Our partnership
with the University of York
The National Centre for Early Music works in close partnership with the University of York, supporting career development, research, and innovation through a range of collaborative projects.
Together, we connect academic enquiry with real-world practice—creating opportunities for musicians, researchers, and students to explore, test, and shape the future of classical music.
Collaborative Doctoral Award
Claire Holden
In September 2025, the National Centre for Early Music became the industry partner in a White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH) Collaborative Doctoral Award with the University of York.
The project supports doctoral researcher and historical violinist Claire Holden, supervised by Dr Anna Bull and Dr Emily Worthington.
The research explores whether expressive nineteenth-century performance practices—characterised by flexibility, spontaneity, and a strong connection between performers and audiences—can deepen engagement with classical music today.
While such approaches were once central to musical culture, they are now rarely heard in modern performance, where technical precision and fidelity to the score often take precedence.
Through a programme of artistic projects and community performances across York and the East Riding of Yorkshire, the research will investigate how historically informed performance styles shape audience experience.
Drawing on NCEM’s expertise in audience development, the project brings together live performance, audience dialogue, and artistic reflection—contributing to wider conversations about how classical music can connect more meaningfully with contemporary audiences.
Claire Holden was awarded an AHRC Fellowship in the Creative and Performing Arts in 2010, researching early nineteenth-century violin playing at Cardiff University. She joined the University of Oxford as a Research Fellow in 2014, and in 2016 became Principal Investigator on the AHRC-funded project Transforming Nineteenth-Century Historically Informed Practice.
As a violinist, Claire performs with leading period-instrument ensembles and has been a member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment since 2000.
She regularly delivers lectures, workshops, and masterclasses at universities and conservatoires across the UK and Europe, and is currently a Research Affiliate at the University of York, where she also teaches historical violin performance.
Explore more of Claire’s work through a selection of videos, recordings, and publications below.
Life in Classical Research Project
Experiences of Early-Career Musicians
The NCEM is collaborating with Dr Stewart Campbell from the University of York’s School of Arts and Creative Technologies as part of the Life in Classical research project.
This research seeks to understand how the classical music industry operates and the realities facing early-career musicians today.
Through a series of workshops and facilitated sessions, musicians reflect on their experiences of building sustainable careers—exploring both the opportunities available and the barriers they encounter.
The insights gathered not only contribute to the University’s research, but also directly inform NCEM’s ongoing work in supporting early-career artists and advocating for a more sustainable and inclusive classical music sector.
Live Industry Project
Each year, the NCEM collaborates with students from the University of York’s MA in Music, Management and Marketing programme.
By providing live industry briefs, we enable students to engage with real challenges facing the cultural sector—ranging from audience development and project evaluation to international marketing.
This exchange brings fresh thinking and practical solutions to NCEM’s work, while giving students valuable, hands-on experience of the industry.
University of York Baroque Ensemble
The NCEM hosts the University of York Baroque Ensemble for both the annual Baroque+ Day and a summer festival performance.
Following the challenges of recent years, the ensemble is growing once again, developing its work in historically informed performance under the direction of Mary-Jannet Leith and Ensemble Hesperi.
In July 2026, with support from the Fenton Arts Trust, the NCEM will enable the ensemble to collaborate with the acclaimed Belgian early music specialists B’Rock—offering students the opportunity to work alongside leading international performers.
Mini Documentary
Recordings of Serenades by Robert Fuchs and Tchaikovsky
Publication
Practice in Context: Historically Informed Practices in Nineteenth-Century Instrumental Music
Edited by Claire Holden, Eric F. Clarke, and Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey
