Carolin Krahn

Prof. Dr. Carolin Krahn is Professor of Historical Musicology at the University of Kassel, where she heads the Department of Historical Musicology and serves as Responsible for International Affairs at the Institute of Music. She is also a member of the Italy Network of the University of Kassel and the international research group "Musica e traduzione" at the JANUS Centro Studi e Ricerche su Traduzione e Pratiche Culturali of the University of Palermo.

Dr. Krahn earned her Magister Artium from Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, followed by doctoral studies at the University of Vienna where she completed her dissertation "Topography of Imaginations: Johann Friedrich Rochlitz's Musical Italy around 1800." She also pursued academic work at Harvard University and Stanford University, and completed postgraduate studies in music education and management at Detmold University of Music.

Her research focuses on historical musicology with particular emphasis on Italian musical imagery, cultural clichés, and national narratives in music historiography around 1800. Dr. Krahn explores how Italian musical stereotypes were constructed, transformed, and disseminated in German-speaking contexts and beyond, examining the complex relationship between German and Italian musical cultures. Her work bridges musicology, cultural studies, and media history to analyze how musical Italy has been represented across different historical periods and media formats.

Dr. Krahn's publication record shows a consistent focus on Italian musical representation, with recent work examining post-war media transformations of Italian clichés in advertising, television, and popular culture. Her scholarship demonstrates a progression from 19th century music historiography to contemporary analyses of Italian imagery in global media contexts, revealing how historical stereotypes continue to influence modern cultural representations.

• 2022-2023: Leadership Academy 6 fellowship (German Scholars Organization)
• 2018: UNIVIE International Award (University of Vienna)
• 2017: Dissertation Prize (Institute for Musicology, University of Vienna)
• 2013: Chair's Award for Excellence in Teaching (Stanford University)

Dr. Krahn has served as a reviewer for numerous prestigious journals and funding organizations including the Bollettino del Centro rossiniano di studi, European History Quarterly, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. She is also active in academic mentoring through the "Mentoring Hessen" project for women in academic and leadership positions.

Her international research experience includes long-term stays in Germany, France, Austria, the USA, Russia, and Italy, which has contributed to her multicultural perspective on musicological research. She has collaborated with major cultural institutions including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Elbphilharmonie, Salzburger Festspiele, and Wiener Staatsoper on program notes, moderations, and evening lectures.