Alicia de Bánffy-Hall

Alicia de Bánffy-Hall is a Professor of Music in Social Work/Community Music at Hochschule Düsseldorf (University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf). Her work bridges community music practice, music education, and cultural democracy, focusing on transforming educational and cultural institutions into inclusive spaces. She collaborates with organizations like the Konzerthaus Dortmund, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and National Football Museum to integrate community music into societal frameworks.

• Education:
  • BA Performing Arts/Community Arts, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (2004)
  • MSc Arts and Cultural Management, Manchester Metropolitan University (2008)
  • PhD in Music Education, Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (2019)

Research Interests center on community music practice, inclusive music education, and the role of music in social institutions. She advocates for cultural democracy through initiatives like the first MA in Inclusive Music Education/Community Music in Germany (co-developed in 2016) and serves as a Research Fellow at the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (Canada). Her work explores intersections between music, pedagogy, and societal transformation.

Publications and Awards include co-editing the first German book on community music (2017), a special issue of the International Journal of Community Music on Germany (2016), and the Bavarian Culture Award (2019) for her PhD thesis. She has lectured at universities in Germany, the UK, Switzerland, and Austria and co-founded the German Community Music Netzwerk (2020).

Collaborations span institutions like Münchner Philharmoniker, York St John University, and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. She currently leads a module at the University of Hildesheim and serves as Co-Chair of the Community Music Activity Commission (International Society for Music Education).