New Muses Project Seeks Summer Musicology Intern

New Muses Project 

Position: Musicology Internship

Dates: May 23-August 5

Location: New Haven, CT

Full-time, paid summer internship

About New Muses Project: 

New Muses Project imagines a future where justice and curiosity lie at the heart of classical music scholarship, performance, and education. The old practice of genius-worship is outdated and discriminatory, and we must find new ways to foster passion.

We believe that open-mindedness, awareness of intersectionality, and desire for depth of understanding are keys to success. We encourage persistent and radical efforts to tip the balance in this white-cis-male dominated field. Our work is not done until our vision for the future of classical music is realized and our activism is no longer needed.

We have several projects in the works. Our flagship platform is the New Muses Project website, which offers curated performance and research suggestions based on the user’s interests. The user can input a composer they know, then we present to them a different composer to explore, someone perhaps outside the established canon but who still matches their needs. We are complementing this research work with high-quality recording and publication projects to dramatically increase the visibility and accessibility of these composers’ works.

The Musicology Intern will: 

• Write short and engaging biographies on various composers assigned by the New Muses Project leaders. In addition, compile further information including a list of important works, recordings, and a list of further reading links including, but not limited to, peer-reviewed resources, interviews, composer websites, newspaper articles, IMSLP pages, and estate pages. This research will be presented on each composer’s profile in the New Muses Project website.
• Commit to the organization of the broader composer database, contributing additional composers as necessary and finding connections between composers as they relate in style, genre, and era.
• Attend meetings with the New Muses team to discuss research and writing progress, project goals, and morale. The musicology intern will likely present a certain amount of their research on assigned composers at each meeting.

Qualifications: 

• A demonstrated passion for advocacy and commitment to tackling social justice issues within Western classical music.
• Thorough understanding of Western classical music history.
• Excellent writing and critical thinking skills.
• Experience with in-depth historical research using both primary and secondary sources.
• Self-starter, goal oriented.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to multitask and be flexible to meet adjusted goals and timelines.

Recommended Experience: 

• Basic understanding in multiple languages is helpful.

Compensation: 

The New Muses musicology intern will receive a $4000 stipend.

Application: 

The New Muses Project encourages applications by April 10, 2022. Candidates will be notified of their application status within a week, which may include an invitation to a Zoom interview. To apply, please send the following materials to , with your name and “Musicology Internship Application” in the subject line:

• Resume demonstrating writing and research experience, education (please list any music history and theory courses you have taken), and any other relevant positions.
• An example of academic and/or professional writing.
• In lieu of a cover letter, please write a 200-250 word biography for Fanny Hensel. Please include citations in Chicago style.
• Optional: you may include up to 2 references and their contact information.

New Muses Project especially encourages applications from BIPOC, women, trans and non-binary people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, neurodivergent candidates, and those with disabilities.