Founded in 1874, the Royal Musical Association is the foremost society in the UK dedicated to advancing the investigation and discussion of all types of music. The Association aims to sustain and enhance the culture of music studies in its broadest sense, to celebrate and promote diversity in musical and scholarly activity, to create an inclusive and interdisciplinary environment, foster community, and to recognise outstanding scholarly and creative achievement by individuals worldwide.
The RMA has FOUR openings for Ordinary Members of Council and ONE for Vice-President, tenure beginning in January 2026 for three and five years, respectively. We are also seeking nominations for a President-elect to work with the current president from January 2026 prior to becoming president in January 2027.
If you would like to come and join us and help run the Association for the benefit of all its members, we would love to hear from you. You do not need to be an RMA member at the time of your nomination, but membership is mandatory for anyone taking up an elected position. The closing date for receipt of nominations is Friday 23 May 2025.
We are particularly looking for new Council members who will support and help take forward our initiatives to become a more diverse Association. We encourage nominations that reflect the full diversity of music studies and particularly welcome those from individuals who are members of groups that are under-represented in the RMA or music academia more broadly. We are actively working towards making our activities fully accessible and most of our meetings are virtual or hybrid.
To apply for Ordinary Member of Council, you may either secure nomination (proposer and seconder) from existing members of the RMA who will then put your name forwards, or you may contact Prof Caroline Rae, Chair of RMA Search Committee (Rae@cardiff.ac.uk) direct with an expression of interest.
Applications for Vice-President and President-elect can only be made via nominations (proposer and seconder) from current members of the RMA Council.
Nomination details should be submitted together with a Statement of Candidacy (no more than a single A4 page), which will be circulated to the RMA membership over the summer as part of the election process.
The Statement should contain the following information (bullet points should be avoided):
- Name and current occupation/role
- Relevant previous positions
- Short résumé of research
- Any honours
- Administrative experience; committee positions held
- Personal statement: a few words about what you would hope to contribute as a member
of Council.
Nominations details and Statements of Candidacy should be sent to the Chair of Search Committee,
Prof Caroline Rae (Rae@cardiff.ac.uk) not later than Friday 23 May 2025. Election results are
normally announced during the RMA’s annual conference in September