MA Creative Practice
Please contact Dr Pedro Rebelo (p.rebelo[at]qub.ac.uk) for further information about this programme.
COMPOSITION
The MA in Creative Practice (Composition) focuses on the development of a portfolio of work alongside critical and technical methodologies that prepare students for contemporary music and sonic arts practice. Students can specialise in compositional practices that range from the instrumental to the electroacoustic and include installation and sound art. Depending on the student’s interests and background, the programme offers modules that promote creative development while contextualising practice through the study of key 20th and 21st Century texts. The programme is based on Queen’s research excellence in composition, sonic arts and new media and provides students with international opportunities for developing creative work.
Composition is one of the strongest areas of creative work in the School, with six composers on the staff and outstanding facilities in the Sonic Arts Research Centre and in the Music Building. Compositional practice ranges from instrumental and electroacoustic music to multimedia and installation-based creative practice. Through the Harty Room, SARC and the Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music, the School has unique facilities for putting on public concerts with student compositions, for researching and developing new ideas on compositional practice, and providing opportunities for exposing new music to a wider audience. Composers in the school have regular opportunities to have their works workshopped, performed and recorded by professional ensembles which in the last few years included the Smith Quartet, the Vanbrugh Quartet and the Ulster Orchestra amongst others.
PERFORMANCE
The MA in Creative Practice (Performance) builds on the School’s unique profile in the area of contemporary music performance. The programme is based on the synergy between performance, improvisation, composition and sonic arts, which defines the School’s strength in creative practice. Students gain a solid foundation in practice-led research methodologies and develop a portfolio of performance practice throughout the year. The programme provides an opportunity for collaboration with students in other programmes leading to the exploration of the synergy between performers, composers and technologists.
Performance at Queen’s thrives on a rich network of practitioners, organisations and venues with weekly concerts and numerous ensemble opportunities. Students in the programme benefit from access to international visitors through workshops and masterclasses. Through the Sonic Arts Research Centre, the Harty Room and the Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music, students have the opportunity to present their work in a public context and develop performance practice within a diverse and supportive community of practitioners.
