Federico Celestini

Federico Celestini is a Professor of Musicology at the University of Innsbruck and Director of the Institute of Musicology. A full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (elected 2021), he previously served as President of the Austrian Society for Musicology (2017-2022) and co-editor of Acta Musicologica (2011-2022). His research integrates music history, aesthetics, and cultural studies, with specializations in Viennese Modernism, Nietzsche's philosophy, and performativity theories.

Education:

• Violin studies at Giulio Briccialdi Music Academy, Terni
• Doctorate (1998) and Habilitation (2004) in Musicology from Karl-Franzens-University Graz
• Studies in musicology, literature, and aesthetics at La Sapienza University, Rome

His research examines music from the 17th to 21st centuries through interdisciplinary lenses, particularly exploring intersections between sound, notation, and cultural identity. Key areas include: German idealism's impact on musical aesthetics; deconstruction of collective identities in Central European modernism; and medieval notation as embodied practice. Recent work analyzes performative dimensions of musical writing and intercultural dialogues in post-war avant-garde.

Publications demonstrate consistent engagement with Mahler, Haydn, and Scelsi, evolving from historical analysis toward theories of musical materiality. Recent articles explore notation as performative act, grotesque aesthetics in theater music, and philosophical contradictions in Wagner/Nietzsche reception. Monographs like Nietzsche's Philosophy of Music (2016) establish frameworks for understanding music as epistemic practice.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Tyrolean State Prize for Science (2022)
• Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2005-2007)
• Mellon Foundation Visiting Professorship (2010)
• British Academy Visiting Fellowship (2002)
• Martha Goldsworthy Arnold Fellowship

He has led major research initiatives including the FWF project Scelsi and Austria (2010-2012) and co-directed the DACH project Towards a Theory of Musical Notation (2018-2021). As founding head of the Gustav Mahler Research Centre (2021-present), he oversees archival studies and performance partnerships. Current projects examine satirical strategies in musical modernism and ancient Greek sound politics.

At Innsbruck, he coordinates graduate studies in musicology and mentors early-career researchers. His leadership extends to the Gustav Mahler Music Weeks in Toblach, where he curates scholarly-performance dialogues since 2016.