John Cunningham

Dr. John Cunningham is a Senior Lecturer in Music at Bangor University’s School of Arts, Culture and Language, with a focus on secular vocal and instrumental music in the British Isles (1600–1870), seventeenth-century English consort music, and the interplay between music and cultural history. He has published extensively on composers like William Lawes, Ben Jonson, and Shakespeare, and explores modern popular music’s links to visual culture.

• Education: PhD in Music (University of Leeds, 2007), MA and BMus (University College Dublin, 2001 and 2000).
• Research: Covers music as cultural history, editing historical compositions, Shakespearean music, opera in non-Western contexts, and popular music analysis.
• Awards: Senior Fellow (2019) and Fellow (2015) of the Higher Education Academy.
• Leadership: Held roles including Head of Department of Music, Drama and Performance (2022–24), Director of Research, and Digital Ambassador.
• Students: Supervises PhD students like Yining Li and Luxi Tian, with completed students including Stephen Bullamore.
• Projects: Currently examines musical censorship in popular culture and Shakespeare’s music, funded by Bangor University’s Innovation and Impact Award for Welsh identity studies.