Research

Katy's story...

Katy Hamilton is a Junior Research Fellow in Performance History, and has been working with the Collections since 2009. Previously she was a DMus student and AHRC award holder.

“Studying at the RCM has been a fantastically rewarding experience, both in terms of the level and quality of teaching support, and the sheer variety of activities and projects that students are involved in. As a doctoral researcher working on the vocal music of Brahms and his contemporaries, I have been particularly struck by how enthusiastic fellow students are to learn about my work and participate in performances of the repertoire. In addition, my supervisors have helped me to prepare presentations for international conferences, and give concerts in prestigious venues across the UK.

My Junior Fellowship has given me the extraordinary opportunity to spend time exploring and caring for some of the College’s collections, and it is humbling to think just how many great performers, composers, managers and other artists feature in our concert programme holdings, iconography, and other documents. The fact that such rich resources exist in an institution of creative excellence provides the perfect environment for innovative and holistic research into a host of subjects – every new project draws fresh connections between the numerous different areas of College activity.

On top of all of this, life at the RCM is tremendous fun and I am constantly meeting new friends and making new contacts. It has been a great adventure to study here, and I am sure that the opportunity to explore repertoire through theory and practice has made me a better scholar, and a better performer.”