Bio. Rachael is a professional violinist and current PhD student at the University of Liverpool researching automated composition systems and UK copyright law. Rachael acquired a BMus degree (1st class) from the University of Hull in 2004, where she was awarded the Andrew Brown university prize for outstanding contribution to performance, and later attended the Royal Northern College of Music where she was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in performance (Merit) at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2005. Rachael continues to work as a professional violinist, enjoying a varied freelance career performing with professional orchestras and ensembles in the UK and internationally, in theatre and as a session musician. Career highlights include touring Canada with jazz pianist David Braid and Sinfonia UK Collective, leading a UK tour and lecture series on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and performing as a soloist live on BBC Radio 3. In 2019 Rachael made a return to academia to study for the MA in Music Industry Studies (distinction) at the University of Liverpool. Her master’s thesis focused on theories of liveness and deadness in holographic music performance and the wider implications of holographic artists in the live music industry. Research. Her current doctoral research considers automated composition systems created with machine learning as the music industry’s next disruptive technology which now questions the sustainability of the UK’s current copyright framework, the value of copyright to the music industry and the potential economic, societal and philosophical value of human creativity.

Rachael Drury

Ph.D. Candidate