Honorary doctorates for Dame Janet Ritterman and Michael Worton

Leading lights in European higher education

With this honour, the Senate, chaired by Professor Christoph Lepschy, recognises two individuals who have set international standards for many years. Dame Janet Ritterman, DBE, began her career as a pianist and chamber musician, but from the outset was equally committed to teaching and research. Over the course of her career, she developed into a visionary architect of modern artistic higher education. Her path – from studies at the Sydney Conservatorium to postgraduate work in London and then to teaching at Middlesex Polytechnic from 1975, where she played a key role in establishing the first British BA in Performing Arts – represents a synthesis of artistic practice, pedagogical thinking and institutional development. From 1991 to 1993 she was Principal of Dartington College of Arts, before becoming the first woman to serve as Director of the Royal College of Music in London in 1993. She held this post until 2005 and used it to decisively internationalise the institution and to shape its artistic and academic profile. In 2002 she was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire for her services to music.

As a founding member of the Austrian Science Council and first chair of the international FWF PEEK Board, she has also had a lasting impact on the research landscape here; in 2016, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and the Arts, First Class. Her ability to combine artistic excellence with academic precision and human openness distinguishes her work for the Mozarteum.

Professor Michael Worton, CBE, Professor Emeritus des University College London, is a unique figure in the humanities: a renowned scholar of French language and literature, he has moved from the University of Edinburgh to Liverpool and then to London, creating a scholarly oeuvre that ranges from the works of André Gide and Roland Barthes to intertextuality theory, gender studies and visual culture. His academic career – from professor of French literature to Vice-Provost of UCL – is characterised by a deeply literary and interdisciplinary approach. Worton played a leading role in establishing the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council and, in addition to founding international campus locations at UCL, was also responsible for a vision of interdisciplinary higher education. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to higher education in 2014.  With personal connections to Zambia and Scotland, and a career that combines interests in French literary studies, cultural studies and higher education policy, he has a gift for grasping artistic and academic research in all its epistemological diversity, viewing the boundaries between disciplines not as obstacles but as opportunities for innovation – a skill that makes him the ideal juror for an arts university.

As jurors of the Research Competition Mozarteum since 2019, they have both contributed greatly to the extraordinary boom in research that is happening here.

Researchers as ensemble members

In the laudatio for the two honourees, their understanding of research culture was singled out for special praise. The musical metaphor of the ‘fermata’ – that pause in music in which ‘time holds its breath’ – was used to highlight how Worton and Ritterman’s attitude goes far beyond professional excellence and exemplifies a new understanding of artistic and scientific community: a conscious moment of concentrated attention in which excellence and human generosity are not mutually exclusive, but work together to achieve greater goals. “The highest calling isn't to be the solo voice. It's to be part of the ensemble. To listen as much as we speak. To support as much as we lead.”

This “ensemble mentality” is exemplified at the Mozarteum in the work of Ritterman and Worton. Here, research excellence and academic well-being are not treated as separate aims, but as interwoven aspects of a culture of mutual support and mindfulness.

Valuable impulses for the Mozarteum community

In recent years, participants in the Mozarteum Research Competition have benefited greatly from the expertise of both individuals, as well as from their intellectual generosity and their willingness to support young researchers in a manner that is both appreciative and critical. For many, meeting them represented a decisive step in their development: the individual jury feedback provided by Ritterman and Worton not only encouraged the nominees in further pursuing their research projects, but also promotes an attitude of reflective curiosity. Ritterman demonstrates an extraordinary clarity of vision, while Worton – with his ability to connect a wide variety of artistic and scholarly approaches – brings new perspectives and connections to the discussion process.

In her acceptance speech, Dame Janet Ritterman spoke with heartfelt warmth about the close bond she feels with the Mozarteum.: "For me it feels a great honour and a real privilege to be recognised in this way by an institution which I have known and admired for many years and which I have watched with delight going from strength to strength."

Professor Michael Worton focused in his speech on the diversity of themes being explored in research at the Mozarteum: “What I find particularly impressive is the number of proposals that we are now seeing that are fundamental or discovery research. A few examples: the exploration of the nexus of textile and sound – the development of a praxis and an ethics of bioart living works of art created through biotechnical manipulation – an analysis of eco-criticism and eco-memory through graphic narratives comics – a radical rethinking of the power and place of museums and archives – the development of an aesthetics of incompetence."

Success Stories

The positive impact of the Mozarteum Research Competition and the constructive feedback from Ritterman and Worton are clear to see in several projects which, after their input as jury members, went on to secure external funding from the FWF.

An outstanding example is the PEEK project ‘Nexus of Textile and Sound’ by Gertrud Fischbacher (Department of Fine Arts & Design) in cooperation with Marius Schebella (FH Salzburg). Fischbacher and Schebella were the winners of the inaugural Mozarteum Research Competition in 2019. The project explores the connection between textile materials and sound, using smart textiles as interfaces in fashion, architecture and installations. After intensive further development with the support of the Research Competion jury, the project was successfully submitted to the most important funding programme for artistic research in Austria – a first for both the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and the Mozarteum.

Another example is the FWF individual project ‘Joint Aesthetic Judgments’ by Iris Laner, Professor of Fine Arts and Art Education at the Mozarteum. The project, which received a grant of €485,430, explores the role of community in forming aesthetic judgments. It examines how aesthetic subjectification is embedded in collective processes – a research topic that resonates with the ensemble concept mentioned above. This project also benefited from the Research Competition Mozarteum and the constructive feedback from the jury.

These success stories illustrate how the Mozarteum Research Competition acts as a catalyst: it enables researchers to hone and develop their ideas and ultimately realise them at the highest international level. In a nutshell, says Worton, the Mozarteum’s success is perhaps down to the fact that, ‘Research is not a systematic occupation but an intuitive artistic vocation. Perhaps this is why the Mozarteum is producing so much excellent and pioneering research ...’

In the tradition of great personalities

Just like Nikolaus Harnoncourt — renowned for sharing his knowledge and for his openness to new perspectives, and whose honorary doctorate in 2008 was described as a “respectful nod to Austria’s musical conscience” — Ritterman and Worton stand today as examples of how artistic excellence, scholarly depth and personal integrity can be interwoven.

Conclusion: A strong signal from Salzburg

With this honour, the Mozarteum University demonstrates that excellent research, diversity and active dialogue are inextricably linked – and that the future of Salzburg as a research location lies in the power of collegial cooperation. It awards this rare distinction not only for individual excellence, but also for the lived principle of the ‘ensemble’: sharing knowledge, listening, supporting and leading – values that should shape the European artistic and scholarly community today more than ever.

With Janet Ritterman and Michael Worton, the Mozarteum University remains a place where excellent research, humanity and international exchange take centre stage – and will inspire the researchers of the future.