Musicology

KU Musicology faculty members cultivate a wide variety of research interests. Paul Laird studies the Spanish villancico, Leonard Bernstein, the Broadway musical, and the revival of the baroque cello. He also directs the Instrumental Collegium Musicum. Martin Nedbal's research involves Mozart, Czech music, and opera history in Central Europe.​ Colin Roust pursues research into music and politics, film music, French music, and the composer Georges Auric. Roberta Freund Schwartz's research specialties include the Spanish Renaissance, patronage, blues, and rock. Ketty Wong, an ethnomusicologist, focuses on Latin American art, folk, and popular music, and the reception of Western social dances in China.

Visiting scholars of international stature present lectures at KU, and the Instrumental Collegium Musicum offers programs of early music using the University's collection of replicas of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque instruments. The Thomas Gorton Music and Dance Library is the leading music library in the Great Plains region, containing over 60,000 music scores and books, over 20,000 sound recordings, and is especially strong in composer's complete editions and monument editions, along with other important research tools. Another important source for music research at the University of Kansas is the enormous collection of historic recordings housed in the Richard Wright Jazz Archive and James Seaver Opera Archive. KU Musicology normally has at least four students working as graduate teaching assistants and scholarships/fellowships are available.​