Michael Kunkel

Michael Kunkel is a Researcher and Head of Research at the University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt (FHNW), affiliated with the Department of Musicology at the University of Basel. Born in 1969, he studied musicology and general rhetoric at the University of Tübingen and earned his doctorate from the University of Basel in 2005.

• Education
  • University of Tübingen: Musicology and General Rhetoric
  • University of Basel: Doctorate (2005)

His research integrates three intertwined areas: practice-oriented studies of musical knowledge, music and intermediality (highlighting artists like Dieter Roth and Mauricio Kagel), and critical-philological analysis of new music, particularly in Switzerland and Hungary. His work spans contemporary music, analytical source studies, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

As a curator and editor-in-chief of the journal Dissonance (2004–2015), he promoted contemporary music through exhibitions, radio broadcasts, and student programs like Next Generation at the Donaueschinger Tage für Neue Musik (2016–2023). He maintains a teaching role at the University of Basel.

Contact: michael.kunkel@fhnw.ch | Phone: +41 61 264 57 35 | Institution: Basel University of Music, Leonhardsstrasse 6, CH-4051 Basel