Professor Catherine Tackley BA (Hons), PGCE, PhD

Personal Statement

Professor Catherine Tackley (née Parsonage) was appointed at the University of Liverpool in August 2016 as Head of the Department of Music, a position she held for six years. During this time, she oversaw the expansion of the Department including the development of new facilities, most notably the Tung Auditorium in the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre which opened in 2022. She was winner of Inspirational Leader of the Year at the University of Liverpool Staff Awards in 2022. She currently holds a Major Research Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust for the project ‘The British Dance Band: Music and Musicians in the Mainstream’ and is on research leave until Autumn 2025.

Catherine completed a PhD on early jazz in Britain at City University London and began her academic career at Leeds College of Music, latterly in the role of Head of the Centre for Jazz Studies UK. Catherine joined The Open University as Lecturer in Music in July 2008, was appointed Senior Lecturer in February 2011 and Professor in April 2016. Catherine was Head of the Music Department at the OU in 2014-2016, following several years as Director of Research for Music. She also served as Interim Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Arts. She is now a Visiting Professor at the OU. Catherine is the supervisor of PhD students in the areas of jazz, popular and improvised musics and musical theatre, particularly focussing on history and performance practice. She welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral students with interests in these and related areas.