14th September 2017: Research Leadership in the Arts and Humanities

14th September 2017 | Babbage 406 | 9am-3pm Research leadership is an increasingly important issue for humanities academics. Being a leader can mean actively shaping your field and your institution, growing grant income, developing new projects and research teams, and supporting the research aspirations of colleagues. This day-long workshop covers practical definitions of research leadership,… Continue reading 14th September 2017: Research Leadership in the Arts and Humanities

New Singer-Songwriter Handbook co-edited by Katherine Williams

A new book on the practice of being a singer-songwriter has just been published by Bloomsbury, co-edited by Dr Katherine Williams, who is a lecturer in music at the University of Plymouth. The singer-songwriter, someone who writes and performs their own music, is an ever-present and increasingly complex figure in popular music worlds. The Singer-Songwriter… Continue reading New Singer-Songwriter Handbook co-edited by Katherine Williams

Feature: “What can Duke Ellington’s recordings tell us about jazz history?”

BY KATHERINE WILLIAMS Most people think of three things when they think of jazz history: jazz was made famous by a succession of individual musicians (Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins etc.) jazz is predominantly an improvised music, and jazz is an oral tradition (rather than notated art form), and we… Continue reading Feature: “What can Duke Ellington’s recordings tell us about jazz history?”

27 April 2016: Talk about Duke Ellington in Words & Music Shakespeare Festival

“Such Sweet Plunder: Or Whose Line Is It Anyway?” On Wednesday 27th April, Dr Katherine Williams will be giving a talk on Duke Ellington as part of the 2016 Words and Music Festival: Celebrating Shakespeare in Plymouth. In her talk, Katherine uses Duke Ellington’s music to explore the balance of authorial power between composer, bandleader, musicians,… Continue reading 27 April 2016: Talk about Duke Ellington in Words & Music Shakespeare Festival

Katherine Williams’ co-edited volume ‘The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter’ has been published

Dr Katherine Williams‘ co-edited volume The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter was published in late February. This book explains the historical contexts, musical analyses, and theoretical frameworks of the singer-songwriter tradition. Divided into five parts, the book explores the tradition in the context of issues including authenticity, gender, queer studies, musical analysis and performance. Leadbelly, Dolly Parton, Billy… Continue reading Katherine Williams’ co-edited volume ‘The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter’ has been published

New book about Rufus Wainwright by Dr Katherine Williams

Equinox Publishing has just published Dr Katherine Williams‘ new book, Rufus Wainwright. Katherine, a Lecturer in Music at Plymouth University, is a musicologist and saxophonist. Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is famous around the world for his multi-faceted musical style, shown through both his recorded output and his engaging live performances. In this book, Katherine Williams combines aspects… Continue reading New book about Rufus Wainwright by Dr Katherine Williams