative musicians and scholars.

Department of Music
Durham University
Palace Green
Durham
DH1 3RL
UK