Department of Music

Durham climbed nine places in the QS World University Rankings, to 85th. The Arts and Humanities department, of which music is a part, was ranked even higher, at 31st. 

Durham University’s Arts and Humanities subjects have performed strongly in the latest Unifresher subject rankings, helping to secure Durham’s position as the UK’s leading Russell Group university in the Unifresher 2027 Rankings.

Durham University has established a new partnership with Southwestern University (Georgetown, USA), creating a streamlined progression route for qualified Southwestern graduates onto a selection of Durham taught Master’s programmes, including many in Arts and Humanities.

Two current Durham Music PhD students, Ardi Echevarria and Yan Xin Ng, presented papers at the Royal Musical Association's Southeast Asia Chapter conference in 2026 — and both were awarded the Springer Researcher Student Prize. Durham alumnus Matthew Hansel, who completed an MA by Research in 2024, also presented.

On Thursday 19 March at 4.30pm, Professor John Snijders joins artist Graham Dolphin for a public conversation exploring art, performance, and contemporary music at the Dead Dog Gallery, Durham Sixth Form Centre.

A thirty-minute animated film accompanying Durham composer Richard Rijnvos's Aphrodite for shō & string sextet (2022–23) is showing throughout March as part of Moments of Wonder, a new exhibition by Mike Collier at Vane gallery in Gateshead. Rijnvos will be present for a special screening on Wednesday 4 March at 4.30pm, ahead of the exhibition's opening preview.