Katharine Ellis

Katharine Ellis is the 1684 Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge (since 2017) and a cultural historian specializing in French music of the 19th and early 20th centuries. She previously held lectureships at the Open University and Royal Holloway, and chairs at the Universities of London and Bristol.

• Director of the Institute of Musical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London (2006)
• Elected to Academia Europaea (2010)
• Fellow of the British Academy (2013)
• Member of the American Philosophical Society (2017)

Her research spans three major monographs: Music Criticism in Nineteenth-Century France (1995), Interpreting the Musical Past (2005), and The Politics of Plainchant in fin-de-siècle France (2013). Current projects examine provincial perspectives in French musical life. Her work bridges canon formation, early music revival, and political-religious intersections in musical historiography.

Key themes in her publications include:

• 19th-century French musical culture
• Historical performance practices
• Church-state dynamics in music
• Music criticism and media
• Regional musical histories
• Interdisciplinary methodologies

Scientific Awards:

• Fellow of the British Academy (2013)
• Member of the American Philosophical Society (2017)
• Academia Europaea membership (2010)