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Several Royal College of Music staff appointed to Personal Chairs and Readerships

Wednesday 27 May 2026

The Royal College of Music (RCM) is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Martyn Brabbins, Professor Neta Spiro and Professor Tania Lisboa to Personal Chairs in their fields, and Dr George Waddell as Reader in Performance Research and Innovation.

James Williams, Director of the Royal College of Music, commented: ‘The Royal College of Music’s excellence is defined by the talented students who study here and the inspirational leaders who guide them. I am delighted to welcome our new Personal Chairs and Reader; their scholarship and dedication will shape the future for many students and is the foundation upon which our academic community continues to flourish.’

Professor Martyn Brabbins, now appointed to a Personal Chair in Conducting, first joined the RCM as an International Visiting Artist in 2016, before becoming Prince Consort Professor of Conducting in 2021. This new appointment reflects Professor Brabbins’ outstanding international profile as a conductor over four decades, together with his contributions to classical music internationally as an educator and ambassador.

Professor Neta Spiro joined the RCM in 2017, and her appointment to a Personal Chair in Music Psychology recognises her international research leadership in music psychology and creative health, and the way in which her interdisciplinary research, such as her work on musical care and the development of the Musical Care International Network, is advancing international understanding of music’s role in health, education and policy.

Professor Tania Lisboa joined the Royal College of Music in 2001 and became an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Music in 2018. Her appointment to a Personal Chair in Music and Applied Performance Science recognises her international leadership and impact as a researcher in performance science. Professor Lisboa’s interdisciplinary research in music memorisation, digital learning and arts-based public health is shaping professional training and informing socially engaged applications of music in Brazil, the Global South and internationally.

Dr George Waddell became Performance Research and Innovation Fellow at the RCM in 2022 and has now been appointed to Reader in Performance Research and Innovation, recognising his leadership in performance science research. Dr Waddell’s work integrates psychology, health and technology, including the Centre for Performance Science’s advanced simulation technologies, leading to new insights into how performance is learned, optimised and experience.

Find out more about studying at the Royal College of Music, the UK’s No. 1 institution for Music and Performing Arts, where students learn from dedicated professors and world-leading researchers.