Music Criticism
Source: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate/music-criticism Parent: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate
50.04.01 In Russian
Level of education Master
Type of instruction Full-time
Duration 2 years
Main areas of research
- History and modern practice of musical institutions
- History and theory of performance
- History and theory of music criticism and curating
- History and theory of opera and ballet art
- Musical enlightenment
- Opera on stage and opera directing
- Contemporary music and musical theatre
Main academic courses
- Classical Choreography and Modern Dance
- Curatorial Studies in Performing Arts
- Music of the 20th Century: Text, Techniques, Author
- Performers' Interpretations of Music Styles
- Opera: From the Score to the Stage
- Opera and Ballet Theater in the Context of Modern Culture
- Russian and Soviet Music in the Context of Cultural and Political History
- Contemporary Music: Styles and Ideas
- Modern Musicology: The Key Concepts
- The Performance as a Text
Our advantages
- Development of the ability to design communication projects, and facilitate intercultural dialogue; the most personal approach possible during the learning process; the formation of critical thinking and creative interpretation in professional activities
- Gaining experience in personal curatorial project design; writing reviews, critical and analytical articles on music and musicians in contemporary culture; as well as preparing materials for websites and booklets
- Opportunity to attend regular seminars with the engagement of leading Russian and foreign composers, choreographers, critics, curators
- The possibility of practical training and internships at festivals in St Petersburg, Moscow; as well as participation in creative and scientific and practical projects that are implemented by teachers of the programme, and in cooperation with the portal ‘Arzamas’, the Internet resource of the festival "Golden Mask" and others
- Gaining experience in preparing booklets for Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres, Perm and Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet theatres, as well as participating in the publication of the annual collection of Schola criticorum and the competition for young music critics ‘Resonance’
- Access to library resources, photo lab, video-editing lab and multimedia, electronic music lab, multimedia systems, video conferencing classroom
- There is an opportunity to master practical skills in writing reviews, critical and analytical articles about music and musicians
- Students gain experience in developing their own curatorial project
- There is an opportunity to attend regular workshops with leading Russian and foreign composers, choreographers, critics, and curators
- There is an opportunity to: have practical training and do internships in theatres and festivals in St Petersburg, Moscow; and take part in creative and research and practice projects that are implemented by the lecturers of the programme
- Students gain experience in preparing materials for websites and booklets of opera houses and concert halls
- Students are provided with access to the library resources, photo laboratory, video editing and multimedia laboratory, electronic music laboratory, multimedia complex, and a video conferencing class
Practical training and future career
Practice training locations
- Diaghilev Festival in Perm
- National Theatre Festival "Golden Mask" (Moscow)
- Stars of the White Nights Festival (St Petersburg)
- EarlyMusic Festival (St Petersburg)
Our graduates can work as
- Music critics and journalists
- Specialists in public musicology and musical enlightenment
- Curators capable of initiating and implementing projects within the framework of modern cultural institutions: opera and ballet theatres, philharmonic societies, concert organisations and festivals