Research & Academic Profile

My research is rooted in a love of exploring how music, storytelling, and performance work together to shape both creative practice and performer training. I’m particularly interested in how we can foster bravery and creative risk-taking in the rehearsal room, and in composing narrative-driven works that bring stories vividly to life through music. Alongside my teaching and creative work, I’m often invited by publishing companies to peer review books in musical theatrea reflection of my standing as a specialist in the field. This page brings together the projects, publications, and ideas that have shaped my journey so far, and continue to inspire the way I teach, write, and make music.

Musical Semiotics In Programmatic Composition

This area of my research examines how musical elements, such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and orchestration, can carry and communicate meaning beyond the notes themselves. Drawing on principles of semiotics, I explore how composers use these tools to tell stories, evoke imagery, and create narrative associations in programmatic music, with a particular focus on my own orchestral work The Olympus Suite.

Bloomsbury Publishing

I have been invited by Bloomsbury Publishing to act as a peer reviewer for works in their academic musical theatre catalogue. This includes evaluating Dr. Jacqui Cuny’s Exploring the ‘IT’ Factor in Musical Theatre (Bloomsbury Academic Series Proposal) and Kristin Stultz Pressley’s Essential Musical Series – Must-Know Shows for Students and Fans of Musical Theatre. My role for this series involves providing detailed feedback on content, scope, and scholarly contribution, helping to shape works that will inform and inspire both students and practitioners in the field.

AAQ Specialist Consultant for RSL Awards

I was appointed as a specialist consultant for the development of new Level 3 Performing Arts qualifications with RSL Awards. In this role, I advised on curriculum content, assessment design, and industry relevance, ensuring the qualifications reflect current professional practice and meet the needs of students aspiring to careers in the performing arts.

Article & Journal Contribution: Fostering Brave Spaces in Conservatoire Training

I am currently writing an academic article exploring the concept of “brave spaces” within conservatoire training, with a particular focus on the role of new writing in musical theatre. The piece examines how creating and staging new work can encourage students to take creative risks, challenge established conventions, and engage with complex or unconventional material in a supportive, professionally-informed environment. My aim is to open up a broader conversation within arts education about how bravery, innovation, and inclusivity can be embedded into the rehearsal process.