Doctor of Song
Click photo to view ‘This Gift', written with the music of Helen Russell and recorded live at Leah's Doctor of Musical Arts Recital at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in 2018
Leah’s post-graduate research projects focused on the underlying functional aspects of how singing performance connects us. Her two current research projects are investigating the role of artists in mental health settings and the history of modern jazz in Brisbane.
Leah's Master of Music by Research (QCGU 2015) produced 'The Pleasure of Sad Songs', the a musical memoir of a family mental health carer. The performance was warmly received by consumers and workers in the mental health sector. Listen to her 'Conversations' interview on Radio National:
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/leah-cotterell-and-the-pleasure-of-sad-songs/7752818
Her Doctor of Musical Arts (QCGU 2020) recital, 'The Singer's Anatomy', reappraised formative experiences of performance. An online survey, 'The Performer's Toolkit', drew out previously unexplored and insightful reflections from a diverse sampl of singers.
As a researcher in 2022-2023 Leah is working on a project commissioned by the Australia Council and Wesley Mission Queensland to study the attributes and training that equip artists to work in mental health settings.
Extending her engagement with the history of live jazz performance in Brisbane, Leah is the 2023 Letty Katts Fellow at the State Library of Queensland. She speaks about it in this video: https://vimeo.com/755399680