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Postgraduate studies

Learn more about postgraduate studies and ICCaT.

Performance opportunities

ICCaT plays a critical role for PhD and MRes practice-based postgraduate students in the department of music. The centre provides postgraduates with collaborative opportunities to create new music with preeminent external ensembles through our Ensemble Research Residency scheme. Here students are given the chance to write music for a group and workshop ideas and materials in advance of the concert. Currently the Riot Ensemble is working with composers on the Ensemble Research Residency until 2025. The music department provides additional information about postgraduate performance opportunities on this page.

Funding

Many of our current postgraduate composers have funding in the form of a fee waiver or a waiver plus a stipend. Our current PhD cohort has made successful applications to the following funding schemes: AHRC’s North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership, the Liverpool School of the Arts Doctoral Award, and the John Lennon Memorial Scholarship. The music department currently offers one scholarship per year for master’s MRes composition study: the Martha Vidor Scholarship for Composition. 

If you’re interested in applying for funding to our composition programme please first submit a dossier of work as outlined at the bottom of this page and a member of staff will be in touch. We are happy to help guide promising composers through the funding application process, especially those who contact us well in advance of submission deadlines. NWCDTP bids are due quite early in the year, usually late January, while the LADA deadline is typically in April. 

Seminar series

ICCaT organises a seminar series on practice-based research called the Creative Open Forum. It is held 10-12 times per year and consists of a variety of activities: presentations from external guests, presentations from staff and postgraduates on works in progress, topics for discussion, and informal concerts. The seminars are co-organised with a postgraduate student lead to ensure that content reflects diverse practices and common interests.

Facilities

PhD students in Liverpool’s music department have access to a dedicated space with hot desks. In addition, there is a 8-channel composition studio reserved for postgraduates alongside a variety of other facilities which can be reserved – recording studios, a foley studio, a soldering space, etc. The Tung Auditorium is bookable by postgrads to create recordings, practice, or conduct experiments.

Applying

The music department encourages all prospective MRes and PhD composition students to submit a dossier of their work in advance of submitting their official application. If the submitted works are of sufficient quality, students will receive guidance on potential supervisors, assistance in developing their research proposal for the full application stage, and advice on funding possibilities.

To submit your composition dossier for consideration, please send the following materials to Ben Hackbarth <b.hackbarth@liverpool.ac.uk> (head of composition) in a single email:

1) your CV

2) a 100 word abstract of the intended research topic of your thesis

3) a maximum of three compositions (acoustic, fixed media, realtime electronic, multimedia, or installations) which meet the following criteria:

  • scores should be in pdf format and include all relevant information to reproduce the work
  • videos of works may be submitted
  • multi-channel works must be submitted in stereo
  • MIDI recordings are acceptable where audio recordings do not yet exist

Please note: Electronic submission of all materials is encouraged using download links that do not expire, such as dropbox; submissions by post cannot be returned to applicants.