Congratulations to Schulich Professor Edward Klorman, who was recently appointed as Canada Research Chairs, Tier 2 at McGill University! These prestigious awards recognize exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. These Research Chairs are tenable for five years and renewable once.
Read McGill’s complete announcement of new and renewed Canada Research Chairs.
In celebration of his new achievement, we asked Prof. Klorman a few questions via email:
What will your research as a Canada Research Chair focus on?
I’ll be working on a book on the six suites by J. S. Bach for solo cello. There are a number of interesting difficult questions surrounding these pieces, in particular because there is no surviving autograph manuscript, only manuscript copies that differ a lot in their articulation markings and even in the notes. As a music theorist, I’m also interested in how Bach expresses harmonies using mostly single-line instrument, without many double stops or chords. It’s fascinating to consider how much harmony and counterpoint can be achieved through implication, existing in the imagination of a listener without being literally sounded.
How do your experiences as a performer and researcher influence this research?
I’ve been playing Bach’s solo suites on viola since I was a kid, so they’ve been “in my fingers” for a long time. I’ve worked on them with students both in viola or cello lessons and in the classroom. Eighteenth-century musicians didn’t see much of a distinction between thinking about how to compose music or thinking about how to play it, so I’d like to take a holistic approach to thinking about analysis and about performance. I hope my book may be read by researchers, performers, and audiences alike.
What excites you most on being awarded a Canada Research Chair?
The position comes with some funding that I will use to support graduate students, who will work with me on this research. That’s one of the most exciting parts: to offer funding support to emerging researchers, and to learn from and work with them!
This year, the Schulich School of Music is pleased to share that two professors were awarded a Canada Research Chair! Congratulations to Prof. David Brackett who received a Canada Research Chair Tier 1 for his research in popular music and society. Read Prof. Brackett’s Q&A here.
