Akvile Stuart
Akvilė Stuart is a musicologist, pianist and doctoral researcher at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Her PhD project is generously funded by the AHRC Midlands 4 Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. Akvilė is the Student Advisory Forum representative for M4C DTP for the academic year 2020-2021.
Areas of Expertise
- Music history
- Music analysis and theory
- History of pianism
- Late Imperial and pre-revolutionary Russian society and culture
Qualifications
- PgCert in Research Methods (Birmingham City University)
- MA in Musicology, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (Distinction)
- BMus (Hons) in Piano Performance, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Memberships
- Royal Musical Association
- American Musicological Society
- British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies
- Association for Slavonic, East European and Eurasian Studies
- Modern Humanities Research Association
Research
Life, Music and Legacy of Alexei Stanchinsky (1888-1914)
My PhD project examines the life and works of the neglected Russian composer Alexei Stanchinsky (1888-1914), and explores his compositional style, as well as his position within the social and cultural milieu of late Imperial Russia.
The project comprises the first comprehensive biography of the composer alongside critical analyses of his compositions for piano and chamber ensembles.
The dissertation draws upon analytical methods, such as exploration of extended tonalities and thematic processes in music, and positions itself within existing body of research concerning music, literature, philosophy, religion and national identity in Russian music.
Through examination of literary and musical sources, the project will explore issues such as ‘Russianness’ and transnationalism, links between madness and creativity, and examine the perceived connections between new harmonies and spiritualism in late Imperial Russia.
The examination of Stanchinsky’s diaries, letters and manuscripts will allow the project to explore his individuality as a composer and position him and his legacy within the context of his cultural and artistic milieu.
The project will also observe the posthumous treatment and reception of Stanchinsky’s musical legacy in 20th century Russia, providing an insight into some of the reasons for his subsequent neglect.
The research will enrich the musicological scholarship on late Imperial Russia, as well as provide performers with contextual and analytical insights, enabling Stanchinsky’s significance as a composer to be more widely recognised.
Postgraduate Supervision
- Gareth Thomas
- Christopher Dingle
- Sarah Badcock (University of Nottingham)
Publications
- 'The Importance of Social-Artistic Circles in Russian Music Publishing: The Circumstances of Publication and Reception of Alexei Stanchinsky's works, 1913-1928', 13 December 2018, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham, UK.
- 'An Examination of the Music Style, Life and Legacy of Alexei Stanchinsky (1888-1914)', 23 May 2018, M3C Research Festival, Birmingham, UK.
- 'Scots Poetry in Russian Song: A Reading of Alexei Stanchinsky's 10 Scottish Songs to Poems by Robert Burns', 9-12 July 2019, Institute for Russian Music Studies Conference 2019, Vipiteno, Italy.
- 'Undoubtedly gifted with the most genuine talent by God's mercy': The Critical Reception of Alexei Stanchinsky', 12 October 2019, BASEES Russian and Eastern European Music (REEM) Annual Conference 2019, Durham, UK.
- 'Research through musical records: preservation, perception and reception of Alexei Stanchinsky's works in the modern day', 23-25 October 2019, Aleksanteri Conference 2019, Helsinki, Finland.