Volker Helbing

Prof. Volker Helbing is Professor of Music Theory at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH) since 2011. He holds a PhD in Musicology from TU Berlin (2005) and previously held teaching roles at institutions in Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, and Trossingen. His research focuses on analysis of 20th/21st-century music (with emphasis on French and Hungarian composers), vocal polyphony of the Renaissance, and the history of music theory. Notable publications include studies on Ravel, Ligeti, and compositional techniques. Upcoming projects include a monograph on Ligeti's Violin Concerto (2025).

Education: Studied flute, music theory, musicology, and German studies in Hamburg, Freiburg, and Berlin. Academic career includes guest lectureships and an acting professorship in Trossingen, as well as a half-time visiting professorship in Berlin.

Research interests span compositional analysis, historical music theory, and cross-disciplinary studies of music and aesthetics. He has contributed to edited volumes exploring tonality, modernist ruptures, and synesthetic aesthetics in music.