The University of Sussex Music Department was founded in the late 1960s and soon established its international reputation for specialising in twentieth-century and contemporary music, combining an integrated fusion of composition and musicology with broader historical and contextual interdisciplinary study. Nearly 50 years on, this reputation is strongly maintained at the heart of all we do. We continue to study the role of music in contemporary society through an approach that challenges traditional separations of theory and practice, drawing on our long-standing expertise in the study of Aesthetic and Sociological approaches to Music. More recently, the department has established broader areas of specialisation, notably in Opera and Music Theatre, Film and Studio Music, Sonic Media Arts and Music Informatics, along with Popular Music studies and practice both in our own department courses and through our links with the Brighton Institute of Modern Music.
Innovative research and scholarship
Music at Sussex is recognised both nationally and internationally for its excellent and innovative research. In the national Research Assessment Exercise (2008), 95 percent of the research undertaken in the Department was rated of 'international quality' or above, with 65 percent falling into the two top categories 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'.
Our research is organised around three well-defined research groups: Critical Musicology, Composition and Music Theatre. Much of our research is interdisciplinary, involving collaboration between these areas as well as with other departments at Sussex. The department houses the Centre for Research in Opera and Music Theatre which runs a number of research projects, many of which are in close collaboration with Glyndebourne Opera.
Further details on our research and scholarship.
Teaching and learning
The department currently runs a number of undergraduate music courses, a postgraduate taught Master’s course in Music and Sonic Media with pathway specialisms in Musical Multi-Media, Music and Critical Thought, Composition, Studio Composition and Composing for Film and Media along with postgraduate PhD research degrees.
The BA in Music enables you to explore composition, analysis, opera and music theatre, electronic music, popular music and film music. Performance study also forms an important part of the BA programme for Grade 8 and above students wishing to pursue their first study instrument/voice. As well as offering bespoke option modules in solo and ensemble performance, these students have instrumental/vocal lessons at one of the London Colleges of Music, or in jazz and popular music at Northbrook College, or with an approved local tutor on campus.
Our electronic recording and music studios are equipped with professional facilities. There’s also a drama studio, and a substantial library of scores with listening facilities and numerous online resources. These are in addition to the vast collections in the main University Library. Practice rooms are available 24-7 in term time to Music students, as are Music-dedicated Macintosh digital audio workstations.
The Music Department owns two Steinway grand pianos (a model B and a model D) which are available for practice by first study pianists.
Our staff
The department boasts an impressive array of founding and former members of faculty including: Donald Mitchell, Jonathan Harvey, Michael Finnissy, Anne Boyd, Jonathan Cross and Julian Johnson.
The current faculty staff profile comprises Professor Martin Butler (Head of Composition), Dr Nicholas Collins (Head of Music Informatics), Dr Richard Elliott (Lecturer in Popular Music), Dr Evelyn Ficarra (Lecturer in Music Theatre), Dr Edward Hughes (Head of Studio and Film Composition), Dr Nicholas McKay (Head of Department), Professor Sally-Jane Norman (Director of the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts), and Professor Nicholas Till (Director of the Centre for Research in Opera and Music Theatre).
Campus life
Sussex has one of the most beautiful campus locations in Britain. Situated in rolling parkland on the edge of Brighton, the campus combines award-winning architecture with green open spaces. The campus is surrounded by the South Downs National Park, but just a few minutes away from the lively city of Brighton and Hove and less than an hour from London by train.
Campus houses the impressive Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts and spectacular Meeting House (both buildings designed by Sir Basil Spence) which form the main public performance spaces for the Music Department. There are numerous student-led groups including the University of Sussex Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Choir, Wind Band, Big Band, Music Theatre Society and many other activities. We run a contemporary music group and organise weekly concerts, providing platforms for students and visiting professional musicians.