OPEN CALL FOR RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS FROM THE ACCADEMIA MUSICALE CHIGIANA
In light of the celebrations planned for the centenary of the concert activities in the historic seat of Palazzo Chigi Saracini, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana opens the call for six resident research scholarships of € 3000,00 each, to Italian and foreign scholars interested in carrying out research on the Accademia Musicale Chigiana and its role in the history of music, from the beginning of the twentieth century to today.
OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH SCHOLARSHIPS
These scholarships are aimed at Italian and foreign scholars who are interested in conducting research on the activities of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, in music, music instruction / teaching, artistic productions, concert organization, and audience development, with a particular focus on the following areas:
- The invention of the past: the creation of the sound of the musical patrimony rediscovered in the first half of the twentieth century, through the editions realized by composers for the Settimane Musicali Senesi;
- Early Music Practices: historical practice and its influence on the modern taste in music, amongst teaching experiences and concert programming in the Chigiana;
- The Art of Composition: traditions, schools, and orientations in the realm of creating music in Chigiana;
- A sense of place: the relationship between composers from different generations who have frequented the Accademia Chigiana and the Tuscan countryside, with particular attention to the sonoric dimension;
- Playing the tradition: the art of interpretation in Chigiana, traditional executive practice and schools of Western repertoire;
- The other Chigiana: the emergence of the investigation into the concept of tradition and memory, together with research on music beyond the “eurocolto” repertoire, through concerts, ethnomusicology seminars and audience development initiatives in Chigiana;
- Cinema Chigiana: training projects and experiences in the creation of music for motion pictures, from 1947 to today;
- The inter-media listener: investigation on the patrimony of media objects (advertising, posters, photographs, audio and video recordings) held in the archives of the Accademia Chigiana, that reflect the rapport between the history of the Sienese institution and the culture of music over the last century;
- Chigiana/World: identity, role and relevance of the Chigiana in the history of the advanced musical training on a worldwide level, to be compared with other similar institutions over the past century;
- Living music together: community, experiences, forms of socialization and transmission of knowledge in music in the context of the courses of the Accademia Chigiana.
This research should be carried out primarily on the basis of the study on documents held within the libraries and archives of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
For more detailed information on the collections able to be consulted, interested persons may contact the head of the library at Chigiana, Prof. Cesare Mancini, by writing in advance to the email: cesare.mancini@chigiana.org
TYPE OF SCHOLARSHIP
The six (6) scholarships are destined to music scholars in the who have not yet reached 45 years of age by the deadline for submission. The winners of the scholarship shall conduct their research under the supervision of a scientific tutor selected by a Committee from the publication, Chigiana. Journal of Musicological Studies. In particular, the recipients shall carry out their research in the libraries and archives of the Accademia Chigiana for a period of 4 weeks (able to be split into 2 + 2 two week periods) from January to June 2023. During the time they will be present in Siena, the scholarship recipient may take advantage of housing in a residence made available by the Accademia Musicale Chigiana. The time of your stay in Siena must be agreed upon with the offices of the Foundation. Travel expenses shall be paid by the researcher.
The scholarships will be disbursed in two payments of euro 1.500 each:
- the first payment will occur following the submission of a report that documents the research activities and communicates the results to the scientific Tutor (30 July 2023);
- The second payment will occur following the submission of an article to the editorial staff of the journal Chigiana (30 December 2023).
The scholarship recipient is insured by the Academy against any accident or injury incurred while carrying out their research activities within the archives and libraries of the Foundation.
Scholarship recipients may be dismissed by the Administrative Director and thus be prevented from receiving the full amount of the scholarship awarded if they interrupt the programmed research after its start, or cease to make regular progress, or if they are found by their scientific research Tutor to be responsible for serious and repeated failures.
COLLECTIONS ABLE TO BE CONSULTED IN THE
ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES OF THE ACCADEMIA MUSICALE CHIGIANA
The collections of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana conserve different types of documentation and materials:
- Musicological texts, whose publication date is concentrated mainly in the first half of the twentieth century, in accordance with the development period of the Library itself, but with a strong revival of recent publications, in line with the current expansion of the bibliographic collections.
- Autographed and printed musical scores, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Among those of particular interest, the following are worth mentioning: the new elaborations of early music made on the occasion of the first Settimane Musicali Senesi; pieces written as part of the composition courses; scores used by teachers and students during the courses.
- Publications of various kinds: opera librettos, periodicals, etc.
- Letters of the founder of the Chigiana Academy, Count Guido Chigi Saracini.
- Phonographic and audiovisual archive, the core of which consists of the recordings of most of the Academy’s concerts, starting from the second half of the 1940s. Some supports, especially reels dating back to the first decades of the time frame concerned, are currently not able to be listened to and could be included in a recovery project.
- Program notes from the entire concert programming of the Accademia Chigiana.
- Press archives covering a large part of the Chigiana’s activities.
- Publications promoted by the Accademia Chigiana, which constitute a valuable testimony on the initiatives undertaken by the institution;
- Documentation relating to the advanced music courses organized by the Academy.
TASKS OF THE RESEARCH SCHOLARS
The scholarship recipients must:
• carry out research in the archives of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana for a period of four weeks;
• coordinate with a scientific tutor chosen by the Committee from Chigiana. Journal of Musicological Studies;
• write a report (8000-10000 words) on the results of the research, to be given to the scientific tutor by July 30th 2023;
• present their research at the conference organized by the Accademia Chigiana as part of the centenary celebrations (22-24 November 2023);
• write an article with the results and submit it to the editorial team at Chigiana. Journal of Musicological Studies, for eventual publication (pending the process of peer review), no later than 30 December 2023.
• mention the scholarship in its exact title on their curriculum vitae and in any publication connected to the research carried out within the archives of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
CANDIDACY AND SELECTION
Candidates must submit their completed form on the Chigiana Journal website. The form can be accessed at the following address: https://www.journal.chigiana.org/bando-di-ricerca-conference-2023/.
The application must be sent no later than 15 December 2022.
Each application must include:
• the online application form (fill out directly on this page);
• a copy of your identity document;
• a copy of your university diploma or equivalent title, or the signed declaration of possession of requested title(s) (download here);
• copy of the candidate’s thesis (bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral thesis, depending on highest level of study completed) and, if applicable, any publications relevant to the proposed project;
• curriculum vitae;
• a description of the proposed research project (about 1500 words) that clearly indicates the area of research (from the 10 areas described above), the expected results and the types of materials that will be consulted within the libraries and archives of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana;
Questions regarding the contents of the call or application may be sent to: chigiana.journal@chigiana.org
For any technical issues with the online form please contact: digital@chigiana.org
All requested documents must be uploaded as single files in pdf format, except the copy of your ID which can also be in jpg format.
Candidates may be asked to provide supplementary materials and to hold a video colloquium with the Committee from Chigiana Journal.
The research scholarships will be assigned at the sole discretion of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
All candidates will receive a response regarding the outcome of their application.