Luke Dollman

Associate Professor Luke Dollman

Associate Professor

Elder Conservatorium of Music

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Associate Professor Luke Dollman is Associate Dean International for the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, and is Deputy Director of the Elder Conservatorium of Music.

As a researcher, he has a strong interest in research into music and health, and regularly collaborates with colleagues from the School of Psychology on a number of research areas in Music Psychology. He also collaborates regularly with colleagues at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) and has been the recipient of various grants totalling approximately $1.2 million. As a teacher, he founded a new conductor training program at the Elder Conservatorium which is delivered in collaboration with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. He also directs the Conservatorium's Symphony Orchestra and experimental new music ensemble, Elder Music Lab.

Dr Dollman holds a Bachelor of Music(Honours) from the University of Adelaide, a Masters of Music from the Sibelius Academy in Finland where he studied conducting with Leif Segerstam and Jorma Panula, and a PhD from the University of Adelaide. His doctoral studies focused on approaches to conductor training by leading schools and conducting teachers around the world.

Luke has performed at venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Sydney Opera House. Orchestras he has worked with include the London Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Halle Staatskapelle, Malaysian Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and all of Australia's professional symphony orchestras. He has worked regularly with the Finnish National Opera, as well as making appearances with Opera Australia and the State Opera of South Australia. He has taught conducting as a guest lecturer at the Sibelius Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. From 2015 to 2019 he taught a masterclass together with Professor Atso Almila from the Sibelius Academy in the Czech Republic.

As well as producing performance-based Non-Traditional Research Outputs, I have a strong interest in research into music and health, and regularly collaborate with colleagues from the School of Psychology on a number of research areas in Music Psychology.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2024 - ongoing Associate Dean International University of Adelaide
    2024 - ongoing Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    2020 - 2023 Senior Lecturer in Conducting Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide
    2018 - ongoing Deputy Director Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide
    2016 - 2020 Lecturer in Conducting Elder Conservatorium of Music

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    German Can read, speak and understand spoken

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2010 - 2014 University of Adelaide Australia PhD
    2001 - 2004 Sibelius Academy Finland M.Mus (Conducting)
    1992 - 1995 University of Adelaide Australia B.Mus (Hons)

  • Certifications
    Date Title Institution name Country
    1988 Licentiate diploma in violin performance Trinity College London United Kingdom

  • Research Interests
    Education Music Composition Music Performance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and performing arts Psychology

Fine Tuning: A Reconciliation of Indigenous and Western Musical Traditions (2023 - 2025)
Funding scheme: FND000210: ARC - Discovery Indigenous
Funder name:Australian Research Council
Funder reference:IN230100005
Investigators:Crismani D; Corn A; Dollman L; Rotumah G
Amount:  $1,032,900

Creating resources for Music Therapists to use when engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and clients (2023 - 2024)
Funding scheme: FND001510: Arts and Health Alliance - Collaborative Research Grant Scheme
Funder name: Arts in Health Alliance
Investigators:Rotumah G; Dollman L
Amount: $30,000

Collaboration with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta to increase awareness of Australian Indigenous culture in China (2023 - 2024)
Funding scheme:FND000986: DFAT - National Foundation for Australia-China Relations
Funder name:Cwth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Funder reference: Australia China Foundation - NFACR220386
Investigators: Dollman L
Amount: $96,000

In person collaboration between the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore (2023)
Funder Name (Organisation): Federal Department of Arts 
Amount: $24,600 

Online collaboration between the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore (2021 – 2022)
Funder Name (Organisation): Federal Department of Arts 
Amount: $33,950 
 

Luke  leads the Elder Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Conservatorium's new music ensemble, Elder Music Lab. He lectures in music history and delivers an undergraduate elective in conducting. At the present time he has 8 students majoring in conducting at Postgraduate or Honours level and supervises 9 HDR students.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2025 Principal Supervisor Rehabilitating Romantic Performance Style in Robert Schumann's Violin Sonatas Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Ms Isabelle Laura Watson
    2024 Co-Supervisor An exploration of psychological wellbeing in professional musicians. Research strategies
    shown to help improve wellbeing, and investigate lived experience of professional musicians in Australian orchestras.    		 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Nicola Joy Baker
    2024 Co-Supervisor Harmonising Causality and Consequence: Re-examining the effectiveness of the choral conductor’s verbal and non-verbal communication alignment and the effect on singer’s responses. Master of Philosophy Master Part Time Mrs Stephanie Joan Eaton
    2024 Co-Supervisor Charting a positive future for the performing arts: Shaping flourishing market systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Thomas Marian Sulda
    2023 Principal Supervisor Tradition and trends in piano recital programming: An investigation of the piano recital in South Australia from 1945 to 2020 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Yundi Yuan
    2023 Principal Supervisor A performance-based conceptualization of late 19th to early 20th century piano works of French composers on historic and modern instruments Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Haowei Yang
    2023 Co-Supervisor International Best Practice in the Teaching and Training of Young Composers Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Lauren Angelique McCormick
    2022 Co-Supervisor Towards a Canon of Australian Symphonic Wind Band Music. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Bryan Wayne Griffiths
    2019 Principal Supervisor Physiology of Condotery Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Tully Brookes

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 - 2025 Principal Supervisor Conductor Gestalt: A Comparative Study of Conductor Qualities, Skills and Knowledge Across Ensemble Types and Levels Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Evan Alan Patton
    2020 - 2021 Co-Supervisor ‘An Anatomy of Betrayal’: metaphor, method and meaning in the opera Taverner by Peter Maxwell Davies Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Simon John Lord
    2020 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Horn Ensembles in Australia: A History, Catalogue of National Repertoire, and Recommendations Towards Sustainable Communities Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Emma Gregan
    2018 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Re-orchestration Case Studies for Wind Orchestra: Portfolio of Compositions, Transcriptions and Exegesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Martin Timothy Cheney
    2017 - 2020 Co-Supervisor The Oboe Sings: Translating bel canto Song for the Oboe Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Charles Henry Klein

  • Presentation
    Date Topic Presented at Institution Country
    2018 - ongoing Beyond The Stage - Creative Arts Symposium - State Library of South Australia -

  • Review, Assessment, Editorial and Advice
    Date Title Type Institution Country
    2019 - 2019 Adjudicator for Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concerto Competition Advice Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore Singapore
    2019 - 2020 Peer Reviewer for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Peer Review Adelaide Symphony Orchestra -
    2013 - ongoing AMEB Examiner Advice AMEB -
  • Position: Associate Professor
  • Phone: 83135860
  • Email: luke.dollman@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Schulz, floor Ninth Floor
  • Room: 912
  • Org Unit: Elder Conservatorium of Music
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