Billy Price

Working title: Shrinking the Divide: Cultural Reciprocity in Classical and Popular music

Email: hsbprice@liverpool.ac.uk

Bio: I’m originally from Shropshire but moved to Liverpool in 2016 to study a BA in music/popular music. The vibrant milieu I discovered surely influenced my decision to follow this up with a research-based MRes in 2019. My thesis, undertaken and completed during the pandemic, explored the development of the electric guitar in art music circles under the supervision of Dr Richard Worth. My doctoral research now seeks to understand how the orchestra and concert hall are used as a source of artistic validation within rock, and the role the guitar might play in breaking down classical/popular conventions. Away from research, I am an avid guitarist and composer, dabbling in rock, electronic, and contemporary classical forms.

Teaching: I have been a private guitar tutor since 2019, while also working in the SEND field during the pandemic. I have also provided assistance as a GTA on undergraduate modules including MUSI150 (Music as an Industry), MUSI140 (Popular Music History), and MUSI121 (Music in Contexts).

Conference papers:

Price, B. (2023). [Accepted Paper]. ‘Voyaging Through Time: Thematic Cross-Referencing and Intertextuality in Big Big Train’s Grand Tour’. Society for Music Analysis Annual Conference. University of Liverpool.

Price, B. (2022). ‘Sonic Synergy: Exploring Uses of Unorthodox Instruments in Attracting New Audiences into the Concert Hall’. Durham Castle Conference 2022. 29-30th April 2022. Durham University.

Price, B. (2022). ‘Sonic Synergy: Exploring Uses of Unorthodox Instruments in Attracting New Audiences into the Concert Hall’. BFE/RMA Research Students’ Conference 2022. 6-8th January 2022. University of Plymouth.

Interests: My PhD is centred around classical and popular reciprocal scenarios, which by nature demands a look into various sociological, cultural and technological phenomena. That being said, my research interests are highly interdisciplinary, encompassing areas as wide as Audiovisual media to Eastern musics and philosophy.

Supervisors: Dr Richard Worth and Dr Sarah Price