Dr Matthew Thomson and Dr Conor Power join the School of Music
4 December 2024
The UCD School of Music is delighted to announce the appointment of (opens in a new window)Dr Matthew Thomson and (opens in a new window)Dr Conor Power, who took up their posts in September 2024.
Dr Thomson has joined us as Assistant Professor in Early Music. Previously, he was Fitzjames Research Fellow in Music at Merton College, University of Oxford and Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow at the UCD School of Music. In returning to UCD, Dr Thomson continues his work on music, sexuality, and literary culture in thirteenth-century France. Alongside his pioneering research, Dr Thomson is launching new undergraduate and postgraduate modules in early music, as well as co-ordinating the School’s Research Seminar Series and leading our innovative New Ideas in Musicology course, in which students discuss the latest musicological research directly with authors from across the globe.
On his new position at the School of Music, Dr Thomson remarks, “I couldn’t be more delighted to be rejoining the School of Music at UCD. My previous research fellowship here was the most intellectually rich and productive part of my career thus far, and I’m excited to dive back into this supportive and vibrant community of thinkers. Ireland more generally is a very exciting place for medieval work in musicology at the moment, with numerous colleagues across the country doing groundbreaking work, so I’m honoured to be joining that group of researchers. I’m also thrilled to be teaching UCD students again and can’t wait to share with them the journey of discovery that shows us what old music has to say to our modern world.”
Dr Power has taken up a new role as our first ever Teaching Fellow in Music Theory and Performance. He joins us from Maynooth University, where he recently completed his PhD, and the University of Edinburgh, where he lectured in film music. Building on his expertise in this area, Dr Power is diversifying core musicianship and music theory modules through a broad engagement with a variety of musical styles; his invigorating delivery of these modules will help to equip students for success during and beyond their time at UCD. An accomplished pianist, Dr Power is also overseeing our undergraduate recitals programme.
Dr Power said, “I’m thrilled to be joining UCD in this exciting new position. It’s great to be joining a team so passionate about research and pedagogy, and I’m looking forward to extending that passion into teaching music theory and performance. I take on this role with a student-first mindset and hope to invigorate our undergraduate cohorts with my own enthusiasm for, and deep-routed interest in, a multitude of genres and styles. I aim to help our students become not just theorists but well-rounded performers, composers, thinkers, critics, and educators.”
Head of School, Dr Tomás McAuley, said, “Dr Thomson and Dr Power are two of the most exciting up and coming scholars in their respective areas and we are delighted to be welcoming them to UCD – or back to UCD, in the case of Dr Thomson. They join us at an exciting time as we prepare to launch our new single-subject BA Music degree, on which they will both teach core courses, as well as continuing to develop our joint honours, Music, Film, and Drama, and MMus Music and Culture offerings. Both Dr Thomson and Dr Power are inspiring pedagogues as well as outstanding scholars and I have no doubt that current and future students will benefit immensely from their research-informed teaching.”