Javier Rivas

I am a music researcher, educator, and cultural organiser working on the anthropology of education and institutional change. I teach critical theory, cultural management, and contemporary music at King’s College London, and have previously held teaching posts in the Anthropology Department at University College London and at ESMUC (Catalonia College of Music).

I completed a BA in Musicology at the University of Oviedo, where I was awarded the SGAE End of Degree Prize. I later completed an MMus in Musicology and Ethnomusicology (Distinction) at King’s College London, funded by the Mutua Madrileña Foundation Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies (2019–20). Since 2021, my AHRC-funded doctoral research has examined processes of institutional culture change in higher music education. I have conducted ethnographic and archival fieldwork at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), where I work as a visiting researcher and lecturer.

I have presented my research at international conferences across Europe and the United States, and have been invited to deliver talks at King’s College London and the University of Oxford. My work has appeared in the International Journal of Community Music and Ethnomusicology Forum.

I am deeply committed to engaged pedagogical practice, and my teaching has been recognised through the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. I have taught BA and MA courses at King’s College London, University College London, and ESMUC. Alongside my academic work, I am an experienced cultural organiser, managing the national charity Water City Music and KCL’s award-winning King’s Music Academy, and serving on the board of trustees of the Lucille Graham Trust.

Email: javier.rivas_rodriguez@kcl.ac.uk