Oliver Chandler

Oliver Chandler is an Associate Lecturer in Music at Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge School of Creative Industries, Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. He began working at Anglia Ruskin University in September 2019, after completing his Ph.D. at Royal Holloway, University of London. In addition to his position at Anglia Ruskin, he also tutors at the University of Oxford (Oriel, Somerville, Christ Church, and Lady Margaret Hall Colleges) and King's College London.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. (Musicology) from Royal Holloway, University of London
• MMus (Performance) from Trinity Laban, Conservatoire of Music and Dance
• BMus from Royal Holloway, University of London

Chandler is a music theorist specializing in late-romantic and post-tonal repertories, with particular focus on the music of Edward Elgar and Humphrey Searle. His work explores complex harmonic structures, tonal ambiguity, and voice leading in late Romantic music, particularly examining how chromatic elements interact with traditional tonal frameworks. He has made significant contributions to understanding Elgar's chamber music, challenging the notion that these works are harmonically conservative.

His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Edward Elgar's chamber music, particularly his String Quartet in E minor, op. 83. Chandler's research reveals intricate connections between octatonic structures, diatonic function, and prolongational techniques in Elgar's work, showing how chromatic elements are integrated within tonal frameworks rather than representing a break from tradition.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Graduate student essay prize by the Society for Music Analysis in 2017
• Invitation to present at Oxford University Music Faculty's Research Colloquium series

Chandler supervises research students and teaches undergraduate courses including Foundations of Music Theory, Introduction to Music Studies, Techniques in Music Analysis, and Readings in Music History. His teaching integrates theoretical concepts with historical context and practical application, drawing on his experience as both a scholar and performer.

As an active researcher, Chandler regularly presents at conferences including BrumMAC, the International Conference on Musical Form, and the Nineteenth-Century Music Conference. His work contributes significantly to the scholarly understanding of late Romantic harmonic practices and their relationship to emerging twentieth-century compositional techniques, particularly in the British context.