RMA Committees

Brown leather chairs surrounding a board room table

RMA Committees

Much of the day-to-day running of the RMA is organised through Sub-committees of the Council, each of which has a different area of responsibility. These are:

Awards Committee

The awards committee overseas the administration of the association’s awards. The committee is responsible for generating and soliciting nominations for Honorary Membership, the Dent Medal, and the Jerome Roche Prize, and making recommendations of recipients to the association’s governing council. The committee also receives and considers applications for small research grants. Full details of all grants and awards offered by the RMA is available here.

Chair of Awards Committee: Catherine Tackley (Catherine.Tackley@liverpool.ac.uk)

Show Committee Members

Dent Medal Panel:

  • Catherine Tackley (Panel Chair)
  • Simon Keefe
  • Nicholas Attfield

Roche Prize Panel:

  • Catherine Tackley (Panel Chair)
  • Rebecca Herissone
  • Ann van Allen-Russell

RMA/Cambridge University Press Monograph

  • Catherine Tackley (Panel Chair)
  • Jonathan Hicks
  • Nicholas Attfield

RMA/Cambridge University Press Outstanding Edited Collection

  • Caroline Rae (Panel Chair)
  • Michelle Meinhart
  • Laura Hamer

Tippett Medal

  • Scott McLaughlin (Chair)
  • Nuria Bonet
  • Lois Fitch

Margarita M. Hanson (GB) Award

  • Ann van Allen-Russell (Panel Chair)
  • Rebecca Herissone
  • Amy Williamson

Practice Research Prize

  • Sue Miller (Panel Chair)
  • Amy Blier-Carruthers
  • Ann van Allen-Russell
  • Nuria Bonet

RMA 150 Fellowship Scheme

  • Simon Keefe (Chair)
  • Barbara Kelly

Displaced Music Researcher Scheme

  • Erin Johnson-Williams (Panel Chair)
  • Sue Miller
  • Jonathan Hicks

Events committee

The Events Committee meets at least three times a year, and is responsible for planning one-day meetings, conferences, and other similar events. The committee makes decisions about dates, locations and contents of different events, and delegates responsibility for local arrangements. Organisers of the Association’s events – such as the Annual Conference and Research Students’ Conference – are invited to attend. A full list of all forthcoming RMA events is available here.

Chair of Events Committee: Clair Rowden (Clair.Rowden@glasgow.ac.uk)

Show Committee Members

  • Jonathan Hicks
  • Amy Williamson
  • Caroline Rae
  • Maya Ann Morris (ex officio, Student Representative, to December 2025)
  • Simon Keefe (ex officio, President, to December 2026)
  • Michael Byde (ex officio, Digital Technologies Officer)
  • Amanda Babington (ex officio, Executive Officer)
  • Eva Moreda Rodriguez (ex officio, Convenor, Scottish Chapter)
  • Monika Hennemann (ex officio, Convenor, South-East Asia Chapter)
  • Michelle Assay (ex officio, Flagship Conferences Coordinator)
  • Valerie James (ex officio, Hon. Treasurer)
  • Amy Williamson (ex officio, Mentoring Scheme Lead)
  • Katherine Williams (ex officio, Research Skills Officer)
  • Dan Elphick (ex officio, Communications Officer)
  • Maureen Wolloshin (in attendance, Student Liaison Officer)

External Affairs Committee

The committee for external affairs deals with consultations from research councils and other national bodies, consulting among the membership on such matters and responding on behalf of the association.

Chair of External Affairs Committee: Simon Keefe (s.keefe@sheffield.ac.uk)

Show Committee Members
  • Barbara Kelly
  • Laura Hamer
  • Nuria Bonet
  • Dan Elphick (ex officio, Communications Officer)

Student Observers:

  • Maya Ann Morris (student representative)
  • Günseli Naz Ferel (student representative)

Finance, Membership and Communications Committee

The Finance and Membership Committee advises the Treasurer on the preparation of budgets and on the general financial position of the Association. In addition, the Committee reviews the membership and the levels of subscription, and reviews honoraria for RMA officers. The Committee also oversees marketing and communications activity.

Chair of Finance, Membership and Communications Committee: Lois Fitch (l.fitch@rcs.ac.uk)

Show Committee Members
  • Nicholas Attfield
  • Clair Rowden
  • Simon Keffe (ex officio, President)
  • Valerie James (ex officio, Hon. Treasurer)
  • Michael Byde (ex officio, Digital Technologies Officer)
  • Amanda Babington (ex officio, Executive Officer)
  • Dan Elphick (ex officio, Communications Officer)
  • Maya Ann Morris (student representative)
  • Günseli Naz Ferel (student representative)

Publications Committee

The Publications Committee has responsibility for all RMA academic publications, encompassing editorial policy, publicity, and marketing. The Committee takes decisions on the timing and contents of publications,  but in addition both the Journal of the Royal Musical Association and the RMA Research Chronicle have their own independent Editorial Boards. More information about RMA publications is available here.

Chair of Publications Committee: Rebecca Herissone (Rebecca.Herissone@manchester.ac.uk)

Show Committee Members
  • Laura Hamer
  • Sarah Collins
  • Chris Banks (co-opted)
  • Deborah Mawer, Hettie Malcomson (Editors, JRMA)
  • Amanda Hsieh (Reviews Editor, JRMA and RMA Research Chronicle)
  • Claire Taylor-Jay (Assistant Editor, JRMA and RMA Research Chronicle)
  • Catherine Bradley (Editor, Monographs)
  • Tamsin Alexander (Editor, RMA Research Chronicle)
  • Amanda Babington (ex officio, Executive Officer)
  • Barbara Kelly (ex officio, President)
  • Günseli Naz Ferel (ex officio, Student Representative, to December 2025)
  • Valerie James (ex officio, Hon. Treasurer)

Search Committee

The Search Committee assists the Council and other committees in searches for appropriate personnel for all offices of the Association. These include (when vacancies arise) members of council and Vice-Presidents, Chairmanship of Proceedings and Publications committees, the secretary, administrator, editorships and convenors.

Chair of Search Committee: Caroline Rae (Rae@cardiff.ac.uk)

Show Committee Members
  • Lois Fitch
  • Ann van Allen-Russell
  • Michelle Meinhart

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group

Show Members
  • Amy Blier-Carruthers and Freya Jarman (co-chairs)
  • Laura Hamer
  • Dan Elphick
  • Chair of the LGBTQ+ Study Group
  • Sue Miller
  • Student Rep

Music Education Initiative

Show Members
  • Catherine Tackley
  • Michelle Meinhart

Student Affairs Committee

The Student Committee acts as a voice for students, representing their concerns and needs to the RMA. Read more on the student pages.