PhD Program at UTAS – African American Gospel Music
The Research Higher Degree (RHD) program at the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Tasmania has always been an incredibly exciting one, placing as it does the performer/composer researcher at the centre of practice-led research.
Associate Professor Andrew Legg was the first contemporary popular musician and researcher to emerge from the Con’s innovative PhD program, and his work within African American gospel music has now opened the door to international RHD students who have a significant performance career in African American influenced styles of music, specifically gospel. The program has already attracted two of the US leading gospel performers, multi Grammy award winning Myron Butler (Kirk Franklin, Levi, Potters House) and Eric Dozier (Harlem Gospel Choir).
The unique PhD program at UTAS Con enables performing musicians with significant music performance careers to reflect on and articulate the critical and defining aspects of their performance practice. Within a performance and exegesis model, each performer/researcher seeks to ‘illuminate’ those specific elements of their performance practice, which underpin, define and give character, style and substance to their contemporary, African American music.
Associate Professor Legg with his research partner Dr. Carolyn Philpott are now widely published in this area, and continue to attract the most significant contemporary performer into the Con’s RHD program from across the county and around the world.
For further information, please contact Dr. Legg here.
