Janine Droese Takes Up Professorship in Munich

1 December 2025

The CSMC researcher will move to the University of Music and Theatre Munich on 1 December, where she will take up the professorship in historical musicology with a focus on early music history.

Since 2019, Janine Droese has been pursuing a research project at the UWA Cluster of Excellence titled ‘Creating Music Albums as Originals Made of Originals’, initially as a research associate and, since 2022, as the project leader. This project is dedicated to exploring the format of the ‘musical friendship album’, which was popular in 19th-century musical salons. In these albums, composers and musicians left brief entries, sometimes in the form of short compositions or sketches, often intended for private, domestic performance.

From a modern perspective, these albums offer remarkable opportunities for discovery. They contain forgotten or entirely unknown pieces, including works by famous composers. As part of Janine’s research, some of these compositions have been performed and recorded for the first time since their creation. Highlights include public concerts, such as those held in Freiburg and Emmendingen in October 2023, where pieces from the album of pianist and composer Louise Japha were given new life.

She was also the spokesperson of the Cluster’s research field ‘Creating Originals’ (RFC).

On 1 December, Janine will move from Hamburg to Munich to assume the Professorship for Historical Musicology at the University of Music and Theatre (HMTM). Her new role will focus on music before 1750, with a special emphasis on historical performance practice and church music.

The entire CSMC team congratulates Janine on this great success and wishes her all the best for her personal future at the HMTM!

Janine Droese