Joel Speerstra

Joel Speerstra is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Classical Music and Church Music within the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg. His academic focus centers on historical keyboard instruments, early music performance practice, and Baroque musicology. He actively participates in international conferences and collaborates with institutions such as the Göteborg International Organ Academy and the Smarano Early Keyboards Academy.

Research interests include clavichord and organ repertoires, emblem studies in music, and the intersection of performance practice with historical notation. Recent work explores Johann Kuhnau’s emblematic techniques, Georg Muffat’s organ treatises, and the affordances of early keyboard instruments across periods.

Publications span peer-reviewed articles, conference presentations, and contributions to specialized journals like Keyboard Perspectives and The Organ Yearbook. He frequently performs on period instruments, emphasizing interpretation of Baroque and renaissance repertoires through historically informed practices.

• Key collaborations: Göteborg International Organ Academy, Smarano International Organ Academy
• Recent projects: Clavichord performance in Christiansfeld (Denmark), lectures on Kuhnau’s emblems