Anthony Chmiel, PhD.
Music and Cognitive Psychology
Dr. Anthony Chmiel is a researcher and publishing author in music and psychology, located in Sydney, Australia. While his research focus is broad, recurring areas of interest include empirical studies on better understanding preferences for and emotional responses to music, and the mental health and wellbeing benefits of music across the lifespan.
Anthony’s primary affiliation is with the University of Sydney, where he publishes work and provides specialist research support to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Anthony also retains a position as an Adjunct Research Fellow at the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development (Western Sydney University). From 2012 until 2023 Anthony worked as a lecturer, convenor, and tutor for various music courses at UNSW, and has previously held research positions at the University of Padova (Italy) and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (University of Melbourne).
Anthony has also worked as a live and studio freelance musician for two decades. As guitarist he has shared bills with artists such as Jimmy Barnes, Diesel, Ian Moss, The Superjesus, and Youth Group, among others. His work has taken him to venues all around Australia including the Sydney Entertainment Centre, the Sydney State Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, and the Sydney Metro Theatre. As an undergraduate, Anthony studied a jazz performance major under the tutelage of renowned jazz guitarist Steve Brien.
Research Interests
- Empirical Aesthetics in Music
- Benefits of Music across the Lifespan
- Music and Mental health and Wellbeing
- Emotional responses to music
- Automated Music Recommendation Systems
- Digital methods for preservation of heritage audio documents
- Performance practices, such as voice acoustics
Degrees
My research shows that music can be for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have two minutes or two decades of experience, almost everyone can get some sort of benefit. Our next questions are how to maximise that benefit.