Rate My Professor Kathleen Nelson

Kathleen Nelson is an Honorary Associate Professor in Musicology at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. She earned her BMus, MMus, and PhD from the University of Adelaide between 1988 and 1993. Throughout her career at the University of Sydney, she has held significant administrative roles, including Associate Dean (Research Education) from 2017 to 2021, HDR Director, and Chair of the HDR Examinations Sub-Committee. She has also served on various academic committees, such as those related to higher degree research policy, and contributed to the Musicological Society of Australia as NSW Chapter Treasurer and Public Officer. Nelson coordinates and teaches units in musicology, including advanced courses on analysis, history, and culture studies, such as MCGY3612.

Nelson's research focuses on medieval liturgical chant manuscripts, particularly fragments in the University of Sydney Fisher Rare Book Library collections, including Additional Manuscripts 327, 351, 357, and 413. Her key publications include 'Fragments of Medieval Chant Manuscripts at the University of Sydney' in Fontes Artis Musicae, 'University of Sydney, Fisher Rare Book Additional Manuscript 357: A Product of Many Changes' (2011) in Cathedral, City and Cloister: Essays on Manuscripts, Music and Art in New Spain, which she edited, 'Living, Deathless, Timeless, Music: Grainger and Early Music' in Australasian Music Research (2000), and 'The Melbourne Philharmonic Society under Contract to the Australian Broadcasting Commission: Preservation and Triumph' in Context (2003). She has contributed entries to multiple Liturgical Chant Bibliographies in Plainsong & Medieval Music and actively participates in international chant scholarship through projects like the Cantus Database, where she has indexed sources such as Add. Ms. 413, and the Digital Analysis of Chant Transmission (DACT). Nelson has delivered public lectures, including 'Rare Bites: Musical fragments on the margins of a liturgical manuscript' at the University Library, enhancing access to and understanding of these rare materials. Her work bridges palaeography, digital humanities, and performance practice, influencing global studies of medieval music transmission.