Our research

The School of Music offers a dynamic environment for research into a wide range of musical disciplines including performance, composition, musicology, music education, popular music, jazz, and music technology. Our staff are highly regarded for their extensive and varied expertise and demonstrated professional experience in music. They are leading performers, researchers, composers, and teachers, whose work has gained local and global recognition.

Among many other projects, they are theorising the performance studio in the postcolonial space, developing new knowledge of music technology in the age of AI, finding new ways to study and practise community music-making, and researching the intersections of music and society of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Dr Morag Atchison's research combines performance with pedagogy and, more recently, educational theory, particularly focusing on the development of the ensemble singer in the context of solo and choral training. She has firmly established herself as one of New Zealand’s leading sopranos and has performed operatic roles including Berta, The Barber of Seville (NZ Opera) and Helmwige, Die Walküre (NZSO).

Areas of expertise: Vocal pedagogy, Choral pedagogy (voice specialist), Language tuition

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Associate Professor Allan Badley is a specialist in late 18th-century Viennese music. His publications include several hundred scholarly editions of works by major contemporaries of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, including editions of the complete works for piano and orchestra by Ferdinand Ries, mass settings by Wanhal, Hofmann, and Hummel, and an extensive series of symphonies and concertos. He is co-founder of the Hong Kong-based publishing house Artaria Editions, which is widely regarded as one of the leading specialist publishers of 18th-century music.

Areas of expertise: 18th and early 19th century music, Music editing and publishing, Music bibliography, Music dissemination and cultural transfer, 18th-century symphony and concerto, 18th-century Viennese sacred music, Programmatic music in the Napoleonic age

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Dr Gregory Camp’s areas of research include film music and opera, notably Monteverdi, Disney, and 1950s cinema. He has published two monographs with Routledge: Howard Hawks: Sonic Style in Film and Scoring the Hollywood Actor in the 1950s. He has also produced a textbook with Routledge, Linguistics for Singers, that uses a holistic and comparative approach to guide musicians through the poetic texts they work with. His current research takes in music in the Disney theme parks, the aesthetics of the Disney Channel Original Musical corpus, and opera libretto translation.

Areas of expertise: Disney music, Language pedagogy for singers, Mid twentieth-century American film music, Reception history of 17th-century opera, Opera staging, Musical theatre

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Dr David Chisholm is internationally recognised as a composer defined by diverse and hybrid collaboration and as a curator and producer of vision and courage. He is the composer of roughly 50 original compositions, including ten long-form works, spanning orchestral, chamber, choral, electronics, film, theatre, dance, and installation and web projects. David’s work has appeared worldwide, including at the Venice Biennale, Villa Medici Rome, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Edinburgh Festivals, and Moscow Museum of Art.

Areas of expertise: Structure and duration in composition, Musical hermeneutics, Queer creativity, Transhistorical aesthetics, Reframing of vestigial European musical forms, Composer identity, Invisibility of creative labour

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Godfrey De Grut’s career as a collaborative musician covers performance, arranging, production and musical direction across popular, jazz and rock genres. Recognition for excellence early in his career is highlighted by awards for Best Jazz Album of the Year 1997 (The New LoungeHead) and the 2002 APRA Silver Scroll (Misty Frequencies, co-written with Che Fu). More recently his interests have been focused on music and artistic direction of large-scale ensemble performances such as the APRA Silver Scrolls, Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park and the NZ film Awards.

Areas of expertise: Popular music analysis, song composing, arranging and production

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New Zealand pianist Stephen De Pledge has a wide-ranging career as soloist, chamber musician and song accompanist. His concerto appearances include the Philharmonia (London), Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony and New London orchestras. Stephen’s repertoire is far-reaching, from the music of the 17th to the 21st centuries. In 2001, he performed the complete chamber works of Arvo Pärt during the Edinburgh Festival, and he has become particularly associated with the music of Messiaen.

Areas of expertise: Piano performance, Collaborative piano, Chamber music, Contemporary music

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Dr Kevin Field has collaborated with some of the top international names in jazz as a pianist and composer. He is also musical director for the Alchemy Project, a 12-member musical collective that re-interprets classic New Zealand popular songs from a jazz perspective. He has performed concerts in the UK, USA, Australia, and New Zealand and features on over 30 albums by such artists as Nathan Haines, Whirimako Black, Caitlin Smith and The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Areas of expertise: Jazz, Improvisation and composition

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Dr Chris Gendall’s works have graced the programmes of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, NZTrio, Mark Menzies and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Saar Berger, and the New Zealand String Quartet. He has participated in a number of festivals and conferences including the Wellesley Composers’ Conference and the Aspen Music Festival. He won the 2008 SOUNZ Contemporary Award for his work Wax Lyrical, and his debut portrait album Tones was released on the Rattle label in 2019.

Areas of expertise: Composition

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Jason Holecliffe is a specialist in the field of music technology, production and audio engineering. He is an expert in both the cutting edge of modern music production, as well as the classic recordings and techniques of years gone by. He has extensive professional and industry experience, having worked as a resident and freelance Producer/Engineer at several of New Zealand's premier recording studios, including York Street Studios and Roundhead Studios.

Areas of expertise: Cutting-edge modern music production techniques, Modern and classic recording techniques, Music production software and analog emulation, Sound design, Psychoacoustics, Innovative forms of popular music, Acoustics and Studio Design

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Dr Olivier Holland’s research specialities include double bass technique and linear writing, and the fusion of different music genres in the field of jazz composition. Since starting his performance career in 1989, he has performed in Europe and Australasia with artists such as Joscho Stephan, John Goldsby, Doug Lawrence, Jamey Oehlers, James Muller, Nathan Haines, Whirimako Black, Stefon Harris and Florian Ross. Olivier has developed a new approach to learning technique on jazz double bass. This teaching method has attracted interest from across the globe.

Areas of expertise: Jazz composition, Double bass technique, Linear writing

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Dr Leonie Holmes is a prominent New Zealand composer, receiving frequent commissions in the fields of orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal and solo instrumental music. She is also interested in music education and in developing a musical language that will engage and challenge non-professional players. She has also written many works for school and community groups and is active as a speaker, adjudicator and teacher at all levels and age groups within the New Zealand music community.

Areas of expertise: Vocal and instrumental composition, New Zealand music, Community music making, Creative music and music pedagogy

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Associate Professor David Lines’ research has explored philosophies and theories related to creativity, improvisation, and developing different perspectives of music education. He is particularly interested in the role of music in contemporary society shifting from the concert or recording space to one that is more integrated in people's lives. This interest has led to projects in improvisation, early childhood, community arts and music technology, two published research books, and numerous research articles.

Areas of expertise: Philosophy of music education, Early childhood music and arts education, Improvisation and improvisation pedagogy, Open and digital pedagogies, Studio pedagogy research, Critical studies in the arts, Curriculum development in music, Jazz education

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Dr Millie Locke has had a wide range of experience, both as a music education practitioner and a researcher. Her research trajectory has embraced such topics as teaching as artistry, inclusive music education in both primary and early childhood settings (with a particular focus on an adaptation of the Orff approach to the Aotearoa New Zealand context), bicultural music education, and sense of place as a concept.

Areas of expertise: Music education in the early childhood and primary setting, Critical issues in music education, Bicultural and multicultural music education, Composition and improvisation with young musicians, Issues of musician and music teacher identity, Culturally responsive adaptations of the Orff approach, Music education and the sense of place, Arts education advocacy

Dr Roger Manins specialises in jazz saxophone, composition and improvisation. His primary research into alternative non-traditional approaches to jazz improvisation resulted in Circle-Cloud Theory: A Modern Theory Applied to Saxophone Playing. He is grounded in the jazz tradition, is a fluent improviser from swing to free jazz, and is experienced with the improvisational approaches of George Garzone and Steve Coleman.

Areas of expertise: Improvisation for jazz saxophone (all styles), Composition, Circle-cloud theory: a new approach to jazz composition and improvisation, Jazz organ ensemble, Saxophone pedagogy

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Stephen Matthews has worked as a conductor, vocal coach, and chorus trainer, employed by organisations such as the Irish National Symphony Orchestra, Victoria State Opera, Opera New Zealand, and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. As a composer, he creates work that brings together waiata, kapa haka, taonga pūoro and musical sound worlds inspired by te tai ao. His research work has developed alongside a deep interest in moving images and music theatre as creative platforms to discuss social justice issues and caring for the natural environment.

Areas of expertise: Composing and songwriting (in English and te reo Māori), Intersection between te ao Pākehā and te ao Māori, Māori community projects, Video and electroacoustic sound installation, Popular music and songwriting education, Popular music vocal performance studies

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Dr Fabio Morreale is the Associate Dean Postgraduate for the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries and a lecturer in Music Technology and Composition. His research is aimed at critically assessing the ethical, political, and cultural impact of new technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, on the creative arts and on broader society.

Areas of expertise: Human-computer interaction, Ethics of artificial intelligence, Research ethics, Science and technology studies, Music and artificial intelligence, Critical theory, Philosophy of technology, Digital musical instrument design

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Professor Nancy November’s research radically opens up our view of Western Classical music by means of socio-cultural critique of traditional ideologies, multivalent analysis and methodological innovation. Combining interdisciplinarity and cultural history, her research centres on chamber music of the late 18th and 19th centuries, probing questions of historiography, canonisation, and genre. She is the recipient of a Humboldt Fellowship (2010-12) and three Marsden Grants from the New Zealand Royal Society.

Areas of expertise: Cultures of chamber music in the late 18th and 19th centuries, Music in art in the long 19th century, Musical arrangement and its roles in sociability and canon formation, Ideas and ideologies of musical performance, The production of musical editions, Historical performance practices, Historical literacies across disciplines, Culturally-sustaining pedagogies

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Keith Price is a Canadian guitarist and composer. He has released six albums as a leader and is an active member in the diverse Auckland music scene. His research centres on various aspects of jazz including non-Eurocentric approaches to jazz transcription and analysis. His PhD with Creative Practice explores how the compositional process that created Miles Davis's landmark album Bitches Brew (1969) can be applied in a contemporary jazz context.

Areas of expertise: Jazz guitar, Jazz performance, Jazz improvisation, Jazz composition, Jazz history, Jazz arranging, Jazz pedagogy

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Associate Professor Te Oti Rakena (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Ruanui, Kāi Tahu) is an American-trained singer, voice teacher and researcher. He has published widely in the fields of community music, studio pedagogy and indigenous research methodologies. Te Oti has a distinguished reputation as a quality solo performer. He has participated in a number of research initiatives aimed at improving the quality of education for indigenous and minority students in New Zealand and internationally.

Areas of expertise: Community music, Singing and population health, Vocal pedagogy, Tertiary music education, Indigenous research methodologies, Māori and Pacific Island student success, Historical trauma-informed studio pedagogy, Arts education and assessment, Creative placemaking

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As a specialist in historical clarinet and early music, Dr Marie Ross has an extensive career that spans Europe. She performs and records regularly with leading early music orchestras. She frequently performs with superstars like Cecilia Bartoli and Lawrence Brownlee in world-renowned theatres, such as Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Theater an der Wien in Vienna. She is the Associate Principal Clarinetist with the French orchestra Ensemble Matheus (Jean-Christophe Spinosi).

Areas of expertise: Performance practice of Brahms chamber music, Performance practice of Mozart, Ornamentation and improvisation in classical music, Classical wind octet and arrangements for this ensemble

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Ron Samson is an active performer, composer and researcher in the area of improvised music and his work features on many local and international recordings. With many ongoing collaborations and projects such as the Samsom Nacey Haines Trio, DOG, and Neutrino Funk, Ron has established a strong publishing relationship with Rattle Records and shares a similar goal of producing a rich tapestry of improvised music featuring New Zealand-based musicians.

Areas of expertise: Performance-informed teaching in improvised music, Creative practice of improvisation through collaborative research, Jazz drumming

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Professor W. Dean Sutcliffe’s research interests focus on the 18th century, and publications have covered composers such as Domenico Scarlatti, Gyrowetz, Boccherini, Mozart, Andreas Romberg, Scarlatti’s Spanish contemporary Sebastián de Albero, Manuel Blasco de Nebra and above all Haydn. He has been co-editor of Eighteenth-Century Music, published by Cambridge University Press, since its inception in 2004.

Areas of expertise: Behavioural analysis of music, Instrumental music of the 18th century, Expressive typologies in music

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Dr Sarah Watkins is an active performer and recording artist specialising in collaborative piano and chamber music. She appeared across Australia, Asia, the USA and Europe as a founding member of NZTrio, and now enjoys a wide variety of collaborations with musicians throughout Aotearoa. A three-time winner of Classical Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards, she also recorded Chris Watson's "sing songs self" for solo piano and orchestra with the NZSO. Sarah earned both MM and DMA degrees from the Juilliard School, New York.

Areas of expertise: piano performance, chamber music, collaborative piano, new music

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