Personal profile
Research interests
My research interests focus primarily on nineteenth-century musical culture, especially opera (French, Italian) and other forms of music theatre including melodrama and ballet, in Paris and London. My AHRC-funded project, French Opera and the Revolutionary Sublime, analyses the cataclysmic denouements of a series of works performed in Paris between 1789 and 1830, in the context of France's evolving relationship with revolution. It pays particular attention to staging technologies (including lighting and special effects) and audiences' sensory and emotional experiences. My new Leverhulme Major Research Project examines the activities of the 'Puritani Quartet' in London and Paris during the 1830s and 40s, with a particular focus on the bass, Luigi Lablache, and explores singer networks and mobility in nineteenth-century Europe.
External positions
Coeditor, Cambridge Opera Journal
Vice President, Royal Musical Association
Keywords
- opera
- melodrama
- ballet
- Paris
- Revolution
- nationalism, ethnicity and identity
- Singers
- London
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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An “Audiotopia”: Operatic Voices in St Petersburg, London, and Paris, 1843–53
Hibberd, S., 1 Jun 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Sound Studies Review. 2, 1Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review
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Berlioz and His World
Brittan, F. & Hibberd, S. (Editor), 1 Aug 2024, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 352 p.Research output: Book/Report › Edited book
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The Language of Prophecy in 'Les Troyens'
Hibberd, S., 1 Aug 2024, Berlioz and His World. Brittan, F. & Hibberd, S. (eds.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 22-47 25 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter in a book
Projects
- 5 Finished
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French operetta after operetta, 1872–1900 (Tommaso Sabbatini)
Hibberd, S. (Principal Investigator)
1/09/22 → 31/08/25
Project: Research
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Italianità abroad: the Puritani Quartet in London and Paris, 1835–1843
Hibberd, S. (Principal Investigator)
1/02/22 → 31/01/25
Project: Research
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Activities
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Cambridge Opera Journal (Journal)
Hibberd, S. (Editor)
2018 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial activity
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Buxton Festival (Beethoven, Leonore; Bellini, I capuleti)
Hibberd, S. (Chair)
Jul 2016Activity: Talk or presentation types › Festival, exhibition, performance
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BBC4 documentary
Hibberd, S. (Contributor)
2016Activity: Other activity types › Media coverage or participation