Arnold Jacobshagen

Arnold Jacobshagen is Professor of Historical Musicology at Cologne University of Music and Dance since 2006, with previous appointments at Vienna and Bayreuth universities. He serves as Vice President of the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung, Chairman of the Joseph Haydn-Institut, and holds leadership roles in multiple international musicological organizations including the European Music Theatre Academy and Meyerbeer Institute.

• PhD (1996) from Freie Universität Berlin
• Habilitation (2003) from University of Bayreuth
• Studies in Berlin, Vienna, Tours, and Paris in Musicology, History, Philosophy, and Cultural Management

His research centers on opera and music theater from the 17th to 21st centuries, with special focus on French music history (18th-19th centuries), European cultural transfer, and historical performance practices. Jacobshagen's work bridges institutional history with performance studies, examining how social structures shape musical production across eras. His publications reveal particular interest in reception history, examining how composers like Rossini, Verdi, and Wagner have been interpreted across national boundaries.

His recent publications demonstrate growing engagement with transcultural performance practices and contemporary opera production, while maintaining strong connections to historical scholarship. Jacobshagen's work shows consistent methodological diversity, combining archival research with theoretical analysis of performance practices.

• Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Christ's College, University of Cambridge (2019)
• Ordentliches Mitglied der Academia Europaea
• Former jury member of Beethoven Foundation Bonn (2008-2011)
• Former co-editor of "Die Musikforschung" (2012-2017)

Jacobshagen has directed major editorial projects including the Haydn Complete Edition and has held significant administrative roles at his institution including Dean (2013-2017) and Pro-Dean (2009-2013) of Department 5. His current research projects examine Haydn's spurious works, 20th-century reception of opera buffa, and critical editions of French opera including Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. He leads the Cologne-based research group on historical musicology that collaborates with international institutions including the German Historical Institute in Rome.